Over the many billions of years of Earth’s history, our planet has never stopped changing. Massive tectonic forces have sculpted and resculpted our world in a never-ending journey. Tectonics have created life– and destroyed it as well. Huge volcanoes and devastating earthquakes continue to dominate human history. This is a story of high drama and intense beauty, the interaction of geology and life. A true Voyage of the Continents.
Co-production
France (La Compagnie des Taxi-Brousse) / Canada (Ideacom International)
EPISODES
EPISODE 1
Oceania: The Tectonic Ring of Fire
The lands of the South Pacific are ancient and spectacular. Australia may be the most stable of land masses but its neighbours are anything but. In this episode we explore the fiery results of the collision of the Australian and Pacific plates.
EPISODE 2
Asia: The Tectonics of Life and Death
Remote Siberia is where Asia was born. A cold and distant land that has seen billions of years of volcanic activity. In this episode we see evidence of the greatest destruction of life in the history of the Earth. And we follow Siberia as it wanders the Earth’s surface eventually joining with other land masses to form our planet’s largest continent.
EPISODE 3
Asia: Rising Mountains and Sinking Countries
Asia is a continent on high alert. The Indian sub-continent that smashed into the mainland eons ago is still pushing the Himalayas to ever greater heights. Off the east coast, Japan is in the grip of tectonic forces that shake its islands with devastating force while Indonesia is ravaged by volcanoes. In this episode we chart the present and look into the future of the planet’s most explosive continent.
EPISODE 4
Europe: Tropical Beginnings
Europe’s geological history is mysterious. Born of three massive tectonic collisions the continent has been transformed many times. In this episode we discover ancient fossils, petrified forests and go diamond hunting in the depths of the earth.
EPISODE 5
Europe: A Turbulent Future
Tectonic forces continue to transform Europe. Iceland is cracking apart at the seams, releasing geysers of steam and mountains of volcanic ash. The Alps are still rising and the Mediterranean may be drying up. In this episode we look into the future of the Earth’s most intriguing continent.
AWARDS & NOMINATIONS
Awards
China International Conference of Science and Education Producers 2012
– Bronze, China Dragon Awards
Official Selection
Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television – Prix Gémeaux 2014
– Best Documentary Series
Broadcasters
The Team
Producers
Maurice Ribière (France)
Karim Samai (France)
Amy Webb (Canada)
Éric Michel (Canada)
Josette D. Normandeau (Canada)
Scriptwriters
Yanick Rose
Stéphane J. Bureau
François Michel
Directors
Yanick Rose
Christopher Hooke
Category
Documentary – Science
Format
Mini-series (5×52’)
Languages
English, French
Shooting Format
HDCAM SR
Delivery
HDCAM SR
Copyright 2012