Mankind's Trace would Vanish within 200,000 years

If we were to vanish tomorrow leaving only our artifacts, most if not all traces of man's presence would disappear in the time that it took Homo Sapians to rise to Primacy New Scientist Magazine reports. And with the exception of certain pollutants and radioactive wastes, the environment would quickly spring back from our heavy hand.



Back in the late 40's a writer by the name of George Stewart penned a quiet little science fiction classic called "Earth Abides" built around a plague wiping out 90+% of all mankind, and the changes to the earth over the main characters life in the aftermath. Unlike Stephen King's "The Stand" and other such novels, nothing much happens except everything. I highly recommend this book and this report reminds me greatly of it.

We dub ourselves Homo Sapian Sapian, (man, the wisest of the wise) a very pompous and arrogant name we have given ourselves, but it is indeed humbling to think that within the time it took us to rise, all traces of us could disappear.

The fact that life would continue despite us and without us (unless we reduce the planet into a slowly dispersing cloud of dust) comforts me to no end. Any given species (including ours) is expendable, it is life itself that is important...we are just part of its web.

[edit on 16-10-2006 by grover]

[edit on 16-10-2006 by UM_Gazz]

I don't think that there's anything in that article that any homeowner couldn't tell you. Two hundred thousand years is a very long time.

VERY nice find. Thank you!

btw - does this mean that really ancient civilizations are totally possible, even though we have no physical evidence?

Why you tittle it "within 200.000 years" when the article reads "In 50,000 years all that would remain would be archaeological traces".

Consider this, within the recognized span of the reign of Homo Sapiens we could have disappeared 2-3 times without leaving other traces than mythologi. If we accept our offspring to go back 6 million years, highly developed civilizations could have raised and gone more than a hundred times without us having a clue about them.

I think it's very arrogant to think we, present day Homo Sapiens, are the first to reach a paramount of development.

Far more advanced civilizations have been on and off in the history of our planet.

Well, nothing new to ATS members, I guess.

I disagree with this, with info mainly from scientists refuting CTs pointing to earlier civilizations, other signs would be left. Our mining for metal deposits, fossil fuels, etc. that take literally millions of years to form would certainly be noticed (the lack of them), as well as other telltale markers of civilization, even if most if not all buildings etc. were destroyed.

[edit on 10/16/2006 by djohnsto77]

Sixty five million years after the extinction of dinosaurs, we are still finding their bones, making this statement very questionable.

If, 50,000 years hence, an alien archaeologist were to land on an Earth without Man, it might be quite frustrated by the paucity of evidence that we were here at all.

www.timesonline.co.uk...

Either that or the lived less than 50,000 years ago.

50,000 - 200,000 years from now
all human existance gone
who would be there to tell us its true?

Thank you for a comforting thought

Chernobyl is being used to study such effects as nature reclaims the 'dead zone'. I have to wonder what the after effects of widespread nuclear contamination will do to the long term genetics of earth's flora & fauna. There are so many nuclear power stations around the world, that if mankind dissapeared tomorrow & they all melted down, it would be a disaster beyond comprehension.

It will happen at one point or another, I however have extreme doubts, if we are still existing as a species in 200K time that is, that we will still be on Earth. At some point we will either be killed off, just like the overwhelming majority of species that have ever existed, or we will have moved further into the Universe to populate another planet. That is something which theoretically we WILL have to do, so it's a question of when.

But I've thought about this question too, just how long would it actually take for all our traces to vanish if we were to go extinct? I never had any doubt that our evidence would eventually be erased but I think 50,000 is a bit too soon, 200,000 is more acceptable. The Pyramids have been around for what, 5,000 years? They can easily be around for another 5,000, so you're telling me all of our current developments would be gone in 40-50 thousand years? Nah.

[edit on 16-10-2006 by WestPoint23]

Nice find, Grover.

It's very likely that human civilization's presence on this Earth can be diminished in 200,000 years. Buildings, homes, and any other structures can easily be destroyed in any tectonic activity, natural disasters, even another ice age. In a span of 200,000 many natural disasters can occur, that we would have no control over. Considering that the Earth will flip its core by then, there's no doubt weather patterns would change to that which we woulndn't be prepared for.

[edit on 17-10-2006 by DJMessiah]

Well, actually, that is what happened. We hail from an advanced spacefaring race, and when they came here they reengineered the solar system into a suitable habitat.

