Naked Science

How the West Was Made (6x17)

Air date: Jul 16, 2009

Both catastrophic and gradual forces have been at work to form the American West's most famous landscapes. This episode looks at the greatest volcanic eruption in history that occurred near the San Juan Range of the Rocky Mountains, the staggering flood of 500 cubic miles of water that carved out the Washington Scablands, and the slow effects of wind erosion that has resulted in Monument Valley.