[TheForge] buried metal artifacts

[terry l. ridder]

hello;

while reading the bbc news i came across an article about a hoard of
roman and celtic coins found buried in the clay ground of the channel
island of jersey.

Jersey pair find Celtic and Roman coins worth up to £10m
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-18599281

i realize that part of the answer is the very nature of the soil that
the items are buried in. also the geography of the location. is it
damp? is it wet? is it well drained? is the soil acidic or caustic? how
deep were the items buried? what were the layers of soil covering the
items?

just how does metal last, buried for all those centuries without corrosion?
just how does metal last, buried for all those centuries without undergoing
the chemcial changes to either oxidize the metal, combine to make
nitrates, nitrites, sulfates, sulfites, etc.



-- 
terry l. ridder ><>