Episode notes
You may have heard the phrase “geography is destiny” which alludes to how our natural resources are the source of civilization’s wealth and it's catalyst. Well, our guest today, Sarah Patterson a mine geologist, would instead suggest that “geology is destiny”
In a previous encounter with Sarah, she said “if civilization is a ship, the rudder is geology and the sails are epidemiology.” At first glance, I thought this notion was preposterous but after hearing the logic, I wanted to share this with our audience. Sarah is biased in her view as a geologist, but she makes the case that Earth’s dynamism, tectonics, geomorphology, and other natural phenomena, set the stage for where humans were able to flourish. For example, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans were a nearly insurmountable barrier caused by our dynamic planet and kept people from reachi ...