Nature's Power Revealed

When the relatively thin layer of the Earth's crust is disturbed, earthquakes remind us that our planet is continually restless. If the molten interior that is our planet's heart of fire breaks through, volcanoes show that they can be one of the most devastating of nature's powers. Watch as Mount St. Helens explodes after an earthquake. See what happens when a jumbo jet unwittingly flies into a cloud of volcanic dust. Travel across the Galapagos Islands to appreciate how volcanoes are creators of new land, and how that provides opportunities for nature to take hold. Travel to the ocean abyss to discover what life forms thrive around super heated vents.

We are fascinated by its beauty, and its ability to refresh both us and our landscapes. But water can be one of the most powerful forces in nature - it brings the gift of life but it can cause death and great destruction. See how only six inches of rushing water is strong enough to move a car. Be there as a tsunami surges onto shore and reveals why it is one of nature's deadliest powers. Discover how in only twenty-four hours a giant flood reshaped the North American landscape. And marvel at how water created fabulous, giant crystals in a cave so huge a jumbo jet could fly through it.

Fuelled by the sun, driven by the cycle of water and ocean currents, our atmosphere's behaviour is more powerful, more unstable, and more unpredictable than any other of nature's powers. Discover how the atmosphere protects us. Marvel at how hurricanes and tornadoes grow to catastrophic size and force. See the giant lightning strikes that discharge high above storms. And find out how meteorites could dramatically affect all life on Earth.

Nature's destructive forces inspire our fear and fuel our fascination. In this program, you will share too-close encounters with relentless tornadoes, lightning strikes that are five times hotter than the sun's surface, home-swallowing sinkholes, and cataclysmic earthquakes. You will experience what it is like to stare 1,000 feet up a tornado funnel or survive a lightning strike. You will also meet professional storm trackers and scientists who race against time to learn all they can about these devastating and deadly events.

Everyone talks about the weather. Meet the brave and dedicated people who are trying to do something about it. In this compelling program, you will fly aboard thirty-year-old warplanes into the eye of a hurricane and sail with the International Ice Patrol in search of icebergs. You will face towering walls of water and mountains of fire. You will scan the skies on alert for asteroids on a collision course with our planet. You will watch and listen, map and monitor, to try to predict when nature's greatest nightmares will strike next. Harrowing tales from those who have survived volcanic eruptions and tsunamis show what is at stake for scientists and storm trackers whose research and actions can make the difference between life and death.

Welcome to the danger zone, where nature strikes again and again with unimaginable force. Experience the terrors that confront those who live and work in harm's way. You will meet a woman who survived being buried alive in an avalanche for five hours.