This exhibit features maps donated by Professor Muawia Barazangi, emeritus professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. The maps and images explore how plate tectonics work, how they shaped the geography of the Middle East, and how geologic history resulted in the region’s status as both an oil & gas-rich region, and an epicenter of natural disasters. This favorable natural history also made it possible for the development of earliest and most advanced civilization on earth.