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The World's Most Fascinating Geologic Events

Experience geology as a living force that continues to direct the course of world history in these 24 captivating lectures.
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The World's Most Fascinating Geologic Events

Trailer

The Volcanic Eruption of Tambora

01: The Volcanic Eruption of Tambora

Your course opens with a bang: a volcanic eruption that changed the world. Step back to 1815 in Indonesia to witness the explosion of Mt. Tambora and trace the effects of "the year without summer" (1816) and "the year of famine" (1817). This case study introduces the relationship between geologic events and human history.

33 min
Solar Cycles and the Little Ice Age

02: Solar Cycles and the Little Ice Age

The Little Ice Age was a 600-year period of cooler global temperatures, which profoundly reshaped the modern world from the 13th through the 19th centuries. Discover how volcanic eruptions and solar minima triggered centuries of cold, famine, and upheavals from wars to mass migrations.

30 min
Cold Climates and Settling North America

03: Cold Climates and Settling North America

Study the Little Ice Age, with both its impact on the Columbian Exchange and how this Exchange, in turn, changed the climate. European settling of North America was largely driven by the beaver fur trade to make hats and coats for cold Europeans. But deaths from diseases brought to the New World caused a reforestation of North America, in turn lowering temperatures.

31 min
Solar Storms and Their Impact on Technology

04: Solar Storms and Their Impact on Technology

In this lecture, Professor Wysession shifts from long-term decreases in sunlight a to sudden, violent solar outbursts. With examples from the 1859 Carrington Event, a 1989 solar storm that knocked out power grids, and a series of Miyake superstorms, he traces the threat that the sun's terrifying power poses to humanity's power grid.

32 min
Sea Level Rise and the Great Flood

05: Sea Level Rise and the Great Flood

At the end of the last Ice Age--more than 10,000 years ago--rising temperatures flooded the world, altered coastlines, and displaced early human populations. See how this period may have inspired stories such as Noah's Flood and the Expulsion from Eden--and how the Persian Gulf Oasis hypothesis may have sparked the birth of civilization.

32 min
The New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811–1812

06: The New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811–1812

Shift your attention from rising seas to shaking lands. From 1811 to 1812, four major shocks hit the Bootheel of Missouri, and Americans felt the tremors across the eastern US. Learn about the underlying causes of these massive earthquakes and explore how they affected Native American tribes and the outcome of the War of 1812.

31 min
The Puzzle of the Channeled Scablands

07: The Puzzle of the Channeled Scablands

Some of the most visually striking and scientifically puzzling geologic formations in the United States are the Channeled Scablands in eastern Washington state. How were these bizarre, barren landscapes formed? How did they pose a challenge to scientific dogma? And what can they tell us about Earth's dynamic history?

31 min
The La Brea Tar Pits and Giant Mammals

08: The La Brea Tar Pits and Giant Mammals

Hop over to Los Angeles, where today you can encounter mammoths, saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, and giant ground sloths preserved in the mysterious La Brea Tar Pits. These asphalt seeps have preserved millions of fossils, giving us one of the richest Ice Age records on the planet. See what we can learn from this urban geologic formation.

31 min
El Niño and the Great Famine of 1876–1879

09: El Niño and the Great Famine of 1876–1879

In the first of a two-part lecture on the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Professor Wysession examines a disruption in the east-west ocean currents of the Pacific. He connects the 1876-1879 disruption--which produced one of the worst global droughts in 800 years--with some of history's worst famines.

33 min
La Niña and the Flu Pandemic of 1918

10: La Niña and the Flu Pandemic of 1918

In the second of a two-part lecture on the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Professor Wysession delves into the cold phase, also known as La Niña. You'll see how this Pacific cooling event altered bird migration patterns, helped trigger the deadly 1918 avian flu pandemic that killed 50 million people, and changed the world following World War I.

32 min
Hurricanes and the Destruction of Galveston

11: Hurricanes and the Destruction of Galveston

The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 is the deadliest natural disaster in US history. Despite earlier storms, the barrier island of Galveston was unprepared for the Category 4 hurricane and its massive storm surge. Dive into this story of devastation and resilience and trace the lasting consequences of natural disasters.

32 min
Monsoons and the Rise of Rome

12: Monsoons and the Rise of Rome

Climate patterns have a strong connection to human history. As you will learn in this lecture, warmer temperatures and consistent rainfall contributed to the rise of the Roman Empire during the Pax Romana. This period--the Roman Climate Anomaly--benefited from the negative phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation as well as reliable Nile monsoons.

31 min
Volcanoes, Plagues, and the Demise of Rome

13: Volcanoes, Plagues, and the Demise of Rome

Just as a warm climate allowed for the rise of Rome, geologic catastrophes contributed to its demise. From volcanic eruptions to rapid cooling, famines, plagues, and economic collapse, this lecture deepens your understanding of the intricate relationship between geologic activity and human society.

33 min
The Powerful Earthquakes of Japan

14: The Powerful Earthquakes of Japan

Japan lies in the Pacific's Ring of Fire, where four tectonic plates meet, resulting in frequent and sometimes catastrophic earthquakes. Survey some of the major geologic events over the past century and investigate how Japan's early-warning systems, strict building codes, and culture of preparedness have saved countless lives.

