Why?
I read a few books about it, I found the topic could be a fun creative exercise, and here we are.
Also, it's sort of a bullshit—but interesting—field of study. Are they unaware that humans are only going to be drawn to anything cool?
Shout-out to Kesi on the Discord, who will absolutely dig up anywhere they come across glowing cats.
Disclaimer: If someone else already thought of these, that's fine. I did zero source checking outside of the books I read, and I'm 98% sure I didn't plagarize these shitty ideas from scholars. If I did, the scholars should rethink whether we want to keep people away from nuclear waste.
Ideas/Thoughts in Nuclear Semiotics
Wind-Driven Stone Pipes
What? There are some sounds/frequencies that are upsetting to humans—they disturb us on an animal level. This has survived for thousands of years, and it will continue to be built in. Don't believe me? Listen to a fire alarm or an Emergency Weather Message. Or a fucking owl when you're camping in the woods by yourself during a new moon and whatthehellwasthat and --
How? Erosion-resistant stone, constructed in a way that when wind blows through it, it achieves a frequency that is disconcerting to humans. I know nothing is 100% erosion resistant, but maybe as the stones erode, it just retunes the frequency to still freak the future meatbags out.
Magic Dulling Material On Top of (and Around) Nuclear Waste
What? Humans like to dig. This stop dig.
How? I honestly didn't even Google if this exists, but surround nuclear-waste sites with massive amounts of material that will quickly destroy today's sharpest blades, and invest in doing so every 50 years (and re-formulating the material). I guess at some point, since we're tool-sharpening monkeys (and in the future, just monkeys better at tool sharpening), we would eventually outpace the poured material.
Erosion Glyphs
What? Warnings that become more legible with time.
How? Inlay highly erosion-resistant stones like fused basalt or jadeite (lol, I Googled it) into a less-resistant stone/substrate. As centuries pass, relief increases, deepening the visual cue (hazard iconography + numeric gradients). More on numeric gradients in another idea. Downside, everything erodes. Upside, people will eventually stop wondering why their teeth fall out every time they go check out the cool artwork.
Silence Fields
What? Hey, remember when I said humans hate spooky sounds? Well, guess what—we also hate silence. Basically, create a massive (N square miles wide) field that fosters total silence.
How? Facet ridges, malicious design, anti-perch geometry, sound-deadening materials, micro-spikes, and no holes. There are probably lots of other ways to do this, and Roman Mars can tell us about them sometime, I'm sure. Seriously though, it just appears lifeless—it feels lifeless—and that should freak future us out enough to not go there (spoilers: we will go there).
Building True Atomic Cities
What? Intentionally build communities near nuclear-waste sites. Propagate lore (something that lasts for hundreds or thousands of years) about the site and how it should not be approached.
How? Why? The communities could be a first line of defense (okay, well, there should be like 80 lines of defense before this, but you get me) in educating people about it—and keeping them away! The communities could be master-planned so that roads intentionally move away from the area. They could also hold atomic festivals (something else that's lasted through human history). Embed the lore into everything. Like all the Area 51/alien shit around Roswell, but actually helpful. Or, like, a radioactive Mickey.
Progressively Disturbing Signage
What? Signage that, as you get closer, becomes increasingly more disturbing/disgusting.
How? You'd have to use some universally reprehensible stuff, but perhaps if you relate it to “no” or “turn around” glyphs as you walk closer, it could help convey the point. This is not my best or my favorite idea; future humans will just think we're weird.
More Stones: Timekeeping / Science
What? Create markers whose erosion is the message. Layers of different stones erode at known rates, revealing new patterns (like rings on a tree). They indicate how much time has passed since burial, aligning with hazard half-lives.
Why? We'd have to assume that future humans remain advanced enough to understand the periodic table of elements, but basically show them that we knew it was bad and it would be bad long-term.
Uninhabited Malicious Architecture
What? Build structures that invite entry but cannot be occupied.
How? There are two ways this bit can go:
#1 — The Simpsons S08E08: Hurricane Neddy. Ned's house is destroyed by the hurricane but is poorly rebuilt by Homer and friends. Lots of hallways that get increasingly smaller, uncomfortably small doors, crooked floors, etc.
#2 — H. H. Holmes Death House.