How The Earth Was Made: Earth's Deadliest Eruptions

Cross section of earth showing a bulge of magma sending streaks of magma up through cracks in Earth's crust to the surface where they exit as lava. Caption: the bulging crust bust open,

As shown on the History Channel. In the remote wastes of Siberia buried under snow are the remains of one of the greatest catastrophes that the Earth has endured. 250 million years ago, huge volumes of lava spewed out onto the surface--so much that it would have buried the whole of Texas under one mile of lava. At first the temperature dipped but then the greenhouse gases that escaped from the depressurized lava caused a massive global warming. It wreaked havoc, and 95% of the species on Earth became extinct. Yet life hung on and in time this disaster paved the way for the next phase of life on earth--the age of the dinosaurs.

(Source: DCMP)

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Keywords:
geology, volcanoes

Files 1

  • How The Earth Was Made: Earth's Deadliest Eruptions

    Type:
    Video
    Format:
    Streaming
    Accommodations:
    English Audio Descriptions - Visual, English Captions - Auditory
    Languages:
    English
    License:
    DCMP Membership
    Author:
    A & E Television Network
    Length:
    45 minutes