Original subtitles

(dramatic music)

The European continent

is a treasure trove of jaw-dropping landscapes.

With icons of human civilization,

both modern and historic.

It's a continent of contrasts.

Colin Devey is on an expedition,

from the sunny Mediterranean,

to the frozen landscapes of Iceland.

Wow, it's impressive here.

You can almost feel the weight

of the ice above your head.

He'll explore Europe's natural wonders.

Fascinating.

And find traces of ancient inhabitants.

Where today life pulsates in the metropolitan areas,

strange creatures once populated the land.

Join Colin Devey on a journey

through the natural history of a fascinating continent.

(dramatic music)

The Elbe Sandstone mountains,

one of the most extraordinary landscapes in Europe.

The steep rocks are an ideal sanctuary for many.

Peregrine Falcons are a widespread raptor.

They live on every continent outside the polar regions.

But they feel particularly at home here

among the exposed rocks,

where they nest in shallow hollows.

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Gray Wagtails look for food in the clear brooks.

They share parenting duty,

and chicks wait impatiently

in a hidden crevasse close by.

(chirping)

The woods around these rocks are popular with visitors.

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Climbers and hikers come to the region in large numbers.

The rock that forms these mountains is unique,

with its own set of rules.

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Every touch reveals the basic substance

of this landscape, sand.

Geologically speaking, the rocks are relatively young.

As impressive as these natural monuments may seem,

they are fragile, and protected for good reason.

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It's a curious landscape,

that you can only really appreciate when you get up here.

It's quite easy to see how the landscape was formed though.

This used to be a huge sandstone plateau,

and the stone itself, the sandstone,

is really quite soft.

So the River Elbe, which you can see behind me,

and the wind and rain, have been able

to cut down into it, and they've left these pillars,

sculptures almost, behind.

The sandstone itself is quite old,

and at that time, this was the coastline.

The history of this landscape

goes back a long way, millions of years.

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It began underwater.

The curious rock formations originated

in a primeval sea, that no longer exists.

We're on the edge of the great Tethys Ocean,

100 million years ago, in a wide bay.

(dramatic swoop)

Europe is a water world.

Tropical temperatures have heated up the oceans,

and there is no ice at the poles.

Sea level is higher than at any other time

in earth's history, 300 meters above the modern level.

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The area of the Elbe sandstone lies in a shallow sea.

(dramatic swoop)

Rivers and ocean currents transport sand into this area.

The murky waters are perfect for hunters.

Crocodiles and sharks resemble their modern descendants.

But the ancient crocodiles are much bigger.

The Deinosuchus, which translates to terrible crocodile,

was a massive predator.

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Huge omnivorous turtles wander through the ocean,

feeding on jellyfish, and aquatic plants.

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Their size protects them from predators.

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Ammonites have inhabited the world's oceans

for over 350 million years.

They thrive one last time in the Tethys sea,

before completely disappearing

at the end of the Cretaceous period.

(bubbling)

Plesiosaurs, prehistoric marine reptiles,

roam the shallow coastal waters in search of fish.

They have small heads, very long necks,

and stretch up to 15 meters long.

Floating elegantly through the ocean

using their fin-like limbs as gigantic paddles.

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The warm sea is generating more life

than the ecosystem can process.

The uneaten biomass left over

from the ocean's dead, sinks to the depths,

where it remains undegraded.

Slowly, over millions of years,

this waste is transformed

into an energy rich substance: crude oil.

A large part of the world's oil reserves

can be traced back to the Cretaceous period.

As the water level drops,

the shallowest stretches of ocean disappear,

revealing a new landscape.

The remains of this prehistoric ocean

are the building blocks for today's mountains.

Now that ocean of course is long since gone,

but at the time Tethys, as we call it,

was a global ocean.

It covered much of Europe.

Here at the coastline, the river brought lots

of sand from the continent's interior

into the shallow sea, and created an ideal condition

for the formation of a huge sandstone plateau

like you see behind me.