33 min
The Catastrophic Start of the Little Ice Age

15: The Catastrophic Start of the Little Ice Age

After centuries of stable, warmer conditions, the onset of the Little Ice Age in the 13th century triggered upheavals such as the Great Famine of 1315. Relentless rains devastated Europe, causing massive crop failures and more than a million deaths. Trace the climate events, volcanic eruptions, and solar weather behind this period of disruption.

33 min
The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906

16: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906

Witness the earthquake that remade California. Early in the morning April 18, 1906, the booming city of San Francisco experienced a Magnitude 8.0 earthquake along the San Andreas Fault--an event that destroyed much of the city but marked the beginning of American seismology.

31 min
Revolution at the End of the Little Ice Age

17: Revolution at the End of the Little Ice Age

One of the most iconic events in modern history was the French Revolution. While political, economic, and social factors were primary drivers, unusually harsh weather amplified the tensions in an already fragile society. Delve into the connections between failed harvests, soaring bread prices, the 1783 eruption of Iceland's Laki Volcano, and Marie Antoinette's apocryphal suggestion to "Let them eat cake."

33 min
Lisbon Is Leveled on All Saints' Day

18: Lisbon Is Leveled on All Saints' Day

In the 18th century, Portugal controlled much of global trade, and Lisbon was one of Europe's busiest ports. Then, in 1755, a tremendous earthquake (and fires and tsunami) leveled Portugal's capital city. Here, Professor Wysession takes you inside the causes and consequences of the earthquake, as well as the debates on God, nature, and science that it inspired.

33 min
The Eruption of Krakatau and the Modern Age

19: The Eruption of Krakatau and the Modern Age

One of the most powerful geological events of the modern age was the eruption of Krakatau in 1883. Although not the largest volcanic eruption in this course, the rise of mass communications made this one of the most well-documented disasters in world history, and the news marked a turning point for Indonesia, modern science, and the world.

33 min
Unusual Extreme Weather Events in History

20: Unusual Extreme Weather Events in History

In this lecture, you will tour the world to survey some of the most extreme weather on the planet. From the temperature extremes of Antarctica and Death Valley to the winds of Mount Washington to the Kamikaze typhoons, Professor Wysession catalogs the phenomena and then traces their historical impacts.

33 min
Deep Freeze: The Snowball Earth Hypothesis

21: Deep Freeze: The Snowball Earth Hypothesis

Step back hundreds of millions of years when much of Earth's surface was frozen. The two major "Snowball Earth" episodes altered Earth's atmosphere and life, first allowing the evolution of oxygen-breathing life (which would eventually evolve into animals) and then allowing the explosions of multicellular life in the Ediacaran and Cambrian Periods.

34 min
The World Just before Human Civilization

22: The World Just before Human Civilization

Continue your study of the world before human civilization in this lecture about the mysterious Younger Dryas period, a thousand-year cold snap that began nearly 13,000 years ago. Unravel the hypotheses for what caused this period--and reflect on the scientific methodology surrounding these ideas.

32 min
Are We Living in the Anthropocene Epoch?

23: Are We Living in the Anthropocene Epoch?

Following the Younger Dryas period, the world entered the Holocene Epoch--a stable, warm period that enabled the rise of human civilization. Is it possible we recently entered a new period marked by humanity's impact on the planet? Have we entered a period of acceleration called the Anthropocene?

35 min
Discovering the Origins of Our Moon

24: Discovering the Origins of Our Moon

In this final lecture, Professor Wysession travels back to one of the most dramatic moments in Earth's history: the giant impact that formed the Moon approximately 4.5 billion years ago. The story of the Moon highlights the role of pure chance in Earth's history--and with it the improbability of all we know of life today.

42 min

Overview Course No. 10630

The Earth is a restless planet. Volcanoes explode, continents drift, oceans rise and fall, and the ground beneath our feet can shake without warning. For most of human history, these forces felt like the wrath of gods or random chaos. Today, we understand them as dynamic processes that have shaped the story of humanity, from where our civilizations developed to the migrations driven by famine and plague.

The World’s Most Fascinating Geologic Events takes you on a journey around the world and across time to explore the volcanic and seismic activity, dramatic shifts in climate, and superstorms that have inspired terror and awe over thousands of years. Taught by esteemed Professor Michael E. Wysession at Washington University in St. Louis, these 24 captivating lectures reveal the inseparable links between geologic phenomena and human affairs.

Today, thanks to advancements in the science of geology coupled with history, anthropology, and archaeology, we can take a fresh look at some of the most riveting natural events ever recorded: volcanoes, earthquakes, climate shifts, and other catastrophes that have captured imaginations and changed the course of human history.

In addition to unraveling the science of geologic events, Professor Wysession makes dazzling connections between these events and the human impact, from famines and pandemics to mass migrations and the rise and fall of civilizations. Packed with scientific insights and vivid storytelling, this course offers a grand tour of humanity’s story on our dynamic planet.

About

Michael E. Wysession
Michael E. Wysession

The more you know and understand the natural world, the greater will be your love and appreciation for it.

INSTITUTION
Washington University in St. Louis

Michael E. Wysession is Professor of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, where he also serves as the executive director of the Center for Teaching and Learning. He earned his PhD in Geophysics from Northwestern University. An award-winning teacher and leader in university education reform, he has coauthored more than 100 research papers and 35 science textbooks. He is a frequent guest on different media platforms as an expert on earthquakes and many other geoscience topics.

By This Professor

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The World's Most Fascinating Geologic Events

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