# Traces of humanity--after 10,000 years? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 13, 2003, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traces-of-humanity-after-10-000-years/148350 "2003-01-13T19:23:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traces-of-humanity-after-10-000-years/148350/21 "2003-01-14T05:06:09Z")
Slap me, I’m repeating myself. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traces-of-humanity-after-10-000-years/148350/22 "2003-01-14T05:24:34Z")
> [@](#): > > High Alter (TV set) So-called because most of the programming is unwatchable unless you’re ‘High’ or ‘Altered’. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traces-of-humanity-after-10-000-years/148350/23 "2003-01-14T07:10:23Z")
Vegitation patterns might be a giveaway, too. I think it was Tom Clancy’s “Rainbow Six” that postulates fields of now-wild corn and wheat growing for a few centuries in a depopulated North America. Take that as you will. And of course, a few centuries harly compare to a few millenia. Core samples taken from ice fields in the antarctic would probably show industrial pollutants after a few centuries. Edward Mallory’s corpse is still on Mt. Everest and, with a little luck, might still be there for a few centuries. Come to think of it, if the population of Earth just “dropped dead,” there might be quite a few naturally mummified human bodies waiting to be discovered in the frozen and arid regions of the world. Heck, maybe you could still find a glob of crude oil or two if you looked under the right rocks on the Alaskan coastline. As for the “flooded world” scenario…perhaps unusual coral buildup on the ruins of the coastal cities? ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traces-of-humanity-after-10-000-years/148350/24 "2003-01-14T16:27:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Duckster \* > \*\*When sculptor Gutzon Borglum found out the granite at Mt. Rushmore erodes at the rate of approximately one inch every 100,000 years, he added an additional 12 inches to George Washington’s nose, saying, “It will give him another million years …” > > Quote attributed to a Discovery Channel or History Channel story about Mt. Rushmore. \*\* Yeah, but water seeps into granite and freezes in the winter, which eventually leads to cracks. If nothing is done when the cracks appear, there’s a crash and suddenly Abe Lincoln doesn’t have a nose… This is avoided by maintaining a layer of a waterproof material on the sculpture according to [this almost unreadable budget report](http://data2.itc.nps.gov/parks/moru/ppdocuments/app.htm) I found on Google. I also recall seeing videotape of park workers using mortar to seal cracks in the sculpture on one of the science/learning/history cable networks, but I wasn’t able to dig up specific info on the show or the repair work. With nobody to maintain the water-resistant barrier on the granite, and nobody to seal the cracks that appear from time to time, well, Mt Rushmore is going to show its age in a few thousand years. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traces-of-humanity-after-10-000-years/148350/25 "2003-01-14T16:43:01Z")
If memory serves correct, the Rushmore spackle is a mixture of crushed indigenous granite, linseed oil and something else. The cracks shrink and swell daily with temperature fluctuations and undoubtably will with time fail catastrophically. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traces-of-humanity-after-10-000-years/148350/26 "2003-01-14T17:36:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor \* > \*\*The Statue of Liberty is hollow. And made of copper. One good hurricane reduces it to scrap. Or one good lightning bolt. > > After 10,000 years, just scrap. > \*\* Whoosh. Cave drawings should still be around, too - they’ve made it up to 40,000 years, what’s another 10K? ---
**Author:** ![dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorkusmalorkusmafia/32/7266_2.png) [@dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorkusmalorkusmafia)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traces-of-humanity-after-10-000-years/148350/27 "2003-01-14T17:45:30Z")
> [@](#): > > What if God turned on the faucet and, having killed off humanity, decided to inundate all dry land? It would then be made into one of the most expensive movies of all time and star Kevin Costner. Unfortunately, people would survive and the movie would flop completely to the jeers of adoring fans. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Dickerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Scott\_Dickerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Dickerson)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traces-of-humanity-after-10-000-years/148350/28 "2003-01-14T17:48:44Z")
Okay, thanks. Can I have some more input on the thousands-of-years-under-water scenario? I gather that water sometimes preserves things. But there’s also sedimentation, dead fish and seaweed piling up–etc. If the US were submerged for 10,000 years, would skyscrapers and roads and railway cuts be visible and obvious? How about ships and autos? How about stuff made of plastic? Even if it survives, would such articles tend to be found on the surface, or deeply buried? I do think we’ve established the immortality of twinkies and toilet seats. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traces-of-humanity-after-10-000-years/148350/29 "2003-01-14T18:41:24Z")
When I was a kid, we drove to Washington DC. I remember that we passed through a gigantic rock-cut with sheer walls while travelling the Interstate through the Appalachians. _That_’ll still be there in ten thousand years [sub]barring complete tectonic revision or asteroid impact[/sub] . ---
**Author:** ![Woeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Woeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Woeg)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traces-of-humanity-after-10-000-years/148350/30 "2003-01-14T19:05:07Z")
Just a note on Stainless Steel… It isn’t really “Stainless”. It is extremely rust resistant, but without polish and upkeep, it will eventually rust and decay. More so if there is an environmental element (erosion) working against it. Still, in ten thousand years, there would still be a good amount of it left, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Dickerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Scott\_Dickerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Dickerson)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traces-of-humanity-after-10-000-years/148350/31 "2003-01-16T00:46:23Z")
