

011:Talking Catastrophism with Randall Carlson
Mar 14, 2021
Randall Carlson, an architect and researcher known for his expertise in Earth history and ancient civilizations, dives into the catastrophic events that have shaped our planet. He contrasts catastrophism with gradualism, exploring dramatic historical occurrences like the last ice age. Carlson intriguingly links cosmic impacts to climate changes, particularly during the Younger Dryas. He also discusses the mysterious remnants of ancient technologies and reflects on how such events are woven into human narratives, challenging conventional geological timelines.
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Childhood View‑Master Sparked a Career
- Randall describes being obsessed with dinosaurs from childhood and a View-Master that fueled his imagination.
- That early fascination later led him to embrace impact catastrophism after 1980 discoveries.
Catastrophism Returned To Geology
- Early geology began as catastrophist but uniformitarianism dominated for centuries.
- The pendulum is now swinging back as catastrophism re-enters mainstream Earth history thinking.
Missoula Floods Exceed Modern Analogs
- The Missoula/Scablands floods exceed known modern analogues by orders of magnitude.
- Uniformitarian explanations struggle to account for the volumes, pressures, and erosive power observed.