Re:Washington state lawmakers approve human corpse composting
by yellowapple on Wednesday May 22, 2019 @05:44PM
(#19985878)
> A buried body can last many years, especially if it’s several feet into the clay layer.
And in some cases (e.g. peat) "many" can end up being "hundreds" or even "thousands".
Re:Washington state lawmakers approve human corpse composting
by sneak on Wednesday May 22, 2019 @05:18PM
(#19985619)
Sorry, I was unclear: I meant “much the same thing on the timescales at which buried humans are likely to be disturbed”, so 50-100 years at a minimum.
I imagine it will be at least that long, and likely much longer, until the land used for cemeteries is repurposed.
Composting provides extra oxygen and whatever other steps are necessary to accelerate the decomposition process.
A buried body can last many years, especially if it’s several feet into the clay layer.
Try it. Bury a cat or dog six feet under and come back in five years. If it’s common clay, a large percentage will still be there.