 Ancient life in Oklahoma A few quick terms and some really old stuff

How did Oklahoma form?  After mountains formed with the supercontinent 300 million years ago, other areas sank (this action formed basins) and filled with water  Present day Oklahoma was one of these basins  It eroded A LOT over the next 200 million years

Energy deposits and natural resources  Pressure inside the Earth can build up and cause basins and swamps to sink even lower  Mud and sand can wash over the swamps and basins and preserve the materials under the surface  Petroleum, which is used to make gas and other products, as well as natural gas and coal are found in Oklahoma  We also have quarries (places where sand, shale, limestone, etc. can be dug out) which provide resources for construction (Which means big $$)

A few terms  Fossil- remains of plants or animals that has been preserved  Aquifer- holds water underground, can use a well to extract the water  Many places in OK still pump their water supplies from aquifers  Groundwater- fresh water found beneath the earth’s surface  Anthropologist- scientist who studies the behavior and origin of humans  Artifact- human-made tool, weapon or ornament  Such as pottery or baskets

The first humans to North America  Small groups of people crossed the “land bridge”, Beringia from Asia into North America  These people hunted large animals and were called Paleo-Indians  They also used tools made from animal bones and stones  They would follow the herds (mammoths, mastodons, bison—even camels!)  As ice melted over thousands of years it flooded the land bridge and created the Bering Strait

Big Game Hunters and Foragers  So what is the difference?  Big Game Hunters followed the herds—relocated with the food  Foragers relied more on the foodstuffs provided in nature— they still hunted but usually in smaller areas  Used the atlatl for accuracy  Both groups tried to stay close to water

petroglyphs  Are wall paintings  Could be found on caves walls or rocks  Can tell vivid stories about a culture and its appreciations

The early farmers  At the beginning of the current era (CE), foragers became the early farmers  Not done on the scale of farming today  Corn or maize, beans, pumpkins and squash were popular crops because of the climate  They did still hunt!  They still gathered!  Pottery shards found— probably made by women  Coiled the clay in layers  Stored food and could be used as containers