Posted on 10/11/2008 2:20:11 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Daniel Deocampo, a Georgia State assistant professor of Geology, is investigating ancient lakes and volcanic ash to help scientists better understand the environment in which humans evolved, and eventually used ash and sediment to build infrastructure in ancient civilizations... His research into volcanic ash that formed sedimentary rocks in Italy and California helps scientists better understand the ways ancient societies, including the Romans, used rocks to create mortar and concrete that, in some cases, was actually more durable than the modern varieties. Over hundreds of years, Romans experimented with different volcanic ash layers to perfect the building materials which would be used to make the dome of the Pantheon, which lasted several millenia, as well as Mediterranean piers -- key to Roman naval dominance in the region.
"By 100 A.D. or so, they had perfected it, and knew exactly which volcanic ash layer to use -- which we think we've pinpointed," Deocampo said. "The ancient roman concrete is better than a lot of our modern concretes. It's interesting to see how these land use patterns affected the development of Western civilization."
(Excerpt) Read more at physorg.com ...
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(Man! Saturday afternoon is not a good time to give up coffee...)
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