How the Earth Was Made
The natural wonders of the world are being explained.
- 2009-2010
- 2 seasons
- A&E Home Video
- Documentary
- TV-PG
The natural wonders of the world are being explained.
Season 2 Episode Guide
13 Episodes 2009 - 2010
Episode 1
Grand Canyon
Tue, Nov 24, 2009 45 mins
The relatively tiny Colorado River had substantial help in carving out a chasm as wide and deep as the Grand Canyon. The story is so complex and the evidence so scarce that it took geologist decades to unravel the mysteries.
Episode 2
Vesuvius
Tue, Dec 1, 2009 44 mins
Volcanologists look for patterns in the historical eruptions of Mount Vesuvius to determine when the worlds most dangerous volcano is likely to threaten the three million residents of Naples.
Episode 3
Birth of the Earth
Wed, Dec 9, 2009 45 mins
The Earth isn't an ordinary generic planet. The processes that created an Earth suitable for modern are unique and surprising.
Episode 4
Sahara
Tue, Dec 15, 2009 45 mins
Scientists present evidence that the Sahara Desert periodically transitions from desert to a lush green environment and back. They also present theories about why this happens.
Episode 5
Yosemite
Tue, Dec 22, 2009 44 mins
The dispute between John Muir and Josiah Whitney over how the Yosemite Valley formed is settled with a 200 million year long story more complex then either imagined.
Episode 6
The Rockies
Tue, Dec 22, 2009 44 mins
Geologists believe the Rocky Mountains recently rose from an inland sea to twice their current size and becoming a new inland sea may be their not to distant fate.
Episode 7
Ring of Fire
Tue, Jan 19, 2010 45 mins
The geological mechanism that causes the ring of volcanoes around the pacific ocean is studied and explained.
Episode 8
Everest
Tue, Jan 19, 2010 45 mins
The convergence of processes that resulted in the extreme height of Mt. Everest and the other Himalayan mountains is explained in conjunction with the supporting geological evidence.
Episode 9
Death Valley
Tue, Jan 26, 2010 45 mins
The history of Death Valley's transformation from an inland sea to a towering mountain range then to a fresh water lake and finally the salt bed we see today it revealed.
Episode 10
Mount St. Helens
Tue, Feb 2, 2010 45 mins
The Mount Saint Helens 1980 eruption introduces geologists to a variety of volcanic phenomenon never observed before. Yet it presages a similar eruption thousands of miles away and just a few years later in Montserrat.
Episode 11
Earth's Deadliest Eruption
Tue, Feb 9, 2010 44 mins
The causes of the million year volcanic eruption in the Siberian Traps and the resulting effects that lead to the largest mass extinction in earth's history are recounted.
Episode 12
America's Ice Age
Tue, Feb 16, 2010 45 mins
Instead of looking at a geological feature and the convergence of mechanisms that created it, this program uses a different format; looking at one mechanism, glaciers, and the diverse effects they cause.
Episode 13
America's Gold
Tue, Mar 2, 2010 45 mins
The history of discovery of gold deposits in California and Nevada and the diverse geological processes the produced the deposits are described.