Alright! Everyone tells me that the mass of the earth is constant, with the exception of falling space debris. However, does this account for the multitude of geological layering that archaeologists must uncover to discover the structures and other material evidence of previous civilizations? If not, then what natural process is it that causes the covering up of previous civilizations? In your answer--- Please exclude the obvious causes, such as: volcanic activity (ash, lava, etc.), or landslides, floods, sand-drifts, etc. I'm seeking to understand in those cases where such geologic changes have not occured. THX!
2006-08-02 09:02:03 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
Excluding the obvious as you state is exactly the answer to your question...You are looking for "Geological changes that have not occured?" Good luck looking for something that does not exist.
2006-08-02 09:06:21 · answer #1 · answered by educated guess 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Societies normally build over the ruins of previous societies. Look at what happens today - a building gets razed so that another one can be built. It's not exactly a "natural" process, but it's a human one.
In earlier times, they did not have the equipment to completely remove traces of the earlier civilization or dwelling. So that's why the evidence is there, and gets built upon. It's estimated, for example, that there were at least five Troys, one on top of the other.
It's all about location, location, location! If it originally was a good or strategic place to build the city, then it's a good place to build the city again, and again, and again . . .
There may have been other uses between city versions, such as farming, which would insert a layer of dirt and other organic matter. Or there may have been a time period when the old city grew over, etc.
2006-08-02 16:09:35 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The major thing going on is mountain creation as a result of subduction. The Rocky Mountains (western US) are relatively new, and erosion from rainfall has not reduced them much as yet. The Alleghenies (eastern US) are much older, and much of the original landmass of these is now lying as silt (or has been converted to sedimentary rock) on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. The Himalaya Mountains are among the newer ones, and are still growing as a result of subduction of the Indian Plate underneath the main Asian plate.
More specifically to your question, an archeological site may be covered by river flowage, dust settling, natural soil formation processes, and other means, but I would expect that erosion from uphill would be the most important cause.
2006-08-02 16:14:48 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are other geologic processes that are always occuring, and at a much slower rate than the processes your mentioned (e.g. volcanic activity). Erosion from mountains carries sediment down to lower elevations, where it is constantly forming new layers of sediment.
2006-08-04 14:04:09 · answer #4 · answered by SM 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There may be many tons of meteorites that fall into our atmosphere every day and the earth in not a constant,Everything is changing,then winds and volcanoes move it around.
hope that helps
2006-08-02 21:58:03 · answer #5 · answered by JOHNNIE B 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ante Archaeologists bury all the stuff so that Archaeologists
can come back later and dig it up..
Kind of a job security deal...
2006-08-02 16:08:21 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The rock cycle mostly, plate tectonics, volcanoes.
2006-08-02 17:02:08 · answer #7 · answered by laughablebunny 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well, if there is an object of higher density, it will (over thousands of years) sink under the dust that is on the ground.
2006-08-02 16:09:21 · answer #8 · answered by ConradD 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
old shif gets buried under new shif-
you dumb shif!!
2006-08-02 16:05:39 · answer #9 · answered by surfing_intern 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
wind.
2006-08-02 16:05:44 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