What use is gold in say an EMP strike?

a reply to: InceyWincey

You could build a Faraday cage out the stuff if you have enough.

Not much point in saving your own electronic equipment and data through if there is no electrical or communications grid around to accommodate and/or facilitate there demands.

a reply to: InceyWincey

Old technology now but the US air force has some hardened electronic's using diamond valves, likely other branches of the US military do, I know this from an old British air force engineer who retired in the 80's but continued to teach well into the 90's.

Valved are not totally impervious to EMP but they are far more resilient and indeed other than a flicker would continue to work, more complex modern avionic's systems are however mostly still IC based and of course semi conductor materials are very susceptible to EMP damage so a lot of the more modern air craft would actually be knocked out while some of the older air frames - pre fly by wire especially would likely not suffer any real adverse effects.

Basically when the EMP passes over and through an object it is like a huge surge of magnetism, extremely huge and is strong enough to strip electrons and drag them the wrong way around circuit's basically frying them as if they had received a massive spike in every susceptible component, even older discreet circuit's can be destroyed by this but IC and very large scale Integrated Circuit's (microchips) are exceptionally easy to damage in this manner but they can be hardened, faraday cages have been shown to provide excellent level's of protection but a nuclear emp usually requires something a bit stronger, Iron and other Magnetic materials have excellent magnetic wave guide property's and can guide the EMP wave around such circuitry and there are other way's of hardening circuit's, older IC such as the VLSI chips like the old RS74 series familiar to almost every college student from the 1980's and early 1990's such as the 741 series operational amplifier were actually originally aimed at Military application's and were naturally resilient to abuse including EMP, (we once popped one by overloading it so bad that the ceramic casing exploded and it was glowing white hot but it still worked amplifying the signal from the wave generator on the oscilloscope much to the bemusement of the lecturer whom himself had not seen that happen before) and the Radio Spares 54 series were intended for the commercial domestic market - but everyone wanted the 74's which were 1970's era IC's they had in bulk.

Today however with all those mobile's and kid's whom have forgotten how to talk to there friend's without one society would crash.

originally posted by: Gargoyle91
a reply to: schuyler

I've always wondered why gold was so valuable when it had no use other then It looked good and was easy to work with. Wonder if it's just a subliminal thing that we carry from our forgotten past.

Gold's importance consists of three factors. In descending order of importance, they are:

1) It's very rare
2) It never corrodes
3) It's pretty and attractive

Points one and two are quite close together, point three is really more of a bonus.

originally posted by: Gargoyle91
a reply to: burdman30ott6

Location location location - The man carrying a pound of gold would gladly give it up for a glass of water where no water can be found.

True enough. That said, I'm fairly sure most anyone who can read these words has freedom of movement and can change their location if they wished. We truly do make our own beds in this world.

I just thought of something that really would suck in an EMP event: My chainsaws and power ice auger wouldn't work.

a reply to: audubon

It's also a great conductor of electrical current and one of the most malleable and ductile metal around.

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: audubon

It's also a great conductor of electrical current.

True, but that's more of a happy accident for modernity rather than any intrinsic social value. (Also, are we assuming in this EMP doomsday scenario that nothing electrical will ever work again? I'm not clear on this point).

a reply to: audubon

I'm starting to think it's as rare as diamonds .

a reply to: Gargoyle91

Don't get me started on the diamond conspiracy!

a reply to: audubon

Not ever again, technological bases would come back, but pretty much pre industrial times for the next few centuries would ensure if say a Carrington event or other similar of large enough ferocity type solar storm were to take place in this day of age.

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: audubon

Not ever again, technological bases would come back, but pretty much pre industrial times if say a Carrington event or other similar type solar storm were to take place in this day of age.

If this happened, the Amish would become the 'one per cent' and civilisation would suddenly take a really unexpected turn.

a reply to: audubon



Probably true.

Read the book One Second After by William Forstchen. He does a great job outlining what happens after an EMP in this fictional account. He does a good job of showing how things start off slowly with no one freaking out and then after a week or two all hell starts breaking loose. He also gets into what things have value and what doesn't.

I don't think gold or money will have any real value in a true SHTF scenario where the entire grid is down. Gold and cash would be valuable to greedy people immediately after, but as reality sinks in the things that will have value will be guns, ammo, medicine, food, shelter, fresh water and other survival goods. Coffee and cigs would be pretty valuable too I'd bet. I'd keep some gold or other currency just as bait to give people as needed during the early days, but the other stuff is what will really be valuable.

Gold only has value when society has stabilized and people will be looking to trade for goods when bartering just won't cut it anymore.

Gold in the way the OP and most people think will be absolutely worthless. I mean gold like gold bars, bullion, coins, and large amounts of gold dust. These items are nearly impossible to break down to the small amounts needed for trade and barter in a SHTF situation....You see the problem is you would most likely be bartering for small items like tools or small amounts of food. Items which won't require a gold bar or even valuable gold coin. Besides it's not like you're going to lugging around a gold bar around breaking off little pieces for stuff like bread and such...And even if you did how long before someone just takes it from you???

You would be better served having gold or precious metals in the form of jewelry. Rings, necklaces, watches, chains etc. These items are still precious metals and worth it to have. Plus they are a lot easier for the common person to accumulate over time in preparation of SHTF...and it is a lot easier to trade!!!

Just my .02

a reply to: andy06shake

Knowledge really would be power in such a scenario. Windmills and water wheels I reckon.
Engineers would be the new gods and I imagine they would want payment in food or other useful things, not gold.
At least in the short to medium term.

a reply to: Edumakated

One thing that I see that is overlooked is knowledge I bet a book on survival or plant ID would be a very valuable commodity.

a reply to: InceyWincey

Parallel thinking just happened.

Gold will still have the same value that it had before the advent of our modern electrical age.
It is an easily worked metal that doesn't corrode or tarnish, and it is found in its elemental form in nature.

originally posted by: Gargoyle91
a reply to: Edumakated

One thing that I see that is overlooked is knowledge I bet a book on survival or plant ID would be a very valuable commodity.

I think every person should be aware of their surroundings. People will be having to find food and deal with survival in their own back yards per say. My grand father taught my dad and he taught me what I can and cannot eat plant wise in my neck of the woods. I have taught my children and nieces and nephews the same....I don't think Me or mine will have a problem....with or without electricity.

Like ole Hank Jr. Said..

originally posted by: Gargoyle91
a reply to: Edumakated

One thing that I see that is overlooked is knowledge I bet a book on survival or plant ID would be a very valuable commodity.

Yes. In One Second, he actually goes into this issue in great detail. There is a situation where a treasure trove of old engineering and farming books (from the 50s and earlier) at a library is found to be extremely valuable. If anyone is prepping, having actual books available could be life saving. You just can't google it! Also, he gets into how people like executives have no value but people like plumbers, electricians, doctors, nurses, etc are elevated because of their skills/knowledge.

a reply to: Gargoyle91

I get ya
I just had another thought, there are short track steam train lines still running in the UK, those old sunkissed engineers would be kings once they hooked up with others to use that power for other uses. Hell, there would be post disaster apprenticeships going on, and they would be paid food n shelter, not gold.