Geology and Human History: Ancient Civilizations and the Importance of Minerals

1. Senior University Georgetown Winter 2013 Session 2 Creating Pathways for Ancient Peoples Some interesting Information sources Out of the East African Rift & Tropics nd into the country of South Africa

2. Some interesting Information sources

3. Geology in the News

4. From the New York Times, Jan. 28 An American team drilled through one half mile of ice in Antarctica & recovered water samples from Lake Williams that may have life from 195 million years ago!

5. Why the international interest in Antarctica? Its natural resources Argentina Australia South Africa

6. How big is Antarctica? Now the Continental Drift of Antarctica last 195 million years

7. Continental Drift of Antarctica last 195 million years Today 18,000 years ago 94 million years ago 195 million years ago From Nature magazine, Jan. 24

8. From Nature magazine, Jan. 24 The World Until Yesterday, Jared Diamond Book review Sustainable bio-energy production from marginal lands in the US Midwest Stable creeping fault segments can become destructive as a result of dynamic weakening Check the Sun City library for Nature Books you might want to read

9. Books you might want to read Prithviraj R, 2008; 19,000 Years of World History The Times, Complete History of the World, Overy Richard Illustrated Atlas of Exploration, 2011, Metro Books Atlas of Human Migration, Russell King, 2007 Now a quick review of last week

10. A quick review of last week Oh, by the way, did anyone get any pictures of our sunsets this past week? Now a quick review of last week If you did and would like to share them with the class, send then to me Askthegeologist@suddenlink.net

11. Remember from last week The Tropics Climate Zones; 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 I postulate that deposits of copper, tin, iron, coal, and oil have shaped human history We looked at how archeologists divide human history

12. Archeologists’ Division of Historic Time Based on Artifacts: their age & composition Iron, Coal, Petroleum, & Uranium Age 1950 to Present Iron, Coal, & Oil Age 1900 to 1950 AD Iron, Coal, Oil Iron & Coal: Industrial Age 1700 to 1830 AD Iron & Coal: Renaissance1450 to 1700 AD Iron & Coal: Middle Ages 470 to 1450 AD Iron-Coal My conclusion: Great nations (aka world powers) must have had iron & coal and in the 20th century oil What did Google Earth add to our knowledge? How do Historians view the same time division of human history? Iron Age 2 Rome to 470 AD 750 BCE Iron Age 1 Greece 1400 to 750 BCE Bronze Age 3300 to 1400 BCE Iron Copper & tin Copper Copper Age 3300 to 3000 BCE Stone Age (end of Ice Age) 70,000 to 3300 BCE Flint & Obsidian

13. Historians’ Division of Human History Silicon Age 1950 to Present Modern Age 1900 to 1950 Steam Age 1830 to 1950 Industrial Age 1700 to 1830 Renaissance 1450 to 1700 Middle Ages 470 to 1450 Roman Age to 470 750 Iron Age 1400 to 750 Bronze Age 3300 to 1400 Where were these farming empires and why? Large scale farming First world empires Copper Age 3300 to 3000 Stone Age (end of Ice Age) 10,000 to 3000 Hunting & Gathering

14. Where Were the First Empires and Why? Area of hostile climate due to continental glaciation Mountains from Spain to China Focus on the Six farming Empires The Northern Temperate Climate Zone Note: 1. Six empires based on large scale farming 2. Located in the Northern Temperate Zone 3. South of a discontinuous mountain chain (shielded from the melting glacier) The Tropic climate zones

15. The Six Earliest Major Civilizations: Located in the Six Major River Flood Plains of Eurasia Located in the southern half of the Northern Temperate Climate Zone Tigris Euphrates Yellow Yangtze Indus Ganges Northern Temperate Climate Zone Nile Nile From: Hammond Atlas, 1972 Focus on the river flood plains that humans might have migrated to as they moved out of Africa

16. Focus: River flood plains where early human might have settled when they migrated out of Africa Tigris Euphrates Indus Nile Possible migration Routs to India & China Along major rivers & the coast lines! From: Hammond Atlas, 19

17. Possible Migration Routs to India & China Yellow Yangtze Indus Ganges What do all the earliest civilizations have in common? Major Rivers!!!! Without exception the 6 first human civilizations “preferred” the 6 river flood plains of Eurasia!!! Back to the Historians’ Division of Human History

18. Historians’ Division of Human History Silicon Age 1950 to Present Modern Age 1900 to 1950 Steam Age 1830 to 1950 Industrial Age 1700 to 1830 Renaissance 1450 to 1700 Middle Ages 470 to 1450 Age 2 Rome 750BC to 470AD Iron Age 1 Greece 1400 to 750BC Bronze Age 3300 to 1400 Floodplain empires conquered by Iron rich areas Large scale farming First world empires Let’s focus on Greece and Rome Copper Age 3300 to 3000 Stone Age (end of Ice Age) 10,000 to 3000 Hunting & Gathering

19. The Greek Empire: Alexander the Great The greatest concentration of farmland, iron and coal in the world!!!! Now the Roman Empire Iron & Coal Major River Flood plain

20. The Roman Empire Iron & Coal Back to the Historians’ Divisions of Human History Major River Flood plain

21. Historians’ Division of Human History Based on how humans lived Iron, Coal, Petroleum, & Uranium Age 1950 to Present Iron, Coal, & Oil Age 1900 to 1950 AD Iron-Coal -Oil Competing Nations Internal Combustion engine Oil is King Iron & Coal: Industrial Age 1700 to 1900 AD Iron & Coal: Reformation 1450 to 1700 AD Iron & Coal: Middle Ages 470 to 1450 AD Industrial age Coal is King Steam Engine Iron-Coal Age Competing Nations • Conclusions: World powers had or have: • “Owned “ or acquired farmland to feed • their people. • 2. lands lacking farmland or Fe and Coal, • acquire them by military acquisition Iron Age 2 Rome to 470 AD 750 BCE Iron Age 1 Greece 1400 to 750 BCE Bronze Age 3300 to 1400 BCE Iron Age City state empires Finally: What is the fossil evidence of the history of the human race: i.e. where, when, and why? Large scale farming First empires (6) Copper Age 3300 to 3000 BCE Stone Age (end of Ice Age) 70,000 to 3300 BCE Hunting & gathering Clans & tribes

