2006-12-03 12:32:33 · 9 answers · asked by wm1180 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Trivia
The main component of bone is Calcium Carbonate (which is laid down by cells called osteocytes). In the water in which Titanic rests, conditions are such that the Calcium would be leached out of the bones over time. The Carbon (bound up as carbonate) would then hydrolyze to HCO3 and dissolve into the water as Carbonic Acid. This would have taken a few years, but it would have removed all traces of hard bone. Remnants of other elements (such as Phosphorus) may have remained for a bit, but would have been quickly utilized by heterophytic micro-organisms (heterophytic means able to feed on inorganic compounds).
So within a relatively short space of time, no recognizable human remains would have been there. Other forensic evidence (paired shoes etc.) remained because the material used to preserve the leather made it toxic to life down there.
2006-12-03 13:15:56 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
all these answers are good. You'd think that there might be a few on the ocean floor. Creepy for the divers to see that.
2006-12-03 22:50:09 · answer #2 · answered by misskenjr 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Aquatic animals ate them. Deterioration.
2006-12-03 20:43:35 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Fish ate them. And the sand and movement of the sea ground them up.
2006-12-03 20:41:29 · answer #4 · answered by appalachian_panther 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There probably are, but they respect the dead and do not show them on TV. Also, it could be that the fishies ate them.
2006-12-03 20:40:41 · answer #5 · answered by Boo Boo Head 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Between the fish and the pressure, they have all been destroyed
2006-12-03 22:39:06 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Remains have been removed.
2006-12-03 21:00:37 · answer #7 · answered by robert m 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋
They all have decomposed or decayed.
2006-12-03 22:44:55 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
they disintegrated
2006-12-03 21:23:40 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