Now at the time, Tethys was already on the retreat,

and the reason is Africa, heading north

for a massive collision with Europe.

Land started to rise, and that rise was gonna culminate

in the formation of the Alps.

And they're still moving today.

They are the largest mountains

in central Europe.

The rugged 4000 meter peaks,

including the iconic Matterhorn,

stand in the western Alps.

This jagged and inaccessible mountain world

is perfect for animals adapted to life

in the high altitudes.

Here, they live undisturbed by man.

Alpine chough are sociable.

They can be found above the forest line,

even in extreme altitudes.

Golden eagles nest here, far from egg-hungry predators.

Alpine ibexes are skillful climbers,

and move safely on steep terrain.

200 years ago, they were almost extinct.

Today their population is slowly recovering.

Rock ptarmigans blend seamlessly

into the snow capped peaks.

The high mountains are imposing symbols

of unchanging stability.

Monuments of eternity.

But appearances are deceptive.

Even mountains change, almost imperceptibly,

but steadily.

In the light of the warming sun, the rock expands.

And as temperatures drop at night, the stone contracts.

The mountain is breathing.

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Over longer periods of time,

the changes become larger, and more obvious.

When the snow thaws in summer,

heat penetrates deep into the rocks,

making the mountains unstable.

Rock slides can happen year round,

but are much more frequent in the warm season.

(loud crumbling)

Larger movements are rare, but have enormous impact.

In the Matter town near Randa, in Switzerland,

an entire mountain slope started to slide in 1991.

33 million cubic meters of stone fell into the depths.

Slowly, the landscape changes shape.

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The stones are gradually conveyed away by the streams.

Water has enormous power.

Everything is in motion.

(light music)

The stones wander downhill, meter by meter.

Where the boulders settle, they form new habitats.

(light music)

Just like in the Swiss Prealps,

in the valley of the Kleine Emma.

(upbeat music)

Each of these stones is unique,

with its own origin and history.

Colin Devey is on a field trip with Swiss colleagues.

The geologists are exploring boulders

that were carried here a long time ago.

The old stones must be broken out.

(cracking)

We can pretty much tell

where this material comes from.

This, for example, is an ophiolite.

It comes from the Matterhorn region.

Likewise, we can just as accurately assign

the origin of the remaining cobbles

to different alpine regions.

The expedition team heads to the mountains,

to learn more about the history of this landscape.

Alpine marmots prefer sunny meadows,

where they find plenty of food, and space to romp about.

(light music)

Even up here there are cobbles,

deposited millions of years ago.

(light music)

(cracking)

Well, it's a river pebble.

There's nothing spectacular about that of itself,

but it's in a pretty spectacular and unusual place.

I'm 1000 meters above sea level,

halfway up a mountain in the alpine fall land,

and obviously, in times gone past, there were rivers here.

These rivers have brought millions

of tons of pebbles, and deposited them here,

layer upon layer.

And over time, those layers have become rock,

and built this whole mountain, the Rigi massif.

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There's an incredible amount

of information in this gigantic heap of cobble,

about the Alps, and their history.

What can be observed in a human life

is nothing compared to the long history the Alps

have behind them.

A continental collision.

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35 million years ago, there was a strait here.

But in just 3 million years, the ocean disappears.

Mountain formation begins.

In another 5 million years, the Alps rise

to become a mountain range.

Continental plates from Africa

push across the European continent.

The various plates penetrate each other

under the surface.

And so, today, the geological border

between Africa and Europe lies in Europe.

(dramatic swoop)

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The process of this collision can still be traced today.

To a geologist, the mountains are a history book.

Colin's looking for clues from above.

What a way to do geology.

My goodness, I'm having such a great time.

This is fantastic.

His route leads to where the collision

is most clearly visible.

We're flying towards the Matterhorn.

This is of course the symbol of Switzerland.