22. What is the fossil evidence of the history of the human race: i.e. where, when, and why? Oldest fossil record of pre-humans and the advent of Homo-sapiens In Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, & Sudan In the East African Rift Why in the Rift? Earliest humans Significance: Unique geologic environments lead to the advent of human species

23. Let’s look at a Cartoon of the fossil evidence of earliest human history Earliest humans Significance: Unique geologic environments lead to the advent of human species

24. Large Ape Habitat Today

25. Homo sapiens Homo Neander thalensis Homo rhodesiensis What can we read from this cartoon? Homo erectus Homo Antecessor/ mauritanicus Pre-human bipeds Homo ergaster Fossil evidence, last 2 million years of the beginning of Human History Rift

26. Homo sapiens Extinctions Homo Neander thalensis Homo rhodesiensis Extinction What could cause these extinctions? Homo erectus Homo Antecessor/ mauritanicus Extinction Oldest pre-human bipeds become extinct, about 1.4 million years ago Homo ergaster Oldest pre-human bipeds migrate out of Africa to Europe 1.65 million years ago Rift Oldest pre-human fossils 1.9 million years ago

27. Continental Glaciation Focus on Homo sapiens

28. Uniquely human characteristics Time of World History Focus on Homo sapiens 1. Reason: language 2. Conscience (right & wrong) 3. Adapt to any climate Last ice age Sapiens in Americas 33,000 years ago Sapiens into Europe & Asia 70,000 years ago Back to last week: Remember Tanzania In the East African Rift (breaking away from Africa) Site of pre-human and Homo sapiens fossils In the Tropics, no copper, tin, iron, coal, or oil Not an important land, even for Africa Conclusions, Humans are: very recent advent unlike any older species; esp, language spread from East African rift through-out world a people of the last ice age pioneers in exploration and migration (seeking new natural resource riches?) Is this the early evidence of human selfishness that the Bible calls original sin? Fossil sapiens, in East African Rift 150,000 years ago Missing Link? Adam & Eve? Remember this slide Also, last week we considered what caused the Rift and the break-up of the eastern half of the African continent

29. 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

30. Complex Shape of Mantle Convection Cells Can you find Africa in the top panel? Note that the convection cell is up-lifting eastern Africa How does this look in cross section?

31. Mantle Convection Cell under a Continent Continental Crust Next, a mantle convection cell affecting continental crust

32. Heat Convection Cell Uplifting a Continent Continental Crust up-lifted & rifted (pulling apart) The rifting produced the long, narrow, deep lakes in Tanzania

33. Long Narrow Rift Valley Lakes Tanzania Rift lakes are the southern extension of the East African Rift System Let’s look at the “big picture”

34. Plate Tectonics: Uplift and Rift Faulting over a Sub-Crustal Mantle Convection Cell East Africa: Mantle convection cell East Africa: Triple junction Tanzania Rift Valleys formed & Volcanoes Why was this event important? This unique geological event coincided with the advent of the human race! More detail on the East African triple junction

35. Another view focused on the East African Rifts East Africa: Triple junction Continental Back to Tanzania: what natural resources does Tanzania have?

36. Example: Tanzania, Hammond Atlas Natural Resources Map Note: no iron or coal or major river farming flood plain and Tanzania is in the Tropics gold diamonds Tropics Tanzania Why are natural resources of copper, tin, iron, and coal important? We’ll try to convince you that they are required for a land to become a major nation. Tanzania apparently doesn’t have the natural resources to be a major nation And being in the Tropics argues against large scale farming What supports the proposition that a world power must have access to copper, tin, iron and coal? Let’s apply what we’ve learned as Sandi takes to the country of South Africa

37. The Tropics Climate Zones; Eastern Hemisphere Where is the country of South Africa? Possible migration routes out of the East African Rift No world power or empire or religion has ever been created in the tropics Southern climate Temperate Zone

38. http://online.sfsu.edu/rapidviz/523_infodesign_posters/523_human_origins_eugene_wong.pdfhttp://online.sfsu.edu/rapidviz/523_infodesign_posters/523_human_origins_eugene_wong.pdf Possible migration routes out of the East African Rift

39. Possible migration routes out of the East African Rift Tropics How did early humans get from Tanzania to South Africa? We don’t know, but probably by rivers Temperate climate

40. Human Migration out of the East African Rift Nile River Tropics Congo River Tanzania What did they find in South Africa? Zambezi River Orange River

41. What did early humans find when they migrated into the country that is now South Africa? Tropics What else does the land of South Africa have? South Africa South Africa: is out of the Tropics! has a major river, the Orange

42. What did early humans find when they migrated into the country that is now South Africa? Tropics What are the natural resources of the country of South 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 South Africa 2. Deposits of copper and tin 3. Deposits of iron and coal 4. Deposits of oil

43. Topographic Map; Southern Africa What route did first humans take to get to South Africa?

44. What route did first humans take to get to the country of South Africa? Stay in the hills where hunting & gathering will support the large stone age population

45. The Natural Resources of the Country of South Africa 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

46. South Africa on Google Earth South Africa

47. A Random View of Farm Land on Google Earth What’s going on here, farm land in the hills rather than in the stream valleys Tune in next week and we’ll find out and we’ll follow humans into Europe