With Earth-shaking, lava-spewing force that transcends national borders, politics and economies, our planet has the awesome – and terrifying – power to stop people in their tracks. Just in the first few months of 2010 alone, the sheer might of Mother Nature has dominated international headlines, from the devastating earthquake in Concepción, Chile; to the volcanic eruption in Iceland that paralyzed global travel and trade just weeks ago. With two new in-the-moment specials, Discovery Channel takes a closer look at the cause and impact of two of these recent disasters with the back-to-back presentations of ICELAND VOLCANO ERUPTION and MONSTER QUAKE: WILL WE SURVIVE? on Thursday, May 27 at 8 and 9 p.m. ET/9 and 10 p.m. PT.
First, Discovery Channel heads to Iceland to examine the science behind the chaos-causing Eyjafjallajokull volcano; then, lands in Chile to study what the 8.8-magnitude quake reveals about a potential Pacific coast disaster… and our readiness to survive.
ICELAND VOLCANO ERUPTION
Thursday, May 27 at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT
The massive volcano eruption in Iceland was an explosion felt around the world, grounding air traffic and causing extensive evacuations, major flooding, and a plume of ash more than nine-kilometres high. With video crews on the scene, ICELAND VOLCANO ERUPTION gets an inside look at the volcano before, during and after its recent eruption on April 14. The one-hour special explains the science behind the volcanic chaos as well as the reasons for the disruption in air travel, the biggest since 9/11. Scientists say the Eyjafjallajokull volcano is unpredictable – it’s already melted a glacier – and could lead to a disturbance at the nearby Katla volcano, which is potentially even more volatile. This special offers an immediate in-depth report on this major volcanic event and its global impact.
MONSTER QUAKE: WILL WE SURVIVE?
Thursday, May 27 at 9 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT
On February 27, 2010, the fifth most powerful earthquake ever recorded hit less than 115kms away from Chile’s second biggest city, Concepción. Measuring a devastating 8.8 on the Richter scale, the megaquake was not only a terrifying experience for those in Concepción … it was also a massive wake-up call for cities all along the Pacific northwest coastline, from the U.S. through Canada. What would happen if a similar magnitude earthquake were to hit Seattle, Vancouver or Portland? The threat is real. In the Pacific Northwest, the next megaquake’s origins lie in the Cascadia Subduction Zone, a 1,200 km-long fault that runs parallel to the coast from British Columbia to Northern California. The zone is where the oceanic Juan de Fuca Plate plunges under the Continental North America Plate, only about 100-250kms offshore. If the plates stick as they move past each other – and evidence indicates that this already happening – tremendous energy will build and likely be released in a terrifying explosion, potentially a magnitude-9 megaquake event.
What kind of widespread and devastating damage would result from a megaquake in these North American cities? Would bridges, schools and hospitals be as hard hit as those in Chile? Right now teams of top scientists and engineers from California, Washington State and British Columbia are on the ground in Chile, sifting through the devastation and gathering crucial first-hand data. Joining these forensic engineers and seismologists in the field, MONSTER QUAKE: WILL WE SURVIVE? reveals what the scientists are learning – as they learn it – about how to prepare for the Pacific megaquake that these experts believe is just a matter of time.