Testimony of the Oaks: Evidence of Climatic and Geomorphic Changes in Lower River Valleys at 3200 BC.

Richard L. Meehan

Stanford University
Palo Alto, California

Stabilization of sea level about 6000 years ago resulted in the formation of deltas and floodplains providing for the first time conditions suitable for highly organized human society. Yet the early years of civilization were marked by unstable behavior of lower river valleys influenced by erratic global climate as well as transition of rivers into their present meandering form. Many human practices and beliefs are rooted in the late fourth millenium (~3200 BC). This poster and associated web site will examine geomorphological events of this time period in the light of recent paleoclimatological research findings, with implications for both the past and the future.

Richard Meehan is an engineer with degrees from MIT and Imperial College, University of London, and is an adjunct professor at Stanford University. He specializes in environmental and engineering problems of river valleys, including flooding, subsidence, and other hazards associated with urbanization. His book "The Atom and the Fault" (MIT Press) explores the hazards of nuclear power in California.