History Main / MetalPoorPlanet

* ''Literature/Manifold: Space'' includes a brief visit to a world with a chlorine atmosphere. Metal probably exists there in some form, but the native life will never be able to forge it because it corrodes instantly.

* "Literature/Manifold:Space" includes a brief visit to a world with a chlorine atmosphere. Metal probably exists there in some form, but the native life will never be able to forge it because it corrodes instantly.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'', Amphibia is implied to be fairly resource poor, as their society has remained in MedievalStasis for a millenium. While they had technology exceeding that of present-day Earth in the past, this was gained by exploiting other worlds using the Calamity Box, and their advanced civilization collapsed when it was stolen.

* ''The Bone Ships'' from RJ Barker is set on an ocean world that's very deficient in metals. The first novel has the first sighting of a sea dragon in decades being a major event as its bones could change the stalemate between the two warring nations. Dragon bone is the only material available that's buoyant yet strong enough to withstand the monster filled sea. What little metal there is, is restricted for weapons and armor of the most elite of the sea guard. Bone weapons and your own skin for anyone else (though some are lucky enough to have fish leather protection). The artillery of this setting are gallowbows (ballista) and the heads of their bolts are made from stone. Buildings are made with stone and that world's equivalent of wood and reeds.

* ''The Bone Ships'' from RJ Barker is set on an ocean world that's very deficient in metals. The first novel has the first sighting of a sea dragon being a major event as its bones could change the stalemate between the two warring nations. Dragon bone is the only material available that's buoyant yet strong enough to withstand the monster filled sea. What little metal there is, is restricted for weapons and armor of the most elite of the sea guard. Bone weapons and your own skin for anyone else (though some are lucky enough to have fish leather protection). The artillery of this setting are gallowbows (ballista) and the heads of their bolts are made from stone. Buildings are made with stone and that world's equivalent of wood and reeds.

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* ''{{Literature/Honorverse}}'' has this issue inverted on the planet Grayson, which has far more heavy metals than Earth. The colonists that had gone to Grayson had intended to forgo all high technology (believing the planet to be their Promised Land and technology to be a temptation by Satan) and still tried to do that, making a bad situation much worse while some practical religious leadership worked hard to square their ideals with reality. Some of the last remaining technology was used to genetically engineer higher resistance to heavy metals, but at the cost of a 1/3 male/female birth ratio, accentuating the conservative patriarchy of an already polygamous society (they are roughly Space Mormons with Japanese influences). By the time of the series a millennium later, the planet is still behind the galactic technology curve, but has domed cities, orbital farms, and better fission technology than anyone else since they forgot fusion and had loads of uranium lying about.

--->"The planet, Terminus, by itself cannot support a mechanized civilization. It lacks metals. You know that. It hasn't a trace of iron, copper, or aluminum in the surface rocks, and precious little of anything else." -- '''Salvor Hardin'''

* ''Literature/DragonridersOfPern''. The planet Pern has limited amounts of available metal, meaning it is of little interest to the large corporations that normally colonize worlds, but perfect for a group of people who want to create a [[SpaceAmish low-tech agrarian society]].

* The first ''Literature/RedDwarf'' novel says that Earth has been completely mined dry by the 22nd century, necessitating humanity to colonize and mine the rest of the solar system. Hence massive mining space ships like the titular vessel

* Ardenweald, one of the afterlives in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraf'' is an entire realm devoid of metal or any kind of stone at all. Being the afterlife most closely tied to nature, everything apart from the dirt is alive. Any tools or equipment the Night Fae use, from carts to roads to weapons, are made of wood, plant matter, or amber.

* Some planets in ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}'' that are otherwise habitable may discovered to be metal-poor after surveying. Since you're already an interstellar nation it isn't a debilitating situation, but it does reduce the maximum number of mining districts allowed on the planet and those that are built are less productive than usual.

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* ''Machinima/FreemansMind'': Gordon Freeman theorizes that the lightning spewing aliens come from a mineral poor planet. He offers to share Earth's prodigious mineral wealth... [[DeadlyEuphemism at high velocities]].

* ''Manga/BrokenBlade'' takes place in an apparent post-apocalyptic world where almost everyone is magic and controls quartz, and quartz is the most abundant thing on Earth. The logical way to wage war? Giant mecha!

* ''Machinima/FreemansMind'': Gordon Freeman theorizes that the lightning spewing aliens come from a mineral poor planet. He offers to share Earth's prodigious mineral wealth... at high velocities.

* The Creator/OrsonScottCard novel ''Wyrms'' takes place on a human colony world whose largest and most accessible deposits of iron and coal were destroyed from orbit by the colony ship’s captain, under the psychic thrall of ''something'' on the planet below. Unable to make steel, the colonists were forced into MedievalStasis.

* The first ''Literature/RedDwarf'' Nov says that Earth has been completely mined dry by the 22nd necessitating humanity to colonize and mine the rest of the solar system.