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  1. Navigate Home
  3. Television

  4. World's Greatest Geological Wonders: 36 Spectacular Sites

TELEVISION

World's Greatest Geological Wonders: 36 Spectacular Sites

Series: Great Courses
4.7
(27)
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Episodes
36
Rating
TVPG
Year
2013
Language
English
Publisher
The Great Courses

About

Geological wonders are like great works of art. They are impressive, beautiful, mysterious, and surprising. Whether you are planning your next vacation or exploring the world from home, this course is your gateway to an unrivaled adventure. By the time you complete this course, you will have experienced more than 200 different geological wonders in nearly 120 countries.

Related Subjects

  • Educational
  • Science

Episodes

1. Santorini-Impact of Volcanic Eruptions

30m

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Learn Professor Wysession's criteria for choosing more than 200 different geologic wonders in nearly 120 countries. Then explore the first on his list: the beautiful Greek island of Santorini, which is the relic of a volcanic eruption that had a profound effect on the ancient Mediterranean world.

2. Mount Fuji - Sleeping Power

30m

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Turn from eruptions to volcanoes themselves, in particular, Mount Fuji in Japan, a sacred site whose nearly perfect cone shape is a popular subject in Japanese art. Investigate the origin of volcanoes such as Mount Fuji and the special conditions that produce their sturdy symmetrical cones.

3. Galapagos Rift - Wonders of Mid-Ocean Ridges

30m

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Continue a study of phenomena associated with plate tectonics by visiting the Galapagos Islands, made famous by Charles Darwin. This magnificent archipelago is on a volcanic hotspot near a mid-ocean ridge, formed by moving tectonic plates. Natural wonders abound in the region, both above and below water.

4. African Rift Valley - Cracks into the Earth

30m

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Visit the African Rift Valley, a mid-ocean ridge in the making. From the Red Sea to Mount Kilimanjaro, tectonic forces are splitting Africa apart, forming a new ocean in the process. This impressive valley is also the site of many fossil discoveries relating to early humans.

5. Erta Ale - Compact Fury of Lava Lakes

30m

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Zoom in on a remarkable feature of the African Rift Valley: the lava lake at Erta Ale in Ethiopia. This seething cauldron of molten rock is the oldest of the world's five active lava lakes, and it replicates on a small scale the complex process of plate tectonics.

6. Burgess Shale - Rocks and the Keys to Life

30m

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Chart the evolution of life revealed in the extraordinary fossils of the Burgess Shale in British Columbia. This mountainside quarry records the proliferation of new organisms, both familiar and bizarre, that followed a mass extinction half a billion years ago.

7. The Grand Canyon - Earth's Layers

30m

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Read the incredible story told in the mile-deep layers of the Grand Canyon. Investigate the canyon's formation and its connection to the opening of the Gulf of California and the birth of the San Andreas Fault. Also consider what gives the canyon its extraordinary visual effect.

8. The Himalayas - Mountains at Earth's Roof

30m

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What makes the highest mountains in the world so high? Follow the events that created Mount Everest and the rest of the Himalayan range on the vast Tibetan Plateau. Learn the role of the plateau in cooling the entire planet over the last 60 million years.

9. The Ganges Delta - Earth's Fertile Lands

30m

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Much of the rock eroded from the Himalayas ends up in the Ganges River delta, one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. Learn how a delta forms and how the Ganges is both life sustaining and destructive, qualities that give it a religious significance for millions of people.

10. The Amazon Basin - Lungs of the Planet

30m

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The Amazon River collects rainfall from a huge region, called the Amazon basin. Trace the basin's extensive network of tributaries, which produce 20% of the fresh water that flows into the ocean. Furthermore, the basin's lush vegetation is responsible for 20% of all oxygen in the atmosphere.

Extended Details

  • SeriesGreat Courses
  • Closed CaptionsEnglish

Artists

Michael E. WysessionActor