The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures

James Jackson: Planet Earth: An Explorer's Guide

The 1995 CHRISTMAS LECTURES trace the story of how and why our views on the Earth have changed - from a fumbling suspicion that continents had moved around, through a detailed reconstruction of how the pieces fit together, to the present, where we can measure the motions directly and see them going on. It is a story in which chasing a clue to one puzzle has often produced unexpected results and paradoxes.

Where to Watch The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures • James Jackson: Planet Earth: An Explorer's Guide

5 Episodes

  • On the Edge of the World
    E1
    On the Edge of the WorldThe first of five daily science lectures which are intended to be of particular interest to children. Dr James Jackson, a geologist from Cambridge University, looks for clues in what explorers, meteorites, volcanoes and earthquakes tell us about the make-up of Planet Earth.
  • Secrets of the Deep
    E2
    Secrets of the DeepDr James Jackson reveals that the key to understanding how the Earth moves lies not above the sea but deep in the oceans.
  • Volcanoes: Melting the Earth
    E3
    Volcanoes: Melting the EarthDr James Jackson investigates how solid rock is turned to molten lava and explains how volcanoes are a planet's way of keeping cool. The lectures continue tomorrow and Sunday.
  • The Puzzle of the Continents
    E4
    The Puzzle of the ContinentsDr James Jackson draws on evidence from sunken cities and sea shells found high in mountain ranges to explain what happens when continents stretch and collide.
  • Waterworld
    E5
    WaterworldIn his final lecture, Dr James Jackson describes how water has affected the history of Earth and looks at the moon, Venus and Mars to imagine what life would be like without it.

 

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