From the pre-dinosaur era, we have only 2,000 more or less intact fossils, spread over a relatively small number of species and spanning 170 million years.
Bronze statues last for a long time
In doing so, almost everything a civilization produces quickly collapses. Concrete crumbles, iron rusts, textiles rot.
Only a few materials last for millions of years, such as bronze. Thus, a statue like De Dokwerker in Amsterdam will stay longer than the rest of our capital.
In addition, the Earth’s surface is constantly churning by geological forces. Areas are eroding and surfaces are washed out to sea as sand and mud.
Soil can also be buried under new layers of earth. The oldest preserved surface on Earth is now the Negev Desert in Israel, which is “only” 1.8 million years old. So no physical traces will be found.
The most comprehensive set of geological data on the past comes from drilling into the sea floor. They have already given us information about all kinds of climate changes in the past.
Global warming and the aftereffects of carbon dioxide2Emissions will be among the longest lasting signs of our civilization.
But because the sea floor is constantly being built up and destroyed by tectonic plates, the oldest sea floor on Earth is no more than 170 million years old.
“Total coffee specialist. Hardcore reader. Incurable music scholar. Web guru. Freelance troublemaker. Problem solver. Travel trailblazer.”
More Stories
Brabanders are concerned about climate change.
The “term-linked contract” saves space on the electricity grid.
The oystercatcher, the “unlucky national bird,” is increasingly breeding on rooftops.