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Re:Was there a civilization on Earth before humans? by HankB99 on Saturday April 14, 2018 @02:21PM (#16838663)
Aren't plastics hydrocarbons? Would the hydrogen be driven off (cracked) leaving something like coal.

I think that we might be more likely to find concentrations of metals left over from artifacts of civilization. If so, would these look different from naturally occuring metals?

Re:Was there a civilization on Earth before humans? by rough-sea on Saturday April 14, 2018 @02:43PM (#16838774)
Yes - I find it hard to imagine I-beams couldn’t be found embedded in a geological layer somewhere.
Re:Was there a civilization on Earth before humans? by SideburnsOfDoom on Saturday April 14, 2018 @05:16PM (#16839567)
Very few large things make it into the fossil record ( https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16837795 ), and a small fraction of those are discovered. It's possible, but I-beams are rare compared to plastic particles, which are basically carpeting the seabeds, rivers and beaches now.

"microplastics everywhere". http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-43363545

"Microplastic pollution in oceans is far worse than feared, say scientists", "pervasive and persistent nature" https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/12/micropla...

"The deep sea is a major sink for microplastic debris" http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/royopensci/1/...

We don't know what the effect of millions of years on this debris will be, but I am suggesting that due to the fact of the human species as a geological force, most of the rocks from this era will be a bit unusual in composition.

Re:Was there a civilization on Earth before humans? by snowwrestler on Saturday April 14, 2018 @11:01PM (#16840893)
I-beams would dissolve into rust very quickly.

Your best bet for metals might be gold as it is not typically reactive with water or oxygen. And as a reminder, we do sometimes find solid blobs of gold... :-)

Re:Was there a civilization on Earth before humans? by HankB99 on Sunday April 15, 2018 @10:27AM (#16842756)
Agreed about the gold. That came to mind also.

I also agree that the I-beams would rust away, as would rebar embedded in concrete. Would they remain as identifiable shapes or would the material migrate?

Re:Was there a civilization on Earth before humans? by SideburnsOfDoom on Monday April 16, 2018 @04:39AM (#16847547)
"remain as identifiable shapes" is basically fossilisation, which does happen. And it likely applies to I-beams as much as it does to coke cans, plastic bottles and cigarette buts. Except that the latter are going to be much more numerous.