It's a geologist's paradise up here,

to be quite honest with you.

It is a beautiful mountain.

This is really a beautiful mountain.

The iconic peak of the steeply rising mountain

is made of African gneiss.

It's a fantastic way to do geology,

especially if you're looking at large scale features

like we are here.

The journey continues

from the African peak of the Matterhorn, to the north.

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Residues of the ocean floor line this mountain ridge.

This is part of the old ocean floor.

It's the volcanic part of the ocean floor,

so it was underneath all the sediments

that had accumulated on the ocean,

and it's made of basalts.

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Here the chain of collision

is perfectly lined up.

Volcanic sea floor from the depths.

Behind it, deposits of the Tethys Ocean.

And finally, the old European continent.

The meeting of continents is still reflected

in these central sections of the Alps today.

When you see Monte Rosa, you see,

it's a different sort of stuff.

It's a different type of style.

So, it's a big, lumpy mountain.

It's not sharp like the Matterhorn,

and that's because it's not made of African continent.

That thing is a piece of Europe.

We are now flying, basically,

what the present day would take you,

if you had to cross the Mediterranean Sea

with an aircraft.

We can do it here in about three minutes,

going between the African continent,

and the European continent,

and that's all to do with this huge big mishmash

of pieces of crust, in the middle of this mountain range.

And that mishmash leads

to a one of a kind mountain range.

But the natural history of the continent

still has a long way to go.

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50 million years ago, the African plate is picking up speed.

When parts of it collide with Europe,

and the Alps are lifted out of the sea,

completely new areas emerge at the edge of this event.

Extensive water worlds.

A lake landscape in the far southeast of the continent.

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Today, the Danube Delta is one

of the most species-rich natural sites in Europe.

A floating empire between earth, water, and air,

on the banks of the Black Sea.

Many migratory birds make a stopover in the region,

and some settle to raise their young.

More than 5000 animal and plant species

are said to live here,

including more than 300 bird species.

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There are many nesting sites to discover,

but Colin has found something else.

So, here we have a little stowaway.

It's a pond frog who's jumped onboard,

and life really is in your face here.

And it's amazing how much life there is.

These cormorants, and all

of the other birds flying around here

find loads to eat in the water, it's full of fish.

Now it's amazing environments being created by the Danube,

here where it meets the Black Sea, and makes a delta.

A maze of tiny channels and lakes.

And in between them, lots of marshy areas

which are full of reed.

Now humans really can't get into that reed,

and so the animals can hide in there,

and feel safe, and that's why there's so many of them.

In fact, this area, right in the middle of Europe,

is the largest contiguous area of reed beds

on the whole planet.

It's fascinating.

Cormorants live worldwide.

They breed in large colonies.

These excellent divers are not usually welcome,

and often hunted.

Not so in the Danube Delta.

There is enough space here for everyone.

Over 5000 square kilometers provides enough room

for an enormous number of habitats.

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Here, the mighty Danube flows slowly,

bringing nutrients that form the base

of a long food chain.

There are many carp-like fish, a favorite dish of pelicans.

The catfish migrates to the calm waters for spawning.

(splashing)

This is the largest pelican colony in Europe.

The majority come from Africa every spring.

It's also a perfect place for the kingfisher.

It observes the water from its lookout on the shore.

Kingfishers are dependent on calm, clear water.

(light music)

Many of these birds travel between worlds.

They split their years between Europe, Africa, and Asia.

(light music)

The Danube Delta is a sheltered meeting point

between the continents,

where they can successfully raise their young.

Hey Colin, here.

Yeah.

Colin has an unusual encounter.

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A golden jackal roused the birds.

In the early morning, it comes very close to the shore.

Golden jackals have only been seen here

for a few years in the Danube Delta.

Their real home lies far away on the Arabian Peninsula.

We saw the jackals for the first time this morning.

And in fact, jackals have only been in this area

for the last few years.

