Catalog Search Results
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 35
Language
English
Description
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).
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 36
Language
English
Description
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.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 3
Language
English
Description
Continue a 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.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 28
Language
English
Description
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.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 2
Language
English
Description
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.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 24
Language
English
Description
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.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 11
Language
English
Description
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.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 18
Language
English
Description
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.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 12
Language
English
Description
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.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 19
Language
English
Description
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.
11) World's Greatest Geological Wonders: 36 Spectacular Sites: Namib/Kalahari Deserts - Sand Mountains
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 31
Language
English
Description
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.
12) World's Greatest Geological Wonders: 36 Spectacular Sites: Rock of Gibraltar - Catastrophic Floods
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 22
Language
English
Description
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.
13) World's Greatest Geological Wonders: 36 Spectacular Sites: Siwa Oasis - Paradise amidst Desolation
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 32
Language
English
Description
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.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 7
Language
English
Description
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.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 13
Language
English
Description
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.
16) World's Greatest Geological Wonders: 36 Spectacular Sites: Yellowstone - Geysers and Hot Springs
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 25
Language
English
Description
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.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 27
Language
English
Description
Visit Iceland, a geologist's paradise where it is possible to 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.
18) World's Greatest Geological Wonders: 36 Spectacular Sites: Columbia Glacier - Unusual Glacier Cycles
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 20
Language
English
Description
Witness the power of glaciers, which carry a continuous stream of ice and rock from the tops of mountain ranges down to the base, and 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) World's Greatest Geological Wonders: 36 Spectacular Sites: Santorini-Impact of Volcanic Eruptions
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 1
Language
English
Description
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.
20) World's Greatest Geological Wonders: 36 Spectacular Sites: Fiordland National Park - Majestic Fjords
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 21
Language
English
Description
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.
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