3 ms·

I think the marbles in that claim are what the artefacts of civilization get crushed into rather than the only aspect of our civilization that wouldn't blend in

I think the marbles in that claim are what the artefacts of civilization get crushed into rather than the only aspect of our civilization that wouldn't blend in with layers of surrounding rock. If the eroded bones or even imprint of a soft body of some creature that waded in a swamp can be solidified into rock with sufficient fidelity to be preserved for many millions of years, the fossilised imprints and unusual mineral concentrations of the dinosaur equivalent of New York City would be hard to miss or dismiss, assuming it was somewhere we were looking.

ChrisMarshallNY 4y ago
It was not that. It was because the round shape discouraged weathering, and the silicate composition resisted any kind of chemical attrition. A lot changes, in millions of years. A lot of what we think of as "the surface" was once underground. Entire mountain ranges rise up, sublimate, and weather, in millions of years. Continents drift around, etc. The Appalachian Range was once taller than the Himalayas. Mile-high glaciers once shaped the land (not that long ago, too). I live on glacier poop. It's pretty hard to actually grok epoch time. My mother was a geologist, so I was raised with it, but it still boggles me, when I think of it. It's entirely possible that we have seen "fossils" of artifacts, but don't recognize them, as such, because they have turned into rocks. We ignored fossils for most of human history.
- actionfromafar 4y ago
  Chips are silicon. Some of them almost have to end up in a future fossil record. In the future, scientist may speculate what kind of "soft shells" (plastic) the chips were surrounded by. :-)
  - marcosdumay 4y ago
    Silicon isn't very stable. Chips will make some very interesting fossils. They are basically an infinitely intricate pattern of class mixed with some stuff that will go away with time.

ChrisMarshallNY 4y ago

It was not that. It was because the round shape discouraged weathering, and the silicate composition resisted any kind of chemical attrition. A lot changes, in millions of years. A lot of what we think of as "the surface" was once underground. Entire mountain ranges rise up, sublimate, and weather, in millions of years. Continents drift around, etc. The Appalachian Range was once taller than the Himalayas. Mile-high glaciers once shaped the land (not that long ago, too). I live on glacier poop. It's pretty hard to actually grok epoch time. My mother was a geologist, so I was raised with it, but it still boggles me, when I think of it. It's entirely possible that we have seen "fossils" of artifacts, but don't recognize them, as such, because they have turned into rocks. We ignored fossils for most of human history.

actionfromafar 4y ago
Chips are silicon. Some of them almost have to end up in a future fossil record. In the future, scientist may speculate what kind of "soft shells" (plastic) the chips were surrounded by. :-)
- marcosdumay 4y ago
  Silicon isn't very stable. Chips will make some very interesting fossils. They are basically an infinitely intricate pattern of class mixed with some stuff that will go away with time.