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A comment on Was there a civilization on Earth before humans?. Parent comment

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... :-)

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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?

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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.
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