American Museum of Natural History Research Library
author: American Museum of Natural History

Horenstein, Sidney S.
birth: 1936 November 17
death: 2018 December 5
Sidney Horenstein was a geologist and historian. He was a staff geologist at the American Museum of Natural History. He was also the Coordinator in AMNH Environmental Public Programs and a lecturer at Hunter College in New York. Horenstein was an expert on the geology in New York City. The New York Times calls Horenstein "an expert on the tectonic upheavals that shaped what was left of New York City’s natural landscape."
Sidney Stanley Horenstein was born on November 17, 1936, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He later lived in Long Island City, Queens. He attended Long Island City High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in geology from Hunter College in 1958.
For four decades, he lectured and conducted field trips for the American Museum of Natural History, where he became Environmental Educator Emeritus in 2004. He also led expeditions around the world for Smithsonian Journeys, under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution.
His books include “Concrete Jungle: New York City and Our Last Best Hope for a Sustainable Future” (2007), written with Niles Eldredge, and “A Geologist Looks at Manhattan: A Guide to 100 Fascinating Sites” (2014).
Horenstein died December 5, 2018.