Can caskets really explode underground due to gas buildup?

[kaleidoscope]

I was researching this a little bit and there are mixed insights regarding this topic. Some say it's myth other say it's fact. I'm not sure if the preassure caused by the gas can overcome the weight of the dirt and the strenght of the casket. I was thinking that this would imply that even a body buried directly into the dirt would have to produce some sort of bubble around it or if a big pet is buried in a plastic bag it would inflate it and explode it and I haven't really heard any of that.

What do you think?

(sorry for the creepy scenario but I had to ask :s )

 

[CDCraig123]

If you seal it air tight to hold any pressure then it could hold the given pressure or energy then later release it. I would guess tho if the pressure did build it would do it slowly, most likely slow enough for the gas to find a way to bleed off through a hole.

What i know is nothing all i have is a guess

If i where you and I HAD to know i would write the myth busters OR start calling graveyards

 

[turbo]

I was the assistant sexton/groundskeeper at my town's cemetery as a teen until I was old enough to get industrial/construction jobs. I never saw any signs of pressure from the graves. To the contrary, I had to keep an eye out for subsidence and get fresh loam dumped and raked out on some graves, and re-seeded to keep everything looking nice. Bear in mind that this was in the '60s before some sort of rigid vault was required.