They're slowly migrating into this region from the south.

Now that type of animal migration

has happened time and again in earth's history,

and is really important for the evolution

of life on earth.

But to migrate, the animals need pathways

that they can follow.

Let's go back in time.

This is the Tethyan Ocean,

and it's slowly being squeezed shut,

as Africa comes towards Europe.

About 20 million years ago,

the first land bridges are produced,

and they divide the Tethys up into sub-basins.

These are the precursors of the Mediterranean,

and the Black Sea, and the Caspian Sea.

And these land bridges are the important things,

and especially their coastal regions.

They allow the animals to migrate northwards

and southwards, to meet, and mix.

It's very similar to what's happening

in the Danube Delta today.

The Danube, of course, is a fairly recent phenomenon

on our planet, and 20 million years ago,

the coastline wasn't here,

it was much further in the west.

So if we want to find the evidence

for the mixing that happened back then,

we need to go upriver.

(dramatic music)

Ancient Europe also had a habitat,

similar to the Danube Delta.

But the coastline was further to the west,

at the foot of the Alps.

Today that same location is covered

by a metropolis, with almost three million people.

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Vienna, the pulsating city on the Danube.

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A popular destination for tourists

from all over the world.

They visit the historical monuments,

vestiges of a great past,

and center of a former empire.

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The Schonbrunn Palace, a magical place,

reminiscent of times long gone.

20 million years ago, in the Miocene,

migrants came from Africa.

An aceratherium.

Except for the missing horn,

it resembles today's rhinoceros.

(dramatic music)

Bear dogs, predators who emigrated from America,

meet chalicotherium, odd looking herbivores,

who stand 2 1/2 meters tall.

The impressive giants walk on their knuckles, like gorillas.

With its mild climate, Vienna is considered

one of the most livable cities in the world.

(grass rustling)

A similar climate is also appreciated

by the deinotherium, a proboscidean

with downward curved tusks in the lower jaw.

These prehistoric relatives of modern day elephants

use their tusks to peel off bark.

Where today the woods border the outskirts of the city,

20 million years ago, swamp forests stretched to the sea.

The climate is warm.

Towards the sea, the landscape changes into mangroves.

Along the coast, there are oyster beds, and mussel colonies.

(light music)

Later, the area transforms into a river landscape,

dotted with swamps.

Flocks of birds cross the area.

It's the forerunner of today's Danube Delta,

a species rich hotspot.

And so Vienna is, then as now,

an international meeting place.

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But not all of Europe is as coveted.

This continent has its badlands too.

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I know this looks like Africa or North America,

but it isn't.

It's Europe.

We're in Europe's only desert, in southwest Spain.

A place called Tabernas.

They filmed lots of the spaghetti westerns here.

And the landscape is so fascinating,

I'm gonna have to get out and have a look.

In fact, the desert isn't as barren

and empty as it looks at first glance.

Red-legged partridges are very adaptable.

They cope well with aridity, and the rocky desert soil.

Iberian ibexes also enjoy the sparsely vegetated area.

In winter, they come down from the snowy mountains

to find food in the desert.

In the barren terrain, the shy animals

have everything well in view.

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A few rainy days are enough to make the desert bloom.

Many plant seeds rest in the soil during drought.

A little water wakes them up.

The colorful splendor cannot hide

how extreme the desert is.

In summer, the temperatures reach up to 50 degrees celsius.

(light music)

That's when it becomes a tough fight

against water shortages, and extreme heat, for everyone.

(light music)

Many of these plants also live in Africa,

but the European desert has some special features.

This is a typical desert,

which despite what you might think,

doesn't actually mean it has to be really hot.

It's December, and I'm quite comfortable dressed like this.

Above all else, a desert is dry.

I've just walked up this river valley behind me.

It's got a couple of puddles in it, nothing much else.

In an environment like this,

you might expect to find cacti growing.

What we actually find are these plants.

