Presented By:
|
Andrew Kozlowski
Curator of Quaternary Landscape Materials at the New York State Museum
|
Abstract: This talk is about exploration, discovery and new scientific advances that address longstanding questions of natural history. It is also about the importance of continued geological mapping and the valuable insight that this basic scientific activity brings to solving societal problems.
The time span between 2.6 million and 12,000 years ago was known as the Pleistocene Epoch. During this interval the Earth experienced wide-ranging climatic oscillations that triggered the growth and expansion of continental glaciers. New York State experienced multiple glacial cycles, several of which covered the entire upstate regions and much of Long Island. In the past 100 years geologists have mapped glacial deposits and landforms in an effort to decipher the sequence of Pleistocene events.
In the last 15-20 years there has been a rapid development of new technology that allows us to evaluate the glacial landscape in unprecedented detail. Cutting-edge dating techniques to determine the age of geological materials have simultaneously been developed. These new technologies are tools of which geoscientists should be aware and have applications beyond natural history studies.
While new technologies are great, old-fashioned luck also plays a role in advancing our understanding of Pleistocene events. After deglaciation the landscape was reset to bare earth and colonized by tundra flora and fauna. Preservation of early Pleistocene plant macrofossils and megafauna does not occur everywhere and is often rare, but New York State and particularly portions of the Hudson Valley have an amazing track record for producing spectacular finds.
Join Museum Scientist Dr. Andrew Kozlowski as he provides an overview of some new discoveries and developments on the quest to untangle the complex Pleistocene geology in eastern New York State.
Approved for 1 PDH credit: Course No. pending
Bio: Andrew L. Kozlowski is a glacial geologist specializing in geomorphology, hydrogeology, geologic hazards, and near-surface geophysics, including ground penetrating radar and subsurface coring. He earned a B.S. from SUNY Cortland and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Western Michigan University. After serving as an Assistant Professor at Susquehanna University, he joined the New York State Museum, where he is Museum Scientist IV and Director of the State Geological Survey Mapping Program, and Curator of Quaternary Landscape Materials. A licensed New York State Professional Geologist, his work focuses on mapping glacial deposits to inform hazards, water resources, and three-dimensional geologic framework development.