Ancient Artifacts: Could They Prove Extraterrestrial Visitation?

[old dog]

Not sure if I should post this question here or in the Materials & Chemical Engineering forum but I will give it a try.

If I were to take several modern items, let's say an iPhone, a set of chrome vanadium steel wrenches and a stainless steel/titanium Smith & Wesson revolver and bury them at a variety of places on Earth what would be found in 10,000, 50,000 or 100,000 years? Anything resembling items made by a technologically advanced culture?

The reason I am asking is this: If the Earth was visited by extraterrestrials in the remote past wouldn't there be something left more convincing than artistic renderings of bizarre creatures and "flying saucers"?

 

[Simon Bridge]

It would depend on how many of the artifacts were left behind and what happened in the intervening time.

The topic is pretty borderline - there are bigger reasons to discount a von-Danikken-esque extraterrestrial hypothesis than the lack of artifacts - which can always be explained away as due to the ETs being tidy and taking the obvious stuff with them or that they are here and have been found, only the Gov'ment is covering it up.
Trouble is - we cannot talk about it here. Try the JREF.

You may try thinking on what you'd have to do to deliberately leave a monument of some kind that would survive something like 100 million years. Check out the recent geological history (100mil years is recent yeah) to see what sort of think it may have to contend with.

 

[jedishrfu]

You can also look at known ancient artifacts and see how well they aged. The pyramids, Stone Henge and various Roman building structures vs the ruins of Troy and other lost cities. Conquering civilizations tend to destroy the mounments of an earlier age or vandalize them for the resources or treasures still left.

And then wonder how long one of our modern buildings would last if left to man or nature.

A related issue is the Fermi paradox and why SETI has heard nothing from some advanced civilization:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox

Again all of this is borderline as far as PF is concerned. Our primary mission here is to help students with mainstream STEM questions and as a result delving into speculative science confuses the issue for students so we tend to shut down threads that try to explore it and suggest they try other forums if they still want to pursue it.

 

[jedishrfu]

Here's a recent article on the Fermi Paradox:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wait-but-why/the-fermi-paradox_b_5489415.html