Watch The World's Greatest Geological Wonders: 36 Spectacular Sites

2013
1 Season

The World's Greatest Geological Wonders is an informative and visually stunning exploration of the most breathtaking natural wonders that the planet Earth has to offer. This exciting documentary series is designed to take viewers on a journey to some of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring locations on earth. Each episode of the series focuses on a different geological formation or region, highlighting the unique features and fascinating geological processes that have shaped these incredible landscapes over millions of years.

Throughout the series, viewers are taken on an immersive journey to some of the most incredible destinations in the world. From the towering cliffs of the Grand Canyon, to the stunning basalt columns of the Giant's Causeway in Ireland, to the ancient rock formations in the Wadi Rum desert of Jordan, each episode showcases a different geological wonder and explores the history and science behind these amazing landscapes.

The series is produced by The Great Courses, a leading provider of high-quality educational video content. The series is hosted by renowned geologist Michael E. Wysession, who presents each episode with a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm for the subject matter. Wysession is a professor of geophysics at Washington University in St. Louis, and has an extensive background in the field of earth science.

The production values of The World's Greatest Geological Wonders are truly impressive. Each episode is filmed in stunning high-definition, showcasing the breathtaking beauty of each location. The series also makes use of a variety of camera techniques, including aerial footage, time-lapse photography, and interactive 3D models, to help bring the geological wonders to life.

One of the most appealing aspects of the series is its accessibility. While the subject matter can be quite complex, the presentation is clear and approachable, making it easy for viewers of all ages and backgrounds to understand and appreciate the science behind each geological wonder. The series also includes numerous diagrams and graphics to help illustrate the various geological processes at work, and each episode is accompanied by a detailed guidebook with additional information and resources.

Whether you are a student of earth science, a nature enthusiast, or simply looking for a visually stunning and informative series to enjoy, The World's Greatest Geological Wonders is sure to deliver. With its engaging presentation style, fascinating subject matter, and breathtaking visuals, this series is a must-see for anyone interested in the wonders of our natural world. So sit back, relax, and prepare to be amazed as you travel to some of the most incredible destinations on earth with The World's Greatest Geological Wonders.

The World's Greatest Geological Wonders: 36 Spectacular Sites is a series that ran for 1 seasons (36 episodes) between July 26, 2013 and on The Great Courses

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Seasons

36. Planetary Wonders--Out of This World

July 26, 2013

Tour some of the amazing geological features beyond Earth, among them planet-circling lava flows on Venus and the solar system's largest volcano and canyon on Mars. Close with the hydrocarbon lakes on Saturn's moon Titan, proving that there is no end to geological wonders throughout the cosmos.

35. A Montage of Geologic Mini-Wonders

July 26, 2013

In an entertaining change of pace, watch a countdown of 10 geological wonders that are hard to classify, from number 10--the White Cliffs of Dover--to number 1--a geological mystery in Death Valley that would seem like a hoax if it weren't true.

34. Arizona Meteor Crater--Visitors from Outer Space

July 26, 2013

Meteor Crater in Arizona is the best preserved of Earth's few remaining impact craters. Why does the moon have more than 500,000 craters at least as large? Explore what happens when extraterrestrial debris strikes Earth at escape-velocity speeds. A relatively small object can do a surprising amount of damage.

33. Auroras--Light Shows on the Edge of Space

July 26, 2013

Investigate a stunning atmospheric phenomenon caused by events both inside Earth and in outer space. The shimmering colors of auroras result when particles from the solar wind are accelerated in Earth's magnetic field, which is generated by Earth's churning iron core.

32. Siwa Oasis--Paradise amidst Desolation

July 26, 2013

Located in the eastern Sahara Desert, Siwa is an island of water in a giant sea of sand. Investigate how an oasis with 1,000 springs can exist in one of the driest places on Earth. One clue is that the water beneath Siwa soaked into the ground more than 20 million years ago.

