Geology Archives - Page 2 of 3

The Island – Land episode 1

Science / 3 minutes of reading / October 13, 2022 / By HDclump

The Island – Land episode 1: The story of the island of Ireland’s epic geological journey, spanning 1.8 billion years. In this first episode, we reveal how two ancient continents swallowed an ocean as they slowly approached each other over millions of years. The collision point would eventually become Ireland, and we show how the battle scar from this immense fusion runs like a suture in the rock from the Shannon Estuary in County Limerick to Clogherhead in County Louth. This merging and folding of lands took millions of years, and, even after this ancient coming together, […]

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Earth: The Power of the Planet episode 5 – Rare Earth

Science / 4 minutes of reading / December 8, 2021 / By HDclump

Earth: The Power of the Planet episode 5 – Rare Earth: Life on Earth prospers because it enjoys the right amount of heat from the sun, and the atmosphere prevents meteorite bombardment. Geography series with Dr Iain Stewart. Our planet is unique within the solar system. Four-and-a-half billion years ago it had a twin named Theia which was absorbed into the Earth, increasing its gravity and allowing it to form an atmosphere. Iain travels to Meteor Crater in Arizona to explore the atmosphere’s role in protecting us from bombardment by meteorites. Life on earth only prospers because it

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Earth: The Power of the Planet episode 4 – Oceans

Science / 2 minutes of reading / November 26, 2021 / By HDclump

Earth: The Power of the Planet episode 4 – Oceans: Iain travels to surfers’ paradise Hawaii to learn more about oceans, explaining the difference between waves, tides and currents. In the Amazon, he rides the world’s longest tidal bore. In the beginning, there were no oceans: they are thought to have gradually formed from volcano steam and melted comet ice. Change continues today: a new sea is forming in Ethiopia, which will separate East Africa from the mainland, and the Mediterranean is drying up. Documentary series in which Dr Iain Stewart reveals the natural forces that have shaped

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Earth: The Power of the Planet episode 3 – Ice

Science / 3 minutes of reading / November 18, 2021 / By HDclump

Earth: The Power of the Planet episode 3 – Ice : Documentary series in which Dr Iain Stewart reveals the natural forces that have shaped the earth’s development. Ice isn’t just something to put in a gin and tonic – it has carved out landscapes, unleashed catastrophes and shaped human evolution. Now it could cause the destruction of our civilisation. Iain visits the Jakobshavn glacier in Greenland which has retreated 10km in the last few years because of global warming. Earth: The Power of the Planet episode 3 – Ice Ice is water frozen into a

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Earth: The Power of the Planet episode 2 – Atmosphere

Science / 3 minutes of reading / November 4, 2021 / By HDclump

Earth: The Power of the Planet episode 2 – Atmosphere: Dr Iain Stewart reveals the crucial natural forces that have shaped the earth’s development. A flight in a jet plane, a trip to the Andes and a trip to Shark Bay in Australia are expensive but necessary to discuss atmosphere. You can’t see it, you can’t taste it, you can’t smell it and you can’t touch it, yet without it almost all life on Earth would die instantly. The atmosphere is Earth’s protective layer, warding off damaging cosmic rays and providing the life-giving oxygen which people depend on

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Earth: The Power of the Planet episode 1 – Volcano

Science / 3 minutes of reading / October 28, 2021 / By HDclump

Earth: The Power of the Planet episode 1 – Volcano: Dr Iain Stewart reveals the role natural forces have played in the creation of the planet Earth. The first episode discusses volcanoes. Although they appear to be destructive, volcanoes have been crucial to the development of life on this planet. Iain’s journey takes him to Ethiopia to discover lava lakes, to Iceland to scuba dive between continents and to New Zealand to sample some hot springs. Documentary series. Dr Iain Stewart tells the story of planet Earth. Although they appear to be destructive, volcanoes have been crucial to the

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Rise of the Continents episode 4 – Eurasia

Nature, Science / 3 minutes of reading / July 27, 2021 / By HDclump

Rise of the Continents episode 4 – Eurasia: Professor Iain Stewart shows that where the south of Eurasia is today there was once an ocean and how, in 250 million years, all of the continents will collide together. Two hundred million years ago the continent we know as Eurasia – the vast swathe of land that extends from Europe in the west to Asia in the east – didn’t exist. To reveal Eurasia’s origins, Professor Iain Stewart climbs up to the ‘eternal flames’ of Mount Chimera in southern Turkey, blazing natural gas that seeps out of the rock.

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Rise of the Continents episode 3 – The Americas

Nature, Science / 4 minutes of reading / July 26, 2021 / By HDclump

Rise of the Continents episode 3 – The Americas: Geologist Iain Stewart reconstructs how North and South America were created. Professor Iain Stewart uncovers clues hidden within the New York skyline, the anatomy of American alligators and inside Bolivian silver mines, to reconstruct how North and South America were created. We call these two continents the New World, and in a geological sense they are indeed new worlds, torn from the heart of an ancient supercontinent – the Old World of Pangaea. Iain starts in New York, where the layout of the city’s skyscrapers provide a link to

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Rise of the Continents episode 2 – Australia

Nature, Science / 3 minutes of reading / July 25, 2021 / By HDclump

Rise of the Continents episode 2 – Australia: Professor Iain Stewart uncovers the mysterious history of Australia, and shows how Australia’s journey as a continent has affected everything from Aboriginal history to modern-day mining, and even the evolution of Australia’s bizarre wildlife, like the koala. Iain begins searching for the platypus – a strange creature that is half mammal and half reptile. 200 million years ago reptile-like mammals were found across much of the world because at this time Australia was just one part of a huge landmass called Gondwana, that dominated the southern hemisphere. Piecing together evidence

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Rise of the Continents episode 1 – Africa

Science, Nature / 3 minutes of reading / July 23, 2021 / By HDclump

Rise of the Continents episode 1 – Africa: Geologist Prof Iain Stewart shows how the continent of Africa was formed from the wreckage of a long lost supercontinent. Professor Iain Stewart reveals how our iconic continents were created, and how their tumultuous past has shaped our life today. It features, among other things, creation of Victoria Falls, diamond mines of Sierra Leone, skeletons of early whales buried in the sand, and the nutrient-rich grass of the Serengeti Plains. Using clues like Africa’s spectacular landmarks, mineral wealth and wildlife, Iain Stewart shows how the continent of Africa was formed

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Europe episode 2 – Transformation of a Continent

Nature, Science / 3 minutes of reading / January 3, 2020 / By HDclump

Europe episode 2 – Transformation of a Continent: Our second journey to the extremes takes us to the heart of the European continent, from the Norwegian fjords to the coast of Jura in the English Channel and up to the peak of the Matterhorn; we will go from the volcanoes of the Massif Central in southern France to the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, or the “Grand Canyon of Europe”. Alternative server and download The landscapes of Europe are as incredible as they are different. They are full of secrets and surprises. From the cold northern tip of

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Europe episode 1 – Birth of a Continent

Nature, Science / 2 minutes of reading / January 2, 2020 / By HDclump

Europe episode 1 – Birth of a Continent: The landscapes of Europe are as incredible as they are different. They are full of secrets and surprises. From the cold northern tip of Norway to the hot south of Spain; from the wild sea coasts of the European West to the continental extremes of the Urals in the east to the gentle heart of the continent – the landscapes of Europe are as unbelievable as they are different. Alternative server and download The first part of our journey to Europe’s extremes takes us to its borders where

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