Module IV: Cataclysmic Events

Essential Question: How do stories of cataclysmic events help inform students about geosciences and cultures?
Cataclysmic events occur regularly around the world. It is through descriptions of the personal experiences during these events that much of the knowledge is passed on to future generations. After the 9.2 magnitude earthquake hit near Anchorage in 1964 it decimated many buildings and killed 131 people. As a result buildings began being designed to withstand large magnitude earthquakes. The Trans-Alaska Pipeline was specifically designed to shift and flex when it passes over fault lines. The series of strike-slip faults along the west coast of North America that meet the Eastern portion of the Pacific plate combined with the subduction zone in South Alaska create forces that have the potential of massive destruction. Although the initial earthquake was what devastated Anchorage it was the ensuing tsunami's that inflicted the most damage. Many coastal villages were either heavily damaged or completely destroyed.

In order to show students the scope of damage an earthquake can cause more is needed than only maps. Google Earth is a great program to bring up the affected areas damaged by an earthquake, but the devastation can't be seen. In order to see the damage done, photographs taken during or after the earthquake need to be seen. Although not every event is well documented with photos there are many archives online that hold history in image form. The 1964 earthquake damage can be seen online at www.alaskastock.com. The photo to the right is one photo from the archive that shows the damage done in Anchorage.

Being able to see the destruction gives the students something to connect to. If students are able to see the photos of either the Anchorage earthquake in 1964 or photos from the earthquake that affected Haiti in 2010, they can understand the devastation that occurred. Once this is achieved the stories of events that happened long before cameras were invented can be better understood.

How any particular indigenous group reacts to a cataclysmic event can tell a lot about their culture. Although there are many instances where a tsunami will decimate an area and kill or injure many people they will usually overcome their setbacks and go on to continue thriving and surviving. Culture is often never destroyed by a natural cataclysmic event. Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, but the city was eventually rebuilt with the culture remaining intact.

The best way to ensure that students learn about geosciences and culture from cataclysmic events is to make it relevant to them. Once a student can place themselves at the center of the earthquake, in the path of the tsunami or into the vicinity of an erupting volcano they will be able to understand their effects on the planet and the many different cultures around the world.Panoramic view of Poas volcano crater with fumarole activity. Poas National Park, Alajuela, Costa Rica. Owner: Mariordo Mario Roberto Duran Ortiz: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poás_Volcano_National_Park

Module III: The Landscapes of Life

Essential Question: How are landscapes formed and how, in turn, are cultures shaped by their landscapes?
Landscapes are formed by a variety of methods. One such method is by the shifting of tectonic plates. This can be seen in the photo below.

As you can see, the plate below the Aleutian chain is being driven underneath the plate north of the chain. This subduction zone forces the magma below the plates to be driven up to form volcanoes and islands which make up the chain. I am specifically looking at St. George Island which is marked with a yellow pin in the picture above. It is located on the edge of another convergent boundary. Other than nearby St. Paul Island, it is completely isolated from any other land mass. This would mean that the local natives would be almost completely reliant on the resources of the ocean. Anything taken from the ocean would have to be used for food, clothing, shelter and any other daily necessities. There is a strong Russian Orthodox culture on the islands. The local natives were placed there likely during the 1700s by Russians as slaves for hunting purposes. My grandfather was born on St. George Island, but was moved by the military during World War II to Southeast Alaska. Although he resides in Anchorage today he still maintains a close identity with the Russian Orthodox church. The church in St. George can be seen to the right. Photo courtesy of "St. George Island", Alaska Magazine, Tom Walker, January 2006.

Google earth is an excellent tool for establishing connections between peoples and places. It eliminates the need to house maps in the classroom or to check out maps from a university or library. You can quickly look at a three dimensional representation of the area being studied and quickly identify what resources are available to the indigenous peoples. As scary as it may seem, the internet is actually a great tool in identifying how landscapes are formed. A quick search in google yields how plate tectonics work, how earthquakes are measured and other geologic forces which shape our lands. When I was in school, the internet was extremely limited in what was available for research online. Now you can find encyclopedia entries without having to flip through 20 volumes of books. As more and more books are being converted to digital copies you eventually will never have to visit a library again except for nostalgic purposes.
Having instant access to information that answer questions I have has been highly valuable to me. Even during this class if I see a reference or a word that I haven't seen before I just do a quick web search and find several definitions or examples. I've seen how erosion and deposition can literally move mountains, how glaciers are formed and also carve deep scars into mountains, how volcanoes are forced upward creating islands and mountains and how weathering breaks down rock and decayed organic matter into a mixture that can sustain life.

Culture may be influenced by landscapes, but I don't believe that landscape forms culture. Traditions across Alaska look extremely different from one end of the state to another. Whether you are looking at the Unangan people who rely almost entirely on survival from the ocean or the Athabascan people in central Alaska who rely on the land and fishing from rivers there is one common theme. They all have a deep respect for the land and everything that contributes to their survival.

I do believe that culture has a direct connection to how we interact with the landscapes and environments that surround us. In many rural communities they respect the land and do everything they can to ensure it remains in a condition that will continue to support them. In some urban environments there is a culture that does not value the landscape and surrounding area. Those living in the city do not depend on the land for their survival and therefore do not have the respect for it that others do.

In a way cultures are shaped by their landscapes and environments. Maybe not too much from one rural area to another, but there is definitely a gap in knowledge of the land from rural to urban cultures.