[wideminded]

How quickly do buried skeletons decay? It appears that some, like the skeleton of Kennewick Man, can last many thousands of years. But surely the skeletons of most people buried in that period of time have completely dissolved. It doesn't seem plausible that the skeletons of billions of dead people still lie under the ground. Yet under certain conditions, perhaps dryness or lack of oxygen, skeletons seem to last a pretty long time.

IIRC the bones of really ancient human ancestors are only preserved because of mineral infiltration.

[toddlintown]

Wow! Asked and answered in the same post.

[blam]

"How quickly do buried skeletons decay? "

It depends much on the Ph of the area. Alkaline soils preserves while acidic deteoriates. If you'll notice most of the oldest skeletons are found in the most alkaline areas. This irks me because archaeologists formulate theories based 'only' on the preserved skeletons found in alkaline areas and ignore the acidic areas.

The area I live in is very acidic and people buried as recent as the 1850's are completely gone...not one bone, hair or tooth is left underground...just a tombstone.