View Single Post
  #17  
Old 14-08-2011, 06:28 PM
renormalised's Avatar
renormalised (Carl)
No More Infinities

renormalised is offline
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Townsville
Posts: 9,698
Your quote from wiki is essentially correct and in ore forming processes there is loss of energy from the system to its surroundings. However, ore forming processes don't occur in isolated physical systems. Whilst thermodynamics is important in modelling heat flows, chemical equilibrium processes and the like, the system can be reduced back to its "original" state if an external input occurs (dissolution of the ore body). However, if you look at it in the longer term, then the process is ultimately irreversible. Simply because you can't have perpetual motion (or in this case an infinite external input) and the process cannot be brought back to its initial "initial" state.
Reply With Quote