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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Umbran" data-source="post: 5905383" data-attributes="member: 177">I'm not sure you're correct.  Lava can run from 1,292 to 2,192 °F.  Copper melts at 1982 °F, and tin much lower.  So, heats sufficient to make bronze may be available - they just cannot be produces when and where desired like on land.  Done in a salt water environment, you'd have to develop some interesting processes to handle the chemistry of refinement or ores, and in water your annealing processes would be different than in air.That just means their methods would be different, not that it couldn't be done.More to the point, though is whether working metals is particularly valuable or useful in an aquatic environment.  Most metals fare poorly in extended contact with saltwater, for one thing, so you're going through a lot of effort to create a material that won't last long.  On top of that, though, think about what uses we put metals to - plowshares?  Not required.  Axes to chop trees?  Not required.  You do run into a need for metal tools to work stone, but why are you working stone?  To build a castle?  Castles are a response to land warfare, when in an aquatic environment, everyone can effectively fly.  Buildings, in general, are a response to the land-dweller's need to be protected from the environment, which is not usually much of a requirement for aquatic creatures.I suggest you look into the book West of Eden by Harry Harrison.  It isn't about an aquatic environment, but includes some interesting ideas about what could be done with biotech instead.  It also has intelligent descendents of dinosaurs meeting stone-age humans, which is always a hoot.</blockquote>

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