Ancient Superflood Brought Climate Chaos

ABC Science News ^ | 8-15-2003 | Bob Beale

[martianagent]

That sort of thing would have to include a claim that this "superflood" caused the extinction of the large North American animals at the end of the last ice age. The problem is, that the same kinds of animals went extinct in Europe and Asia at about the same time. That argues for a global event, as opposed to something in Canada. I still like the story in Genesis better.

[blam]

Scientists Rewrite Laws Of Glacial Erosion

[shamusotoole]

I wonder what the effect would have been at Windover? I believe that culture was contemporary to the Agassiz event.

[Between the Lines]

Map of Lake Agassiz

[LiteKeeper]

I'm with you!

[aardvark1]

dam Canada

[blam]

"I wonder what the effect would have been at Windover? I believe that culture was contemporary to the Agassiz event."

I don't know...that crossed my mind too.

I have some 7,000 year old wood from a coastal forest that went underwater in NW Florida (Santa Rosa Sound) about 7,000 years ago. I suspect there were a number of 'floods' like this one in a number of, still unidentified, places in the world.

[freedomcrusader]

Ancient superflood brought climate chaos: women and minorities hardest hit.

[balrog666]

Neat stuff ping.

[RightWhale]

There is evidence of three such floods, one about twice the size of the others. I don't have the dates and numbers for the serial sea-level rises handy, but the rises each took perhaps two weeks and raised sea levels instantly 100 to 200 feet worldwide.

[ChewedGum]

Ancient superflood brought climate chaos: women and minorities hardest hit.

Could we have a commission investigate this and provide suggestions how to protect minorities in future catastrophes?

Gum

[centurion316]

Another nail in the coffin of the gradualism theory of climatic and geomorphic change. Aside from the inconsistency of the "Solar Constant", its hard to see any mechanisms for slow changes in climate such as we are now experiencing. Certainly, the "evil capitalism did it" theory won't survive the currently popular hysteria and political expediency.

[Bill Davis FR]

was this great flood of noah's time...

[Noumenon]

The Lake Missoula floods sure dropped property values in my neighborhood during the waning years of the last Ice Age. Nothing like a 1500 foot high wall of water to rearrange the landscape.

[Noumenon]

And here I thought SUV drivers were responsible for all climate change.....

That's right. Fred Flintstone and his pals got the ball rolling. Nothing's been right since.

[Physicist]

Neat stuff ping.

Yeah, now we get to see adults seriously discussing Noah and his ark as a historical fact. Not many places you can still see that.

[Snidely Whiplash]

was this great flood of noah's time...

Probably not - the flood story here would have to:

1) Become part of aboriginal American folklore;
2) Somehow get all the way to the Middle East, with no one to get it there;
3) Become part of those cultures;
4) Wind up as part of their religious traditions and thence the Bible.

So far, the Black Sea flood referenced earlier is the best candidate for the story's origin (unless one is a literalist).

It would seem that the nature of climatic change is indeed taking on a resemblance to Stephen Jay Gould's puncutated equilibrium model - periods of relative quiet interspersed with rapid, often catastrophic events that drive the changes themselves.

Snidely

[Publius6961]

Yeah, but what did Bush know and when did he know it?

where are the WMDs dammit!

[Aric2000]

placemarker

[r9etb]

I blame Global Warming.

I thought it was George W's fault.

Both of which have the initials "G W". Coincidence? I think not!