major ice age periods fluctuating cool periods on earth which lasted for millions of years ...
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Major Ice Age Periods• Fluctuating cool periods on Earth which lasted for
millions of years
2100-2400MM years ago “Huronian”
800-600MM years ago “Snowball Earth”
460-430MM “Andrean-Saharan”
350-250MM “Karoo Ice Age”
2.58MM “Pliocene-Quaternary Ice Age”
• Most caused primarily by plate tectonics and also albedo effect and decrease of greenhouse gases like CO2 & methane.
Plate Tectonics
Major Ice Ages Contain Many Glacial Advances
• We are still in the Pliocene-quaternary major ice age which began about 2.58 MM years ago.
• All the major ice ages contain many glacial advances called glaciations and glacial retreats called interglaciations.
• Glaciations every 40-100 M years
Glaciations
• 51 glaciations in last 2.58MM years.
• Last glaciation peaked 20M years ago
• We are now in a warming period called interglaciation.
Some Affecters of Glaciations
• Changes in Earth’s axis tilt.
• Eccentricity of Earth’s orbit
• Precession of vernal equinox
• Albedo and “greenhouse” gasses
• Variations in solar output
• Meteorites and volcanism Glaciations (periodic iceages)
Here’s a history of global climate change studies
Earth’s Seasons
• Earth’s axis tilt causes our seasons.
• Equinox occurs twice yearly. Marking the beginning of Spring and Autumn.
Precession of Equinox
• Because of the moon and Sun’s gravitational force on our equator the polar axis precesses 25,800 years per cycle.
• Vernal equinox is currently on 20 March.
• At dawn during vernal equinox the sun passes through a constellation, soon to be Aquarius.
Earth Axis Tilt
• Fluctuates between 21.6 to 24.5 degrees every 41M years.
• Higher angles provide less radiation on the northern hemisphere.
• We are currently at 23.4 degrees.
How Is Mean Global Temperature Measured?
• By comparing historical temperatures throughout N. Hemisphere. Problems with this include:
– Regional and historical differences in measurement methodology. Recent standardization of methods has helped but still getting an average is a daunting task.
• Using dendrothermology
– Tree rings thickness is affected by temperature and other things so giving another controversial measurement for mean temperature throughout N. Hemisphere.
• Some scientists agree the mean has risen 0.5 oC since 1980! Man made CO2 is a possible cause.
12M B.P.
• Interglaciation was well under way.
• Hunters and gatherers congregated for ritual and feasting.
• The fertile crescent is where the first farming and irrigation happened.
Gobekli Tepe
River Valley Communities
• N. India, Central American, Syria, Egypt and Peru.
• The Nile in Egypt was best suited for development of a unified community.
– The Nile was most rich in decayed vegetable matter and Potash leaving its flood plane fertilized annually.
Annual Flood & Calendar
• Annually in mid July the rivers would flood their banks bringing water, silt, compost and fertilizer to the region.
• Agricultural planning evolved around the flood and triggered the calendar.
6000 B.P.
• First evidence of irrigation methods in the Nile.
• As the population grew, haphazard methods of irrigation gave way to the scratch plow sometime around 6000-5000 B.P
Arguably the most fundamental invention in history of mankind and triggered modern civilization.
The Scratch Plow
• A tool of surplus
• Permitted specialized skills to thrive within a community. The surplus paid for:
• Potters, craftsmen, carpenters, weavers, bakers, musicians, leather-workers, metal workers and scribes.
Metal Tools
• 5000 BP Copper deposits in Sinai made first metal tools.
• 4200 BP Bronze, a natural copper alloy (mixture) was smelted and hammered for hardening.
Egyptian bronze was 90% Copper with Arsenic & Zinc
A Trigger of Change
Writing was invented to identify ownership
Taxes
Mathematics
Astronomy and a Calendar
Architecture
Engineering
Militia and weapons
Science & Technology
• Science is a work in progress to explain the world around us.
• Technology sometimes referred to as applied sciences. Improves our lives.
• Science begets technology and visa-versa.
Science/Technology cont.
• Science and technology work together synergistically.
• Science Technology• Electromagnetic induction electrical generator
• The pendulum pendulum clock
• Thermodynamics steam engines
Humans Before Farming
• Paleopathologists reveal average height of late Ice man (10M B.P.) was 5’9” and 5’5” for women.
• Average life expectancy was about 26 years.
Humans After Farming• 5000 B.P. the avg. man was 5’3”, about 6” shorter!
• 2x increase in tooth enamel defects, 4x iron-deficiency, 3x increase in bone lesions from infectious disease.
• Average life expectancy was only 19 years!
• Farming also brought deep class divisions.
The Plow
• Ancient scratch plow 6000 B.P.
– Plowshare
• Modern plow, ca. 1400 B.P.
– Coulter, plowshare, landside, moldboard, slip heel.
The Plow (600 AD)
Electromagnet
• Conductive wire wrapped around iron core.
• Adding current to the wire produces a magnetic field.
• Used in relay switches.
Electromagnetic Relay Switch
An electromagnetic relay is made using a moving armature like this one or with a spinning cup.
Both varieties switch circuits when current or magnetism gets great enough.
Questions
• Describe the operation of the electromagnet and the relay.
• What were the triggers for the development of the calendar.
• Explain the last glacial retreat’s effect on human civilization.
• Why do organizations become more complex
• Sides 22-23
• #11
• # 9-10
• Man #25-26
Questions
• Explain how writing, civil engineering, mathematics, metallurgy, etc. were triggered by farming & the scratch plow.
• What caused the major cooling periods? When did the last ice age begin? When did it end?
• What causes glaciations? When was the last one?
• #13-16
• #1 & 3
• #4-8
Questions• How is irrigation and the
plow connected to civil engineering, mathematics, metallurgy and writing?
• What sacrifices were endured in the beginning of modern agriculture?
• Why according to Jared Diamond are germs important to European takeover of native Americans? Why were European germs more potent than native germs?
• #13-15
• #18-19
• Yellow Book pages 104-111
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