Much has been written on the taphonomic processes affecting exposed animal and human remains, yet the exposure of deliberately buried bodies due to erosion is rarely mentioned. This study examines four burial sites in western New South Wales, Australia, where human burials have become exposed on the surface. Using criteria of stratigraphic location, mineralization, average fragment size, scattering and the degree of weathering, it is possible to demonstrate that wind and water erosion have very different effects on the burial which can create systematic biases in the recording of burials. In the case of wind erosion it is often possible to identify original location and context although the bone itself may be very poorly preserved. In contrast, water erosion causes the remains and the deposit to be lost at the same time. The human remains may be well preserved but once they are moved it is very difficult to reconstruct the original burial location. These differences plus the rate of change over time have a significant impact on the research potential of exposed burials.