Thomas de Groot wrote:

> 
> "Joanne Simpson" <cor### [at] onewhiteravencom> schreef in bericht
> news:web.43683abfe9e218d9dc45bc820@news.povray.org...
>>
>> On the other hand, if the material were purely plastic (e.g. clay or
> metal),
>> it _might_ deform like the picture, but I suspect the slope of the
> mountain
>> would be much shallower, and the shape of the top more flared out.
>>
>>
> Now, that's interesting Joanne! From a different perspective (the
> measurements of Fist-of-God on the Ringworld map in Ringworld Engineers),
> I come to the conclusion that the mountain should have the shape of a
> shield volcano, i.e. very flat.
> Consider: The *base* starts almost at sea-level and gives it a radius of
> 150,000 miles. The slopes are gentle until an altitude of about 80 miles.
> The final *cone* has a radius of 25,000 miles and ends at 1000 miles
> altitude.
> If you draw or model this you get a very flat object, with only the very
> top perhaps flaring upwards. I even suspect that the mountain is so huge
> that it would hardly be *visible* from the ground! in contradiction with
> what Niven writes in fact...
> 
> Bill, what do you think? Do you agree with my measurements?
> 
> Thomas

There is one inherent flaw in this reasoning.
You keep referring to the mountain as a volcano but it isn't even though
Niven describes it as one. The one thing you could/should compare it to is
a bullet hole in sheet metal.

-- 
Ger

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