31. Namib/Kalahari Deserts--Sand Mountains

July 26, 2013

Contrast two of the world's most fascinating deserts, the Namib and Kalahari deserts in southern Africa. The Atlantic shoreline of the Namib Desert has been aptly named the Skeleton Coast. The Kalahari Desert includes the mighty Okavango River, which empties into the arid landscape and then disappears.

30. Salar de Uyuni--Flattest Place on Earth

July 26, 2013

Travel to the world's largest salt flat, Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia. Almost the size of Connecticut, Uyuni is the flattest place on the planet. When it gets a very thin layer of water, it becomes the world's largest mirror. Uyuni contains the world's largest reserve of lithium--should it be mined?

29. The Dead Sea--Sinking and Salinity

July 26, 2013

Begin a series of lectures on desert regions by exploring the Dead Sea. Learn why this body of water on the border between Israel and Jordan is almost nine times saltier than the ocean and has the lowest elevation of any place on Earth.

28. The Maldives--Geologic Paradox

July 26, 2013

Home to some of the world's most beautiful beaches, the Maldives in the Indian Ocean show the tranquil end-stage of ocean islands built on hotspots. The volcanoes beneath this coral reef archipelago are long since dormant, and the islands themselves barely rise above sea level.

27. Iceland--Where Fire Meets Ice

July 26, 2013

Visit Iceland, a geologist's paradise where you can walk along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland is a hotspot that sits atop the plate boundary that divides North and South America from Europe and Africa. Here, volcanoes and glaciers--fire and ice--coexist.

26. Kawah Ijen--World's Most Acid Lake

July 26, 2013

Imagine a place where steam is so acidic that it burns your lungs, where flaming, liquid sulfur condenses from that steam, and a turquoise-colored lake is filled with the equivalent of battery acid. This hellish place is the crater lake of Kawah Ijen on the island of Java in Indonesia.

25. Yellowstone--Geysers and Hot Springs

July 26, 2013

What happens when a hotspot is beneath a continent? The answer is Yellowstone National Park, a wonderland of geysers and hot springs nestled in the gigantic caldera of a supervolcano. Tour the attractions of Yellowstone, and ponder the history and future of the hotspot that fuels it.

24. Hawaii--Volcanic Island Beauty

July 26, 2013

The Hawaiian Islands are part of the Hawaiian-Emperor Seamount Chain, which stretches 3,600 miles across the western Pacific Ocean. This feature is mostly straight, except for a curious sharp bend. Investigate the origin of the chain and the special qualities of its easternmost element: the big island of Hawaii.

23. Bay of Fundy--Inexorable Cycle of Tides

July 23, 2013

Why are the tides in Canada's Bay of Fundy exceptionally high? Probe the principles of tides--what causes them, why the times of high and low tide vary from day to day, and the peculiar geometry between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick that results in an extraordinary tidal range.

22. Rock of Gibraltar--Catastrophic Floods

July 26, 2013

The Rock of Gibraltar marks the gateway from the Mediterranean Sea into the Atlantic Ocean--a connection that has been closed on and off through recent geologic time. Explore the currents, catastrophic floods, and drastic sea-level changes that have occurred at the strait of Gibraltar and throughout the Mediterranean basin.

21. Fiordland National Park--Majestic Fjords

July 26, 2013

Visit the stunning fjords of Fiordland National Park in New Zealand, focusing on the most famous of these flooded glacial valleys, Milford Sound. The drama of the landscape is matched by tumultuous tectonic forces that are slowly ripping New Zealand apart.

20. Columbia Glacier--Unusual Glacier Cycles

July 26, 2013

Witness the power of glaciers, which carry a continuous stream of ice and rock from the tops of mountain ranges down to the base--often to the sea, such as at Columbia Glacier in Alaska. Chart the rapid retreat of Columbia Glacier since 1980, which has been triggered by climate change.