I can envision a landscape littered with glass-plastic signs that say “Nail Salon”… ---
**Author:** ![samboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@samboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samboy)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traces-of-humanity-after-10-000-years/148350/32 "2003-01-16T03:44:36Z")
There may be more human stuff around than you would think. [This](http://kentuckyunderground.com/aboutus.html) place is an underground storage company that uses an old gold mine to store things because of the stable temperature. I remember hearing on some show that this is where the networks store old TV episodes. The story was about the Tonight Show so the Bug-Eyed Aliens might be able to watch Johnny Carson! :eek: Cool, new smilie. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traces-of-humanity-after-10-000-years/148350/33 "2003-01-16T04:05:50Z")
What about all the cigarrette butts, styrofoam cups, radioactive wastes, fossil fuel pollution, slag and other wastes from factories, nuclear test site craters, bank vaults, secure military installations, etc…? Seems like adding up all the places we use and all the waste we produce, would probably leave good traces of industrial, if not intelligent, life for many thousands of years. Even given the devices of nature run amok. ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traces-of-humanity-after-10-000-years/148350/34 "2003-01-16T04:20:39Z")
> [@](#): > > **according to this almost unreadable budget report I found on Google** You win the prize for the most friggin’ obscure thing available to the public on the Internet. ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traces-of-humanity-after-10-000-years/148350/35 "2003-01-16T14:22:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zagadka \* > \*\*You win the prize for the most friggin’ obscure thing available to the public on the Internet. \*\* Believe me, I _tried_ to find anything but that report to use as a cite (besides what I saw on TV with my own eyes) and found nothing useful at all. So I was stuck with all the arcane legalese and accounting gibberish. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traces-of-humanity-after-10-000-years/148350/36 "2003-01-16T14:57:15Z")
_Originally posted by **Ranchoth** _ > [@](#): > > Edward Mallory’s corpse is still on Mt. Everest… Edward Mallory? **Edward** Mallory?! Who the hell is _Edward_ Mallory? It’s George. George Mallory. And yep, he’s still up there, hopefully with Andrew Irvine - people are still looking for Sandy. But how the aliens are going to hike to 27,500 feet is beyond me. Please, carry on. Snicks ---
**Author:** ![rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/919ad9/32.png) [@rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rabbit)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traces-of-humanity-after-10-000-years/148350/37 "2003-01-16T15:46:51Z")
Surprised no one’s mentioined dumps. Saw a display once where they had a sample of waste taken from a dump (basically in the same way they take core samples of soil/ice) essentially a 6 inch cylinder 2 ft tall of waste, which was stored in a sterile, temp controlled sealed container. The sign said that the sample would decompose faster than the stuff in the dump it was taken from would. So one can assume that they would be a great archealogical site in 10 000 yrs. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traces-of-humanity-after-10-000-years/148350/38 "2003-01-16T17:08:34Z")
> [@](#): > > Surprised no one’s mentioined dumps. A book I read a while ago about dumps, charmingly titled \* Rubbish! \* said that archaeologists learn a great deal from dumps of ancient civilizations. Interestingly enough, the book reported that one dump, which was several thousand years old, still stank to high heaven when uncovered by the digging team. Reportedly, they were “sickened” by the stench of the eons-old garbage which had still not fully decayed away, due to being covered by layers of dirt. Unless inundated by water, or geological disturbance, we can safely count on our dumps being a boon to future archaeologists. The University of Arizona already has a land-fill archaeology study ongoing, and the researchers have been amazed by the condition of stuffs which have been buried for years. Newspapers from the 40’s are still fully readable, and food items such as bananna peels and meat wastes are still identifiable. (They freeze the garbage before sorting to cut down on the stink.) As long as the garbage stays dry and cut off from the air, what’s buried in a landfill will be there for a very, very long time indeed. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traces-of-humanity-after-10-000-years/148350/39 "2003-01-16T18:57:14Z")
What about graveyards? Seems like every American city has tens of em-full of elaborately embalmed/buried corpses! I’m sure that there would be abundant human remains in mausoleums, graves, and burial mounds. ---
**Author:** ![Cillasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@Cillasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cillasi)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traces-of-humanity-after-10-000-years/148350/40 "2003-01-16T19:05:15Z")
Plastics will survive, and anything made of gold. Most plastics are non-biodegradable, therefore water will not harm them. Gold is unable to be harmed by water because it does not oxidize. So, while water may wash away most human artifacts over time, our plastic trash and most valuable metal will serve as testament to our existance. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traces-of-humanity-after-10-000-years/148350.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traces-of-humanity-after-10-000-years/148350.md?page=3)