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Q: Decay ( No Answer,   10 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Decay
Category: Science
Asked by: seb968-ga
List Price: $2.00
Posted: 01 Oct 2005 15:43 PDT
Expires: 31 Oct 2005 14:43 PST
Question ID: 575136
If The Human race died out what would be left in 100 years?

Clarification of Question by seb968-ga on 01 Oct 2005 15:50 PDT
What would become of the buildings, how would they decay? Would 100
years be enough time to reduce cars to liitle more than just engine
blocks. How much would be left of our civilisation?
Answer  
There is no answer at this time.

Comments  
Subject: Re: Decay
From: ministermike-ga on 01 Oct 2005 23:51 PDT
 
it really depends on how far it was sticking out when you zipped it. :)
Subject: Re: Decay
From: frde-ga on 02 Oct 2005 02:13 PDT
 
Plants tend to self seed pretty quickly, especially things like yew and sycamore.
Trees growing in cracks are pretty effective at tearing down buildings

Car bodies also decay pretty rapidly, especially when things grow over them.
I would expect them to turn into green hillocks.

Heavy duty structures like concrete multi-storey car parks would
probably still be recognizable, but smaller buildings would both fall
apart and get covered by trees.

Looking at ruins is not necessarily an accurate indicator, as they
tend to get pillaged for stone.

Also much depends on the local climate, aircraft parked in the desert
would probably be pretty much intact, while anything in wetter
climates would be covered in vegetation.
Subject: Re: Decay
From: seb968-ga on 02 Oct 2005 03:58 PDT
 
Thanks for that, I am very carefull when it comes to zipping, I have a
low pain theshhold!
Subject: Re: Decay
From: seb968-ga on 02 Oct 2005 04:10 PDT
 
Thanks frde
The description you give is certainly food for thoght, how quikly do
you think the plant life would start to make a serious inpact on
stuctures? A few years or perhaps less time? I don't think many of the
UK's structures would fair very
as it is wet for much of the year & perhaps the possibilty of the Thames flooding.
Subject: Re: Decay
From: myoarin-ga on 02 Oct 2005 04:21 PDT
 
Well, at Ankor Wat, unrestored edifeces have stood up pretty well to
the centuries, and the tropical vegitation is more agressive than that
in Europe and N. America.
Subject: Re: Decay
From: seb968-ga on 02 Oct 2005 05:24 PDT
 
Angor Wat does seem to have held up remarkably well but according to
the web site the temperature in Cambodia shifts only by 10 degrees C.
Perhaps this could be a factor in it's preservation.
Subject: Re: Decay
From: frde-ga on 02 Oct 2005 06:26 PDT
 
Ah - so you are in the UK - so am I
- that pins things down a bit

Do you remember the 1987 storms in the UK
- they overturned most conventional wisdom about trees
- for a start the roots were demonstrably smaller than expected
- also in areas where they did not clear the debris, the wood decayed
amazingly quickly providing a sort of compost for new things to grow.

MyOarin is quite right, in so far as large solid structures like a Wat
or a multi storey car park will tend to survive as water naturally
runs off them and wind dehydrates them - they also get a blast of
sunlight - more dehydration.

However, in the UK less substantial buildings will get trees growing
through them and things like windows and roofs would fall in as both
dry and wet rot attacks the structure - once things start moving they
collapse.

To give you an idea, I once had a heap of rubbish at the end of the
garden, it took several large skips to shift, underneath one bit was
the remains of a corrugated iron shed - the metal was almost gone,
under another was, astonishingly the remains of a small car.
I reckon that both were 20 to 30 years old, but there was little left.

Also I conduct annual warfare against ivy and self seeded trees, both
of which are excellent at tearing down a structure.

You've probably noticed how Buddleia takes over dormant sites, within
a few years the place is smothered with it - even through concrete,
also a lot of our taller constructions are made of reinforced concrete
- and once you get cracks in it the steel rusts and the concrete
cannot handle the stresses.

My guess is that in 100 years things would be predominantly green and
subject to things like sheep and deer, mostly covered with trees (but
not dense forest).

Ironically the older stuff would last longest.
Subject: Re: Decay
From: seb968-ga on 02 Oct 2005 16:22 PDT
 
Hi frde
Thanks again for a lot of good info. I had an idea for a story, hence
asking the question. You comments have been very helpfull. If you can
think of anything ellse I would be very greatfull.
Subject: Re: Decay
From: seb968-ga on 02 Oct 2005 16:25 PDT
 
Do apologise for dropping letters, I think this keyboard needs replacing!
Subject: Re: Decay
From: frde-ga on 03 Oct 2005 00:15 PDT
 
I wondered whether you were writing a story.

Thinking about the scenario strongly reminded me of the description of
decay after about 10 years in John Wyndhams's Day of the Triffids.
Also of the cars in the show rooms in Famagusta, and they are in a
dryer climate.

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