BBC Rise of the Continents (2013)

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BBC Rise of the Continents (2013)

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The Earth’s continents are instantly recognizable. These iconic landmasses seem permanent and unchanging, yet they are merely the wreckage of a much larger long-lost supercontinent – Pangaea. In this stunning four part series Professor Iain Stewart uncovers the evidence for this ancient past. He reveals how the world around us is full of clues – in the rocks, the landscapes and even the animals. All of which tell us how the land we live on was created. Ian shows how the defining moments of their formation have fundamentally shaped each of our continents’ characters - transforming evolution, forging their incredible economic riches and changing the course of human history.

Episode 1: Africa
In this first episode, geologist Prof Iain Stewart shows how the continent of Africa was formed from the wreckage of a long lost supercontinent. He discovers clues in its spectacular landmarks, mineral wealth and iconic wildlife, that help piece together the story of Africa's formation. But he also shows how this deep history has left its mark on the modern day Africa and the world.
Iain starts at Victoria Falls, with a truly spectacular leap into the water right on the lip of the 100m waterfall. Hidden within this vast cliff-face is evidence that the Falls were created by vast volcanic eruptions 180 million years ago. These eruptions marked the moment when Africa was carved from the long lost supercontinent of Pangaea and began its journey as a separate continent.

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 his search into Australia's past on a wet winter's night, searching for the elusive 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.

Episode 3: The Americas
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 iconic skyscrapers provide a link to a long lost world. Deep within their foundations is evidence that 300 million years ago New York was at the heart of a huge mountain range - part of the vast supercontinent called Pangaea.

Episode 4: Eurasia
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, Prof Iain Stewart climbs up to the "eternal flames" of Mount Chimera in Southern Turkey, blazing natural gas that seeps out of the rock. Formed on the seafloor, it shows that where the South of Eurasia is today there was once a ninety-million-square-kilometre Ocean known as the Tethys. It is the destruction of the Tethys Ocean that holds the key to Eurasia's formation.

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BBC Rise of the Continents (2013)

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BBC Rise of the Continents (2013)

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BBC Rise of the Continents (2013)

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BBC Rise of the Continents (2013)

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BBC Rise of the Continents (2013)

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