I’m laying awake, not able to figure this out.
If our civilization were to be left untouched for thousands of years then over time it’d get covered in dirt. Some future generation would have to “dig up” our civilization in the same way we dig up artifacts from the ancient past.
Where does that dirt come from? Is it floating around in the atmosphere? Or does it get created somehow (ie. organic matter decomposing)?
My understanding is that older artifacts are buried deeper, which may not be the correct understanding. But is there some relationship to dirt vs time?
So many questions.
In: 18
Not all ruins are covered in dirt…it depends on the location. Either the landscape in the area changes and dirt is “brought” in from another location, or – as you mentioned – it is created.
Dirt can be transported from other areas via events like flooding. (Ruins can even be submerged in a body water, and then be submerged under silt over many years.)
Dirt can be “created” by decaying organic matter…that’s what makes up the majority of soil, after all. Other sources are volcanic eruptions spewing magma and ash, earthquakes, and even erosion breaking down rock into sand.
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