From beautiful lava-filled landscapes in Hawaii to the Rockies in Colorado to a bustling New York, this new NOVA series tackles nearly everything when it comes to how the North American continent was created over millions of years. Dr. Kirk Johnson seems like one of the coolest guys in the world because he clearly has time travel secrets, and he also holds a Director gig at a little place called the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.
Here are six things I learned from the first episode of Making North America:
- Your polished Granite counter-top is really sweet, especially when you consider that without granite, we might not even have North American ground to walk on. Shout out to heat!
- Gooseberry Falls in Minnesota (!) used to be mostly crazy-hot lava. Terrible for camping and photography, unlike now.
- Manhattan has their own variety of bedrock (schist) that has shaped and curated the city itself.
- The same collision of islands that created Manhattan schist were also responsible for an Alps-size mountain range in what is now NYC. Turn right when you head out of Central Park, can’t miss it.
- Utah’s picturesque and crazy-massive Zion Canyon has 2,000 foot-tall sandstone cliffs that actually used to be sand. The grains piled up over the years to make THAT.
- Because of the proximity to the San Andreas Fault, Los Angeles and San Francisco will be direct neighbors with enough earthquakes and tectonic action.
Do yourself a favor and catch NOVA: Making North America the next three Wednesdays at 9/8c on your local PBS station.
P.S. – Be sure to visit pbs.org for more information and an interactive map relating to this show.
The post 6 Reasons You Need To Time Travel With NOVA: Making North America This Month appeared first on Rewire.