What process reduces a deceased body to bone fragments using intense heat?

Cremation is the process that reduces a deceased body to bone fragments using intense heat. This method involves placing the body in a specially designed furnace, known as a cremation chamber, where it is subjected to temperatures ranging from 1400 to 1800 degrees Fahrenheit. The high heat causes combustion, effectively incinerating the softer tissues and converting the body into ash and bone fragments. The remaining bone fragments are then typically processed into a finer powder known as cremains.

In contrast, decomposition refers to the natural breakdown of organic materials by microorganisms after death, which is a biological process rather than one involving heat. Embalming is a procedure that temporarily preserves a body for viewing by using chemicals, primarily formaldehyde, which slows down the decomposition process but does not reduce the body to ash. Interment is the act of burying a deceased body in the ground or placing it in a mausoleum, which does not involve heat and does not change the physical state of the body into ash. Therefore, cremation is the specific process involving intense heat that effectively transforms the body into bone fragments.