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  1. Naked Science Forum
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  3. Geology, Palaeontology & Archaeology
  4. Bones of animals in the ground
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Bones of animals in the ground

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Offline smartasafruit (OP)

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Bones of animals in the ground
« on: 11/02/2021 14:55:21 »
How likely is it that you are in some place in the world and there are no animal bones underneath you? No matter how deep under the earth they are. But I mean actually still more or less intact bones and not oil. Also fossilized bones or remains are OK. As many animals as there are, would such a place have to be impossible, or do I think in wrong scales and there are not so many animals as I think that their are?

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Offline Janus

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Re: Bones of animals in the ground
« Reply #1 on: 11/02/2021 17:12:45 »
Quote from: smartasafruit on 11/02/2021 14:55:21
How likely is it that you are in some place in the world and there are no animal bones underneath you? No matter how deep under the earth they are. But I mean actually still more or less intact bones and not oil. Also fossilized bones or remains are OK. As many animals as there are, would such a place have to be impossible, or do I think in wrong scales and there are not so many animals as I think that their are?


Bones break up and decompose over time. In a typically humid environment, in a decade or a bit more.  This means most bones decompose before ever being buried very deep.    It is only under unusual conditions that they last longer.  In arid dessert conditions, or if they end up being encased in a way the protects then from the microorganisms that would break them down.  So, in most places in the world, you would be able to dig down and never come across intact bones.
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Offline charles1948

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Re: Bones of animals in the ground
« Reply #2 on: 13/02/2021 22:58:31 »
We have been digging up fossils for nearly 200 years, will the supply run out.

What I'm thinking is, suppose our present civilisation comes to an end. From a new pandemic of more deadly proportions, Or a global nuclear war, or whatever.

Then in say 10,000 years, a new civilisation arises.

 And the new scientists are trying to discover the history of past life on Earth.
Will there enough fossils left for them to work on?
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Offline evan_au

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Re: Bones of animals in the ground
« Reply #3 on: 14/02/2021 08:20:17 »
Quote from: charles1948
Then in say 10,000 years, a new civilisation arises.
Will there enough fossils left for them to work on?
Yes.

We mostly look at bones that are exposed on the surface.
- After the current surface is gone, there is more rock under that.
-The ancient Greeks and Romans had tales of the Titans, enormous ancient warriors. More modern research has shown that these tales center on regions with deposits of prehistoric bones, much bigger than human bones.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giants_(Greek_mythology)#Location

There are some regions of the world where the rock is so old that it predates bony animals, so these rocks don't have any bones to dig up.
- But the rock itself suggests evidence of life, in that oxygen produced by living organisms turned dissolved iron in the sea into insoluble iron oxide, forming bands in the rock.
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banded_iron_formation
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