I have enough evidence built up to start a dozen threads that would last years as everybody's uncle will have to spout their opinions on such an outrageous claim, but it still feels good to be out of the box.

Originally posted by djohnsto77
I disagree with this, with info mainly from scientists refuting CTs pointing to earlier civilizations, other signs would be left. Our mining for metal deposits, fossil fuels, etc. that take literally millions of years to form would certainly be noticed (the lack of them), as well as other telltale markers of civilization, even if most if not all buildings etc. were destroyed.

NO, definitely not.

People would simply assume that what they see is the normal state of affairs. For all we know Earth could have rings in 10k years and people wouldn't care much, because they'd get used to it. far too many scientific models put us squarely in the middle of a long time interval.

i wrote down a few examples a while ago, see www.abovetopsecret.com... if you like.

the status quo is overwhelming.

well if you go and read the whole article it says that all traces EXCEPT some pollutants and radioactive material...but mines and all...nah not by a long shot. Look at Yellowstone. The last time it erupted was around 600,000 years ago. Now the caladera is so eroded that with the exception of the thermal sites, tourists have to be reminded that it is a sleeping volcano. Shaft mines, removed mountaintops and pit mines would easily become geographic features in 200,000 years that only close examination would show traces of activity.

A point in case...in the White Mountains is a place called Zeeland Notch with a hut run by the AMC at the top of a waterfall there...it is several hours hike in. In the early part of the 20th century that area was stripped bare of trees and dirt roads were cut all over it...the only traces left are the roads going around the side of the mountains, and they are only really visable in the winter and from a distance, walk over them and they are not even noticable.

Double post, woops!

[edit on 17-10-2006 by Zanzibar]

I'm glad, to be honest. What the human race has done to this planet is dispicable and shouldn't be tolerated, we have the capacity to stop the destruction, but we don't.

Though I beleive that there will be some traces of us left, fossils and the like.

Makes me wonder if all those 'out of place' artifiacts that have been found really were from another civilisation we know nothing about.

A question...

If you wanted to design a way to leave behind the best of human knowledge - in a form that would survive time, geophysical calamity, human ignorance and human hubris - what might you create?

Remember - languages disappear, writing skills are lost or change, symbols' meanings are lost, earthquakes and volcanoes destroy permanent structures, books and libraries don't have a hope in Hades of making it, and time and the elements erode even metal or rock. Only gold pages, for example, might survive the elements - but ignorant men steal gold and turn it into money, or jewellry.

So what kind of "archive" could carry the world's most important knowledge, and have a chance of surviving through the ages?

It would have to be simple, and something people would want to protect, but it would need to survive neglect too. Whatever it is, if it survived, new rulers would appear to 'modify' it, to make it their own, and reflect their own policies and politics. So it would have to somehow survive such ignorant "tinkering" too - and be designed with a core that cannot be corrupted.

Any ideas?

The Golden Record

I always thought this was an insane endeavor, but who am I to question Sagan, Drake, Lomberg, et.al.



[edit on 2006/10/17 by GradyPhilpott]

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
Sixty five million years after the extinction of dinosaurs, we are still finding their bones, making this statement very questionable.

If, 50,000 years hence, an alien archaeologist were to land on an Earth without Man, it might be quite frustrated by the paucity of evidence that we were here at all.

www.timesonline.co.uk...

Either that or the lived less than 50,000 years ago.

Agreed with Grady -- the author is well-intentioned but doesn't know much about archaeology and paleontology. I've been to dig sites that showed traces of human habitation that were 20,000 years old and I know that there are a number of sites that are much older than that. There's a homo erectus "manufacturing area" for flint cores that is about 200,000 years old. Cave of Hearths is that old or older:
www.arch.soton.ac.uk...

And we're talking about small tribelets of 50-100 people, living on the land with almost no technology other than fire and flint. Not modern people with city populations of millions and extremely durable garbage and manufactured materials (plastic fibers last a lot longer than animal hides do.)

It's a sensational article, but factually very wrong.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
The Golden Record

I always thought this was an insane endeavor, but who am I to question Sagan, Drake, Lomberg, et.al.

It would NEVER last on earth. Well, maybe it would remain intact if a cargo cult picked it up - but eventually, it would get traded to someone and turned into jewellry, or money. And it would be stomped along the way, and scratched, and then melted down.

I'd give it maybe 150 years.

Try again.

easy enough. place it on the moon. when civilization matures, it will eventually find it. hmmmm, if only there were something there already.....