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In the case of Egypt it's mostly wind-blown sand and dust. But deposition can also be caused by river sedimentation during floods. In non-desert areas, dead bi
by rustymonday 5y ago
In the case of Egypt it's mostly wind-blown sand and dust. But deposition can also be caused by river sedimentation during floods.
In non-desert areas, dead biomass (fallen leaves, etc.) creates soil. My parents had a stone path through their yard that they didn't maintain, and within a decade it was covered over with soil and grass grew over it.
Over the course of a few thousand years, structures can be buried by several meters of earth.
- AlotOfReading 5y agoThe speed of deposition is super variable. In fluvial environments, I've seen reports of feet per year, which put recent sites (i.e. medieval) under 40+m of sediment. On the other hand, I've worked sites with long term 'stable surfaces', where layers thousands of years old were within centimeters or less of modern contexts.