How do ruins get buried

Her ghostwriting work also takes her from website copy to blogging and back, and Erynn credits such projects with her vast knowledge of random facts. Erynn's also a bibliophile with a day job as a homeschooling mom of two. By Erynn Ruiz Published Apr 07, Share Share Tweet Email Comment. Danny the Digger. Ancient Code.

Science Channel. Hakai Magazine. The Daily Beast. Live Science. Not For Novice Hikers. Related Topics Destinations. Think about it. Why isn't everything right on the surface? Where does this dirt come from that keeps burying the past? Is the Earth getting thicker and thicker, like the trunk of a tree? Doesn't make sense to me.

Actually, Nig — and listen, you really should do something about that nickname — I like to think the earth is getting slightly less thick each year, owing to my selfless educational ministry.

Physically, on the other hand, the earth is getting a bit thicker, since it picks up 10, tons of meteorite dust a year. Archaeologists have to dig for lots of little reasons and one big reason. Sites that are abandoned for a long time become overgrown with vegetation that gradually decays and builds up a layer of topsoil.

Places located in valleys may get covered by erosion from nearby hillsides. Occasionally a site gets buried because of some natural disaster, such as a flood or the eruption that buried Pompeii. The great Egyptian temple at Abu Simbel the one with the giant seated figures carved into a cliff was partly buried by drifting desert sand.

What is stratigraphy? What tools do archaeologists use? Do archaeologists dig up dinosaurs? Do archaeologists dig up a lot of treasure? What happens to all the stuff archaeologists find? Are they allowed to keep anything? Why is archaeological work being done at Prescot Street? But they got buried in the first place because the ground level of ancient cities tended to steadily rise. Settlements constantly imported food and building materials for the population, but getting rid of waste and rubbish was a much lower priority.

New houses were built on top of the ruins of old ones because hauling away rubble was labour intensive and it was much easier to simply spread it out and build straight on top.