When and how was the Earth formed? What is the link between
earthquakes, volcanoes and the creation of the continents? How do
mountains affect our climate? What triggers Ice
Ages? This book and the accompanying television series answer these and
many other questions, telling the amazing story of our planet and its
constantly changing nature.
Two centuries ago, scientists began to investigate the history of the
Earth by examining the rocks beneath its surface and thus began to
formulate the astonishing concept of geological time. Using this
discovery as their starting
point, the authors of Earth Story unravel the fascinating history of
the Earth from its earliest beginnings to the dawn of human
civilisation.
Two themes emerge as this compelling story unfolds. Firstly, from its
molten core to the outermost reaches of its atmosphere, our planet
operates as one vast interlinked system. Aspects of our landscape and
climate that seem at first quite distinct - such as earthquakes,
volcanoes, glaciers and monsoons - are in fact intimately related to
each other. Secondly, the active geology of our world has been vital to
the origin of life and the progress of evolution. The authors tackle
these ideas, using full-colour illustrations, stunning photography and
the latest scientific thinking. By describing the remarkable forces
that formed and shape our ever-changing world, Earth Story gives us a
new understanding of the planet and our place within its evolution.
Geologists, who study the Earth, seek
to understand the processes that have shaped our planet throughout its
history, creating the world we see around us. To do so, they must
reconstruct the Earth's past. Yet how can we tell what happened in
distant epochs when there were no witnesses to record events? Around
200 years ago scientists first began to realize that clues to the past
lay all around them, in the rocks that make up the Earth's surface. as
they learnt how to read these rocks, they began a journey back through
time which geologists continue to this day.
Episode 2: The Deep
A curious feature of our planet's surface is that it has two distinct
levels: the dry land on the continents, on average a few hundred metres
above sea level, and the ocean floor, making up two-thirds of the
Earth's surface, several kilometres below sea level. Only in the past
fifty years have scientists begun to explore in detail this vast
region, revealing beneath the waves a landscape quite unlike the world
we are used to. They have discovered a vast mountain range which
encircles the entire globe. Here new sea floor is being continuously
formed as the Earth's surface splits apart.
Episode 3: Ring of Fire
The Pacific Ocean is rimmed by a chain
of active volcanoes, arranged in a series of graceful arcs and
extending 30,000 kilometres from New Zealand through Fiji, New Guinea,
the Philippines, Japan, the Aleutian Islands, and down the west coast
of the Americas to Patagonia. This necklace of volcanoes, continually
rocked by earthquakes, has been christened the 'Ring of Fire'.
Scientists exploring the link between the Pacific Ocean and the
earthquakes and volcanoes which surround it have formulated a
remarkable theory, plate tectonics, which explains not only how the
outer part of the Earth works, but how the continents themselves, and
the mineral wealth they contain, were first formed and continue to grow.
Episode 4: Journey to the Centre of the Earth
What drives the tectonic plates as they glide over the Earth's surface?
Searching for an answer, scientists have probed our planet to its core.
In this realm of unimaginably high temperatures and pressures, matter
takes on new forms, and solid rock can behave like a fluid. As vast
masses of rock flow slowly within the Earth, so the surface moves and
changes. Gigantic plumes of hot material can well up from the depths,
triggering huge volcanic eruptions and causing the crust to bulge and
break. The result may be the splitting of a continent and the creation
of a new ocean basin.
Episode 5: The Roof of the World
Most of the dry land on Earth sits no more than a few hundred metres
above sea level. But in some places mountain belts rise to heights of
several kilometres.These regions are often prone to devastating earth
tremors. How are mountains formed and what is the connection with
earthquakes? The answer may lie in the fluid-like properties of the
Earth's outer layers. According to a new theory, mountains may flow up
or down when continents collide. In the process they affect the
circulation of the planet's atmosphere and change the climate.
Episode 6: The Big Freeze
In the nineteenth century geologists discovered evidence that large
parts of the northern hemisphere had once been covered by gigantic ice
sheets. Scientists have now learnt that the waxing and waning of these
ice sheets are just one
aspect of global climatic change, and that the planet has been in the
past both hotter and colder than it is today.The complex interactions
between variations in the Earth's orbit around the Sun, the movements
of tectonic plates, the planet's atmosphere and ocean currents, can
result in large and rapid swings in the Earth's climate.
Episode 7: The Living Earth
Over the past 4 billion years, life has evolved from simple
single-celled organisms into the tremendous variety of plants and
animals that exist today. As scientists learn more about the Earth's
history, they are realizing that the forces which have shaped the
planet have also had a profound effect on the course of evolution. The
movement of the tectonic plates has rearranged the continents,
providing ever-changing conditions for living organisms, stimulating
the evolution of new life-forms. Violent volcanic eruptions, meteorite
impacts and drastic climatic changes have triggered mass extinctions,
causing setbacks to life on Earth. But the same events have provided
new opportunities for the survivors.
Episode 8: A World Apart
Is the Earth unique, and if so, why? To find an answer, scientists have
had to explore the Solar System, searching for clues about our planet's
birth. Uniquely amongst the terrestrial planets, the Earth has retained
liquid water on its surface for over 4 billion years, despite a steady
increase in the Sun's heat output.This water has had a profound
influence on the planet's geological activity, as well as being a
breeding ground for life. But living organisms may have played a
crucial role in ensuring that liquid water exists on Earth, linking the
planet's geology and biology tightly together.
Technical Specs
Video Bitrate: ~ 1920 KB/s
Video Codec: XviD
Resolution: 688 x 384
Aspect Ratio: 1.79:1
Framerate: 25 FPS (73906 Frames)
Quality Factor: ~ 0.29 B/px
Audio Bitrate: 192 KB/s (CBR)
Audio Codec: FAST Multimedia AG DVM (Dolby AC3)
Channels: 2 @ Sampling Rate: 48 kHz
File Size per Episode: ~ 744 MB
Length per Episode: ~ 00:49:00
Subs: English
Ripped by ashinc