Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations

Speaker:

David R. Montgomery

23 Sep 2013

8:00 PM

Great Hall, Memorial Union

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Geologist David R. Montgomery is the author of Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations, a mix of history, archaeology and geology that shows how soil use - and abuse - has shaped great civilizations from Mesopotamia to the Roman Empire, China to Central America, and the American push westward. A MacArthur "Genius" Award recipient, Montgomery teaches at the University of Washington, where he studies the evolution of topography and how geological processes shape landscapes and influence ecological systems. He will discuss his current work, a solution-oriented approach to the problem of global soil erosion outlined in Dirt. Pesek Colloquium on Sustainable Agriculture

Homo sapiens, wise man indeed. There's still time to live up to our
name - if only we stop treating our soil like dirt. - David Montgomery

David Montgomery studied geology at Stanford University before earning his PhD in geomorphology at the University of California, Berkeley. His other books include [i]King of Fish: The Thousand-Year Run of Salmon[/i] and the recently published [i]The Rocks Don't Lie: A Geologist Investigates Noah's Flood.[/i] National Public Radio's [i]On Being[/i] with Krista Tippett featured David Montgomery and his new book, [i]The Rocks Don't Lie[/i]. Listen now: [b][url=http://origin-www.onbeing.org/program/reading-the-rocks/5851]Reading the Rocks: Flood Stories + Deep Time," August 1, 2013[/b][/url]