How does stuff get buried so deep?

[ted750]

I just always kind of wondered how a 1970 nickel can end up 4 or 5 inches down - It always seemed strange, is it just the natural motion of the soil? I know in archaeology the layers of civilization are the major determination of an artifacts provenance, but how does all that soil build up? Just people walking over it repeatedly? Intentional landfill? Rubble and other random backfill? I just always wondered, and I'm sure other people have too.

Thanks for whatever answers ya come up with,

Ted

 

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[UncleVinnys]

Well, this has been hashed about in several posts, and there are so many factors,
it's hard to enumerate.
First you have dust and leaves falling, then rain, erosion, people, landfills,
landscaping, little critters like mice, etc. Depends on the vegetation too.

Then there's "frost heave" how the dirt churns up during a freeze,
and earthworms, and soil type. Coins sink faster in loose sandy soil.
There's also settling of dust from the air, settling of smoke, etc.
They estimate 40,000 tons of debris from meteorites lands
on the earth every year. Well, that's the tip of the iceberg, anyway.

UV