19. Antarctica--A World of Ice

July 26, 2013

Head south to a pristine, unearthly continent: Antarctica. Explore the varied geology and the complex behavior of the giant ice sheets that flow relentlessly toward the ocean. Among its attractions, Antarctica is a superb place to test techniques for exploring cold, dry environments such as Mars.

18. Devils Tower--Igneous Enigmas

July 26, 2013

Famous as the landing pad for aliens in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Devils Tower in Wyoming is an otherworldly geological formation. Discover how this massive tower of igneous columns developed. Along the way, investigate why nature loves hexagons.

17. Uluru/Ayers Rock--Sacred Nature of Rocks

July 26, 2013

Go to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in Australia to inspect two popular attractions shaped by erosion: Ayres Rock, known locally as Uluru, and the Kata Tjuta rock domes. Trace the history of moving plates, rising and receding seas, and constant weathering that created these impressive structures.

16. Bryce Canyon--Creative Carvings of Erosion

July 26, 2013

Continue your study of erosional features with Utah's Bryce Canyon, the densest display of weathered rock pinnacles, called hoodoos, anywhere in the world. Learn that Bryce Canyon isn't really a canyon because it hasn't been formed by a river. But then what created the hoodoos?

15. Ha Long Bay--Dramatic Karst Landscapes

July 26, 2013

The picturesque limestone islands in Vietnam's Ha Long Bay are an example of mature karst topography. Discover how the bay's cone-shaped towers are related to the sinkholes in Lecture 14. The key to understanding their puzzling geology is to focus not on the rock that's there, but what's missing.

14. Great Blue Hole--Coastal Symmetry in Sinkholes

July 26, 2013

Probe the mystery of the Great Blue Hole, an enormous submerged sinkhole ringed by a coral reef off the coast of Belize. Study the processes that create sinkholes, and investigate the nature of karst topography, which is produced by the erosion of limestone.

13. Cave of Crystals--Exquisite Caves

July 26, 2013

Focus on the spectacular shapes, such as stalagmites, stalactites, flowstones, and other cave features formed by minerals slowly precipitating from water. Then visit the recently discovered Cave of Crystals in Mexico, a science-fiction-like world with individual crystals up to 35 feet long.

12. Mammoth Cave--Worlds Underground

July 26, 2013

Water doesn't just flow on the surface; it also flows underground, carving caves in the process. The largest cave system in the world is Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. Discover how groundwater excavated this network of passages that extends for at least 390 miles.

11. Iguazu Falls--Thundering Waterfalls

July 26, 2013

Waterfalls are among nature's most beautiful spectacles, and the most impressive falls form under unusual geological conditions. Along the border of Brazil and Argentina, tour thundering Iguazu Falls, a display of 275 separate falls over a 1.5-mile span with individual falls up to 270 feet high. Learn their close connection to a hotspot on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

10. The Amazon Basin--Lungs of the Planet

July 26, 2013

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.

9. The Ganges Delta--Earth's Fertile Lands

July 26, 2013

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.

8. The Himalayas--Mountains at Earth's Roof

July 26, 2013

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.

7. The Grand Canyon--Earth's Layers

July 26, 2013

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.

6. Burgess Shale--Rocks and the Keys to Life

July 26, 2013

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.

5. Erta Ale--Compact Fury of Lava Lakes

July 26, 2013

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.

4. African Rift Valley--Cracks into the Earth

July 26, 2013

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.

3. Galapagos Rift--Wonders of Mid-Ocean Ridges

July 26, 2013

Continue your 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.

2. Mount Fuji--Sleeping Power

July 26, 2013

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.

1. Santorini--Impact of Volcanic Eruptions

July 26, 2013

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.

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Where to Watch The World's Greatest Geological Wonders: 36 Spectacular Sites

The World's Greatest Geological Wonders: 36 Spectacular Sites is available for streaming on the The Great Courses website, both individual episodes and full seasons. You can also watch The World's Greatest Geological Wonders: 36 Spectacular Sites on demand at Apple TV Channels and Amazon Prime and Amazon.