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Senior University Georgetown Winter 2013 Session 1 Creating Pathways for Ancient Peoples CREATING PATHWAYS FOR ANCIENT PEOPLES Join Don and the Vagabonds as we travel the pathways of ancient peoples. Don will describe the geology influencing the emergence of the first pre-humans in Africa. He’ll follow the path of human migration from the Great Rift Valley through Europe, Asia, and into the Americas. He’ll explain the crucial role geology played in the movement of ancient peoples as early civilizations searched for natural resources. The Vagabonds will take you to their favorite sites where early humans and ancient civilizations thrived - from South Africa through Europe and Asia into the ‘new world’ of Alaska and Newfoundland. Come meet Mrs Ples, Little Foot, the Banpo, Zinj, Turkana Man and other early humans as we follow these ancient pathways together! Course Outline Course Outline Week 1 – Emergence of Humans – East African Rift Geology (Don) Geologic overview creating Africa Geology of East Africa Rift 1st pre-humans (Homo Sapiens) – why east Africa? Vagabonds meet ‘Handy Man’ (Sandi) Oluvai Gorge Anthropological site - Tanzania Laetoli Archeological site Week 2 – The Path out of the East African Rift – South and North Geology (Don) Why early peoples leave central Africa Influence of rivers/river deltas to emerging civilizations Vagabonds meet ‘Mrs Ples’ and ‘Little Foot’ (Sandi) Sterkfontein anthropological site - South Africa Course Outline Week 3 – The Path to Europe Geology: (Don) Why early peoples move into Europe Presence/absence of minerals/metals to emerging civilizations Vagabonds meet the Stone Age People (Rocky) La Grotte de Lascaux archeological site – France Week 4 – The Path to Asia Geology (Don) Why early peoples move into Asia The search for resources Vagabonds meet the Neolithic Age People (Rocky) Banpo anthropological site – China Zian archeological site - China Course Outline Week 5 – The Path to the Americas Geology (Don) Geology of Beringia Pathways into & across the Americas Vagabonds meet ‘On-Your-Knees’ caveman (Sandi) Beringia Museum – Yukon, Canada Prince of Wales Island anthropological site - Alaska Week 6 – The Path across America Geology (Don) Why early people move into eastern North America Coming from the east – Atlantic Ocean crossing from Europe/Iceland Or, coming from the west - land crossing via the Beringia Vagabonds meet the Vikings (Rocky) Stonehenge of New Hampshire L’Anse aux Meadows archeological site But first, Geology in the News Geology in the News From the New York Times Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013 How high Can the Tides Go? Ancient shorelines indicate oceans can be expected to flood much of our present coast lines as world-wide temperatures increase due, in part, to human activity Action now to reduce our burning o f fossil fuels is essential to preventing this catastrophic flooding Now to Course Resources Course Resources Google Earth Hammond Citation World Atlas, 1972 Natural Resources Maps Example of Hammond Natural Resources Maps Example of Hammond Natural Resources Maps Southern Africa What natural resources will we be looking for on these maps? The natural resources that make world empires and powers 1. Large areas of farmland 2. Deposits of copper and tin 3. Deposits of iron and coal South Africa 4. Deposits of oil and uranium Example: Hammond Atlas Natural Resources Maps Copper Tin Iron Coal What else do we post on these maps? The Tropics Why do we post the tropics? Farm land Why have we highlighted copper, tin, iron & coal? We will try to convince you that these natural resource shaped & continues to shape human history The Tropics Climate Zone; Eastern Hemisphere No world power or empire or religion has ever been created in the tropics Why do we post the tropics? Back to why do we postulate that deposits of copper, tin, iron, coal, and oil have shaped human history Let’s look at how archeologists divide human history Archeological Division of Historic Time Iron, Coal, Oil Iron-Coal Iron, Coal, Petroleum, & Uranium Age Iron, Coal, & Oil Age Iron & Coal: Industrial Age Iron & Coal: Renaissance 1950 to Present 1900 to 1950 AD 1700 to 1830 AD 1450 to 1700 AD Iron & Coal: Middle Agesadd to our knowledge? What does Google Earth Iron Age 2 Rome Iron Copper & tin Copper Flint & Obsidian Iron Age 1 Greece Bronze Age 470 to 1450 AD to 470 AD 750 BCE 1400 to 750 BCE 3300 to 1400 BCE Copper Age 3300 to 3000 BCE Stone Age (end of Ice Age) 70,000 to 3300 BCE What dos Google Earth add to our knowledge? The Tropics Looking for farm land on Google Earth Ocean depths & up close farming & grazing areas Google Earth: Focus on Zimbabwe (former Southern Rhodesia): Looking for farming areas Area 1 Area 2 Looking for farming areas on Google Earth, Area 1 Looking for farming areas on Google Earth, Area 2 Some references you might want of explore Why are we interested in farming and grazing areas? They along with iron, coal, and oil have shaped human history from the beginning References: http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/earth-atmospheric-and-planetarysciences/12-110-sedimentary-geology-spring-2007/lecturenotes/ch11.pdf Hammond Citation World Atlas, 1972, Natural Resources Maps Where will Sandi take us today? Focus on the east African country of Tanzania In the Beginning Where will Sandi take us today Tanzania Tanzania up close In the Beginning Where will Sandi take us today gold diamonds Tanzania What natural resources does Tanzania have? No major rivers, mostly grazing land but Let’s check thelong Hammond Atlas note the narrow lakes Tanzania: Located on a large, “orange” plateau (aka regional geological uplift) Note: A second uplift to the north of Tanzania Tanzania Note: A third uplift much less well defined south of Tanzania What’s going on here in the east half of the African Continent? What’s going on here in the east half of the African Continent? What is the earth’s mantle & a convection cell? The east half of Africa & Saudi Arabia are breaking away from the rest of Aftica! Why? Because the east half of Africa & Saudi Arabia are above an up-welling heat convection cell in the earth’s mantle 3-D Schematic View of the Earth Ocean Continental Crust Oceanic Crust Mantle convection cells here Radio-active heat generated here Next, the heat convection cells in the mantle Ocean 3 miles deep New Oceanic Crust being formed Another view Old Oceanic Crust being destroyed (melted) Notice the convection cells in the mantle Mantle Convection Cells Moving Crustal Plates Heated Mantle convection cells define the crustal plates of the earth Next, the earth’s crustal plates Earth Plates defined by Convection Cells A new plate being formed by breakup of Africa Next, a cartoon of a convection cell in action New oceanic crust is constantly being formed by molten rock extruded in the deep oceans along the oceanic ridges Ocean 3 miles deep Next week: We leave the East African Rift and to the country of South Whatgo happens when the convection cell is Africa under continental crust rather than oceanic crust?
