![]() ![]() Viking burials, if you know your history, came in all types but the ones that stick in the modern imagination are the ship cremations (think Charlton Heston) and the ship burials ( think Sutton Hoo, England… but that one technically Anglo-Saxon!). Can you be buried in a ship like a Viking? This can be a good solution if you plan to give a eulogy or say a prayer as the ashes are commended to the deep. One way to make sure that the ashes sink directly is to use a soluble urn which, over the course of a few minutes, will dissolve and drag the ashes down beneath the waves. Water Soluble Urn (Floating ashes burial) When poured directly into the sea, there will be some clumping and floating material before the waves disperse the remains. This will happen more quickly when they are carried off and spread by the wind. Do human ashes float or sink?Ĭremated ashes will sink when scattered over the ocean. ![]() The EPA doesn’t permit scattering ashes directly on the sand or into the sea but you can dig a trench near the shore and allow the ashes to be carried away over time. ![]() There are conflicting rules abou t scattering ashes on beaches for example. It’s necessary to contact your local health or environmental agency to verify your local statutes and learn if you can scatter ashes on inland waterways or not. Whereas burials in rivers and lakes are certainly illegal, scattering ashes may not be. The Clean Water Act is predominantly about the oceans, but in some states, it does also covers rivers and lakes. Can you scatter ashes on a river or lake? The USA, like many modern nations, has very strict rules about who can and cannot carry out a cremation and improper disposal of human remains is a crime that can be punished with up to a decade in jail and a 5 thousand dollar fine. There may have been some immigrants who came from cultures who did cremate their dead in the open, but this type of ritual has been illegal for a long time now. Native Americans and Europeans favored burial, but with different rituals. When using a casket, you should also drill a number of 2 inch holes in order to encourage speedy sinking of the casket.įor most of US history, both pre and post-colonization by European settlers, funeral pyres were not the common method to dispose of the dead. It is recommended not to dump any non-organic material into the ocean and to make sure that the body is weighted down with at least 300 pounds in order to encourage it to sink properly. With a General Permit from the EPA, you can even carry out the burial yourself with your own craft. Most harbors have a company or individual who can be hired to transport a funeral party to a sanctioned area for sea burials. In all American coastal waters, the Clean Water Act dictates that bodies cannot be buried at sea too close to the coast (less than 3 nautical miles) and in some places, particularly Florida and Mississipi, not less than 1,800 feet deep. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the government office that regulates sea burials. Burials require a permit and needs to be reported to the EPA. The body needs to be encased in a submergible casket or shroud and needs to be laid to rest at least 3 nautical miles from the coast and between 600 and 1,900 feet deep. Burial at sea is entirely legal under US law but is regulated.
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