Geologic Journey

Along The African Rift (2x2)

Air date: Oct 28, 2010

In the second episode of Geologic Journey: II, Along the Rift, we reveal how the earth’s crust is ripping apart, as molten rock from deep within its recesses pushes upwards. For millions of years the East African Rift has been widening at the seams, tearing the African plate in two. We’ll first visit prehistoric sites in Kenya, not far from the so-called “cradle of humanity.” Along the Rift will reveal that we are truly creatures conceived by plate tectonics. We'll visit Ethiopia's Afar Triangle, where the Earth is fundamentally re-ordering its surface, and journey to Egypt's Nile valley, which has been a corridor of trade and a cradle of civilizations for centuries. On the final leg of the journey, we'll witness how the tectonic violence of the Dead Sea Rift has punctuated the history of human habitation and culture – in fact, entire cities have been abandoned after apocalyptic earthquakes. The seismic threat hangs over the area like a curse.