Corrected entry: The second time MacReady and co. visit the Norwegian outpost, they visit the crash site of "The Thing's" massive spacecraft. It has been buried in the snow for millions of years and is some 100 foot beneath snow level. But the ice coffin the Norwegian find "The Thing" in, some distance from the crash site, is buried in, at the most, a few meters of snow.
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Correction: At no point in the movie is it referenced to how long the ship has been there. Norris simply says that the ice the ship is buried in is 100,000 years old at least, not millions. The ship crashed into the ice and this could have happened at any time. The ice it crashes into and finally rests in will still be 100,000 years old. Back at base MacReady says that the occupant was thrown out or crawls out and then freezes. If so it would have already been at a higher level than the crater the ship was in . Therefore The Thing would not be buried as deep.
Mercury