Product Description

From a once seething, hellish mass of molten rock to the world that inhabits life today, take a rollercoaster ride through the entire history of Planet Earth. Its 4.5 billion year epic, a story of unimaginable timescales, earth-shattering forces, incredible life forms, radical climates and mass extinctions. Discover how the continents were formed, canyons were carved, and why the world's animals live where they do.


DVD Features: Additional Scenes; Bonus Documentary Inside the Volcano

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6667 in DVD
• Brand: A&E HOME VIDEO
• Released on: 2008-04-15
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 94 minutes

Amazon.com
There's a lot of information in How the Earth Was Made, but perhaps the most interesting relates to time. Quite often, the numbers are so staggering that scientists refer to it as "deep time," an appropriate term when one grapples with the notion that our planet is 4.5 billion years old, or that the oceans were formed by rainfall that lasted literally millions of years, or that 700 million years ago, Earth was completely covered by ice that was a mile thick, with surface temperatures reaching minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit. On the other end of the scale are numbers that seem surprisingly small: for instance, it wasn't until 220 years ago that the accepted church doctrine regarding the planet's age (no more than 6000 years, according to the Bible) was seriously challenged and that the key to its past was found in rocks, not scripture, while the discovery that dinosaurs once ruled the Earth came considerably later than that. Using a combination of computer graphics and animation, various drawings and diagrams, photos, location footage, and expert commentary, this fascinating, 94-minute History Channel production takes us from the very beginning, when the planet was formed by meteors colliding in space, through numerous major events (including the appearance of water, granite, and oxygen) and mind-boggling catastrophes (such as mass extinctions caused by volcanic eruptions or the enormous meteor that wiped out 75% of all living things, including the dinosaurs, some 65 million years ago), right up to the present; there's even a glimpse into the future, when Earth will likely end up as barren and lifeless as Mars (no need to hit the panic button yet, though--a few billion more years will pass before that happens). Bonus features include additional scenes and a documentary entitled "Inside the Volcano." --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews

Absorbing enough.
I first watched this show on the History channel at the beginning of last winter and liked it immediately. So I pre-ordered the DVD on amazon right away. It arrived last week and is currently making the rounds in my office!

Many a time, I have visualized how our precocious planet formed and evolved based on paleobiological evidence. I always get a feeling of euphoria whenever I imagine a pristine Earth with dynamics that have been changing over mind-numbing time scales. Well, the graphics in this show come pretty close to my own imagination.

The playback, divided by mostly uneven time segments, starts at around 4.4 billion years ago and eventually works its way to the last ice age before briefly dwelling on the planet's future. There is a time slider that briefly appears at the start of each time segment. Yes, dinosaurs are mentioned and shown but only briefly. Yup, stromatalites are in there as well along with Trilobites. It should be noted that the Cambrian Explosion and the Carboniferous are mentioned. For some reason, I was surprised to learn that granite first formed several billion years ago.

Other subjects discussed in depth include plate tectonics (continents, mountains, etc.), land inhabitation by flora and marine animals and super-volcanoes. The DVD ends with a bunch of scientists dwelling on the future of Earth. I decided not to read too much into their predictions as I won't be around if/when what they predict happens.

Amazing!
I've had this DVD on autobuy and must say what a treasure it is. We have watched it countless times, my hubby and I, as we enjoy series like these.
We loved every minute of it and the digital graphics was superb, very realistic. You sit there riveted to your screen as you watch things unfold. It's mind-boggling, watching how the earth was created.

Earth has a past we can never comprehend, a present we live in and take for granted and a future that is just too scary to contemplate. But all in all, what an amazing planet we live in.
This DVD takes us on a journey to the very beginning. 4.5 billion year to be precise, when the planet was formed by meteors colliding in space.
Earth goes from a seething hellish mass of fiery molten rock,through numerous major changes that takes billion of years and finally to the present day wonder we live in.
And that is not all, we also have a glimpse into the future, when Earth will likely end up as barren and lifeless as Mars. Now, there's a scary thought.

But it seems we don't have to panic just yet, according to the experts we still have a few billions years to go before earth becomes hell again. Phew, that's a relief! Quite frankly anyone would be scared of it!

This is another DVD worth the money spent.

Quality entertainment, rock-solid story, simple presentation
An easy to follow account of the history of the earth as told by the rocks. While minimal attention is given on Darwinian evolution, the perspective of the rocks sidesteps religion while re-enforcing support for foundational principles of evolution. Entertaining, quality, unbiased, and educational, How the Earth Was Made sets the story of the rocks without directly attacking religion.