Presentation Information
[O05-04]Reading Myths Like a Geologist: Stories Connecting DEEP TIME and SHALLOW TIME★Invited Papers
*Kazuo Amano1 (1.Center for Spatial Information Science, The University of Tokyo)
Keywords:
geomythology,geologist,deep time,shallow time
In this presentation, I introduce geomythology as a new way of connecting the unimaginably long history of the Earth with the relatively short history of humankind and consider how myths and traditions relate to our lives and to future society.
Over about 4.6 billion years, the earth has continuously changed its form. Continents have moved, mountains have risen, oceans have expanded, volcanoes have erupted, and glaciers have advanced and retreated. This vast span of time is called DEEP TIME in geology. By contrast, the history in which humans developed writing, built cities, practiced agriculture, and advanced science and technology spans only a few thousand years—an instant in the context of Earth’s history. Yet in this brief period, humans have had a profound impact on the planet’s environment. Bridging this gap is the idea of big history. Big history treats the birth of the universe, the formation of the Earth, the evolution of life, the emergence of humanity, and the development of civilization as a single continuous story, seeking to depict human history as part of the larger story of the cosmos and the earth. Building on this perspective, this presentation explores how people have sensed, narrated, and remembered the earth’s long history through myths and traditions.
Around the world, many stories remain about earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, tsunamis, and the worship of mountains. These are not merely folktales or superstitions; in many cases, real disasters and environmental changes were likely passed down in the form of stories. Expressions such as “the mountain was angry” may preserve memories of volcanic eruptions, and tales of “the sea swallowing a village” may reflect experiences of tsunamis. In societies without writing, people transmitted lessons about disasters to the next generation through stories. I attempt to reread such myths from a geologist’s perspective. By examining landforms, rocks, volcanic traces, and tsunami inundation areas, we can begin to understand why particular stories emerged in places.
This approach is closely connected to contemporary issues. For example, the geological disposal of radioactive waste from nuclear power plants requires safe management for more than 100,000 years, yet our social systems and records rarely endure even a few centuries. To convey to people in the distant future that this place is dangerous, we must consider not only signs and documents but also cultural means such as landscape design, stories, rituals, and oral traditions. How past societies transmitted memories of disasters offers vital clues for the future. Moreover, geoparks across Japan are places where people can directly experience the earth’s long history. They present not only beautiful scenery and distinctive geology, but also the lives and stories of people who have lived alongside volcanic activity. Geoparks thus serve as spaces of learning that connect DEEP TIME with human life (SHALLOW TIME). This way of thinking also aligns with the ideas in Stories of the Earth and Humanity, edited by the Geological Society of Japan, which shows that changes in the Earth and human ways of living are inseparable.
Geomythology is not just for experts. When each of us learns the stories of the land where we live and imagines its deep history, we can build a new relationship with the Earth. Understanding how humanity has lived within DEEP TIME strengthens our ability to think about disaster prevention, environmental protection, and energy issues. By linking big history, myth, radioactive waste, and geoparks through the single thread of the story of the earth and humanity, this presentation seeks to create an opportunity to reflect together on our past, present, and future and to ask what we will choose to leave for the next generations.
Over about 4.6 billion years, the earth has continuously changed its form. Continents have moved, mountains have risen, oceans have expanded, volcanoes have erupted, and glaciers have advanced and retreated. This vast span of time is called DEEP TIME in geology. By contrast, the history in which humans developed writing, built cities, practiced agriculture, and advanced science and technology spans only a few thousand years—an instant in the context of Earth’s history. Yet in this brief period, humans have had a profound impact on the planet’s environment. Bridging this gap is the idea of big history. Big history treats the birth of the universe, the formation of the Earth, the evolution of life, the emergence of humanity, and the development of civilization as a single continuous story, seeking to depict human history as part of the larger story of the cosmos and the earth. Building on this perspective, this presentation explores how people have sensed, narrated, and remembered the earth’s long history through myths and traditions.
Around the world, many stories remain about earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, tsunamis, and the worship of mountains. These are not merely folktales or superstitions; in many cases, real disasters and environmental changes were likely passed down in the form of stories. Expressions such as “the mountain was angry” may preserve memories of volcanic eruptions, and tales of “the sea swallowing a village” may reflect experiences of tsunamis. In societies without writing, people transmitted lessons about disasters to the next generation through stories. I attempt to reread such myths from a geologist’s perspective. By examining landforms, rocks, volcanic traces, and tsunami inundation areas, we can begin to understand why particular stories emerged in places.
This approach is closely connected to contemporary issues. For example, the geological disposal of radioactive waste from nuclear power plants requires safe management for more than 100,000 years, yet our social systems and records rarely endure even a few centuries. To convey to people in the distant future that this place is dangerous, we must consider not only signs and documents but also cultural means such as landscape design, stories, rituals, and oral traditions. How past societies transmitted memories of disasters offers vital clues for the future. Moreover, geoparks across Japan are places where people can directly experience the earth’s long history. They present not only beautiful scenery and distinctive geology, but also the lives and stories of people who have lived alongside volcanic activity. Geoparks thus serve as spaces of learning that connect DEEP TIME with human life (SHALLOW TIME). This way of thinking also aligns with the ideas in Stories of the Earth and Humanity, edited by the Geological Society of Japan, which shows that changes in the Earth and human ways of living are inseparable.
Geomythology is not just for experts. When each of us learns the stories of the land where we live and imagines its deep history, we can build a new relationship with the Earth. Understanding how humanity has lived within DEEP TIME strengthens our ability to think about disaster prevention, environmental protection, and energy issues. By linking big history, myth, radioactive waste, and geoparks through the single thread of the story of the earth and humanity, this presentation seeks to create an opportunity to reflect together on our past, present, and future and to ask what we will choose to leave for the next generations.