Voices Of The Rocks: A Scientist Looks At Catastrophes & Ancient Civilizations.

1999. 258p. For ardent readers of current science, little is moreappealing than stories of discoveries that change the way people view theworld. In this volume, Schoch asserts that he is at the vanguard of aparadigm shift, not in his own field of geology, but rather inanthropology. From his geological analysis of the Sphinx, he draws aconclusion that he admits is controversial: that a technologicallyadvanced civilization rose and faded in Egypt long before the time of thepyramids. Adding speculative science and drawing on myth, he asserts thatother similarly advanced civilizations flourished around the world, onlyto be obliterated by global catastrophes brought on by a century-long rainof asteroid impacts. Similar cosmic storms strike once a millennium, hesays, triggering or ending ice ages, causing floods, earthquakes andvolcanic eruptions of biblical proportion, precipitating shifts in theearths axis. The 22nd century, Schoch predicts, will be the next era ofcatastrophe. Our civilization will be especially vulnerable becauseburning of fossil fuels and other global technological activities mayseriously compromise the planets environment.…