Catastrophe
Catastrophe is a Channel 4 documentary series presented by Tony Robinson, telling the story of the catastrophic events that shaped planet Earth. The series consists of five episodes which investigate the history of natural disasters, from the planet's beginnings to the present day. The series begins with an exploration of the most violent event in the history of the Earth when, four and half billion years ago, it collided with another planet, Thea. In the second episode, it explores the evidence behind the controversial theory of Snowball Earth - the greatest climate disaster happened 650 million years ago. Then it investigates the Permian extinction, the largest ever when, 250 million years ago, 95% of life was destroyed. The fourth episode explores the trail of clues that lead to what extinguished the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. And finally it maps out key events over the last 75,000 years that had a malign effect on the development of the human race.
| Episode 1 - Birth of the Planet |
Episode 1 - Birth of the Planet
This episode explores the most violent event in the history of the Earth when, four and half billion years ago, it collided with another planet, Thea, helping create the unique circumstances for life on Earth.
Episode 2 - Snowball Earth
It is the greatest climate disaster ever to have hit Earth - 650 million years ago, a cataclysmic ice age sealed the entire planet beneath ice and snow, almost destroying life and turning the world into one huge snowball.
Episode 3 - Planet of Fire
This episode explores the Permian extinction, the largest ever when, 250 million years ago, 95% of life was destroyed. The evidence points to an eruption of the Siberian Traps in Eastern Russia.
Episode 4 - Asteroid Strike
This episode explores the trail of clues that lead to what extinguished the dinosaurs 65 million years ago and ultimately led to the evolution of humans.
Episode 5 - Survival Earth
This episode maps out key events over the last 75,000 years that had a malign effect on the development of the human race: super-volcanos, ice ages, and cosmic impacts.
| Related Links |
| Earth: Making of a Planet This is a documentary by National Geographic Channel, telling the story of planet Earth from its birth 4.5 billion years ago, through ice-ages and the dinosaur's reign to the first humans. |
| Animal Armageddon This is an eight-part documentary series about the biggest disasters ever happened on planet Earth and mass extinction events by the disasters. |
| Earth Story This is a BBC science documentary series presented by Aubrey Manning, telling the story of our planet and its constantly changing nature. |
| How the Earth Works This is a Discovery Channel documentary series hosted by Liz Bonnin and Martin Pepper, investigating the science behind the planet's most powerful geologic events. |