Why do we bury the dead in the ground?

Yes I do know cremation or tombing is also an option but why are people buried in the ground? Is this a fundamentalist view or a scientific/nature view in which putting them in the ground while cause them to be decomposed back into simple atoms, minerals, and molecules again to create a new life someday? I know in the bible, Jesus was set to rest in a tomb so that wouldn't make sense. It just doesn't make any sense. Is it a norm or a principle? Just crossed my mind.