Ancient Extremes in Nature

Catalog description

In this course we will learn about extremes in nature – earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, storms, and extraterrestrial impacts – that have occurred in the distant and recent past. Just as charismatic megafauna like whales and elephants cultivate intrigue about different forms of life on earth, "charismatic mega-events" can spark our imagination with respect to the planet itself. We will therefore use these events as entry points to explore the earth processes that govern them and the methods that help us discover records of them from the 1800s to more than 18 Million years in the past. With every event type, we will also discuss its impacts on the built environment, the natural environment, and (when possible) human culture by delving into written records, oral traditions, and/or cultural artifacts. New York will serve as a case study/field site for multiple topics in this course (from ice age scars in Central Park to crop records from the "year without a summer"), and during the semester you will design an analysis of a specific region or extreme event. By the end of this course, you will be able to find evidence of past extremes and their physical, social, and/or cultural impact anywhere you choose to look.