# If I wanted to fossilize myself...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-wanted-to-fossilize-myself/483376>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 28, 2009, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-wanted-to-fossilize-myself/483376 "2009-01-28T12:48:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-wanted-to-fossilize-myself/483376/1 "2009-01-28T12:48:07Z")

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(after my natural death, please)

First of all, are there any legal hurdles?

That settled, how hard would it be? Can I make a small pocket of fossil friendly soil anywhere, or does that need to be a large area/volume?

Say I wanted to offer it as an option in my cemetery/funeral home, could I have a mixed lot with some people interred traditionally and some going for fossilization?

Is there any way to speed up the process?

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**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-wanted-to-fossilize-myself/483376/2 "2009-01-28T13:25:03Z")

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[Cecil speaks !](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/648/how-can-i-get-myself-fossilized)

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**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-wanted-to-fossilize-myself/483376/3 "2009-01-28T13:26:11Z")

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Grasshopper, immerse yourself in the writings of the Perfect Master:

[How can I get myself fossilized?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/648/how-can-i-get-myself-fossilized)

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**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-wanted-to-fossilize-myself/483376/4 "2009-01-28T13:38:24Z")

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Good. It sounds like lithified is what I want. A century or two is a lot less time than I thought, so we are good in that sense.

The two big questions remain. How big a patch of appropriate soil would I need? and are there any laws against it? I am guessing no, since you cannot get more destructive than cremation.

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**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-wanted-to-fossilize-myself/483376/5 "2009-01-28T16:26:57Z")

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Would we really need soil? I’m thinking we could do it hydroponically.

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**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-wanted-to-fossilize-myself/483376/6 "2009-01-28T17:34:32Z")

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Talk to a lawyer. They have strict laws about how a human body must be handled after death. For example, in most jurisdictions you can’t just bury dad in the backyard…