Now, anyone who's been to the beach knows things like this.

They've got very salty juice.

The people here put them on salads.

Here's another salty kind of plant.

It's producing little deposits of salt on its leaves.

Now both of these are the types of plants

you'd expect to find at the seaside,

rather than the middle of a desert.

If a lot of salt is present in the soil,

it will affect the local biosphere.

In fact, there are places in the Tabernas

with small stalactite formations.

And where water evaporates,

delicate salt crystals slowly grow.

(dramatic music)

Over many years, an entire salt wall has formed.

Wow, and this is what I was looking for.

There's ground water seeping out of this cliff face,

bringing all sorts of minerals with it,

and when you taste the water, it's really salty.

A lot of these minerals in here are rock salt.

That's telling us deep underground,

there must be vast deposits of salt,

and that's telling us that,

where today there's a desert,

there used to be an ocean.

This desert landscape was once a sea floor.

The coastal area of an ocean.

(dramatic music)

Today, the Tabernas lies at the foot of a mountain range,

the Betic Cordillera.

And only 20 kilometers further south

lies the Mediterranean coast,

with the famous sand beaches of Andalucia.

(dramatic music)

And this is where the desert meets the seawater.

This coastline, in terms of geological process,

is not at all fixed.

It depends completely on how much water's

in the Mediterranean.

And the Mediterranean itself is just a part

of the Atlantic Ocean.

They're connected of course via the Straits of Gibraltar.

But it wasn't always like that.

If we go back in time several million years,

we see that there are two channels

connecting the Atlantic to the Mediterranean.

And then something happened geologically.

A mountain range rises up around Gibraltar,

and it cuts off both of those channels.

That's the same movement in fact

which lifted the Tabernas Desert out of the Mediterranean.

There's no more water coming from the Atlantic

into the Mediterranean, so it dries out,

and a huge salty desert is produced.

That process six million years ago

influenced the whole of the Mediterranean region.

At this time, the landscape

is already similar to today's,

but then the water begins to gradually retreat,

and it leaves its mark,

a mighty layer of salt that can still be traced

in the soil of the Mediterranean Sea.

It's an area with vastly different landscapes,

but life has a hard time in this desert.

(dramatic music)

In the middle, the last remnants of seawater collect

and form highly concentrated puddles of salt.

A breeding ground for stromatolites,

sedimentary rocks produced by salt loving microorganisms.

Very simple, old forms of life,

that have survived to this day.

High rock formations rise from the desert floor.

These large mountain ranges tower

more than 3000 meters high.

We know these mountains.

Today, they are the Balearics.

Mallorca.

The island mountains provide better living conditions

than the expanse of the desert.

Six million years ago, the entire Mediterranean area

forms a gigantic depression.

In the coastal area, the continental shelf

of mainland Europe rises 1000 meters

above the desert floor.

(dramatic music)

The water of the great European rivers,

such as the Rhone, falls many meters

over long cascades, and cuts canyons into the bedrock.

(dramatic music)

Traces of this period can still be found

in the underwater landscapes of the Mediterranean.

(dramatic music and splashing)

The Rhone is still a river with a strong current.

In a vast delta, it flows into the Mediterranean,

and creates the unique natural paradise

of the Camargue.

(upbeat music)

But the wild canyons of the past

can only be found inland.

Many of the typical caves and cast landscapes

of the Mediterranean, such as the Adeje,

originated in a time when there was an extreme gradient

along the coast of the sea,

and water crashed into the depths with heavy impact.

(splashing)

The sea has long since recovered from its dramatic past.

The Mediterranean didn't stay dry for very long.

The Atlantic pretty quickly found a way

through that mountain range,

and the sea came back, flooding the salty desert.

It must have been a really dramatic event.

Although I have to admit, on such a beautiful day

on the beach like this, I can hardly imagine it.

Colin enjoys the last sun rays of the day.

In the next chapter of European natural history,

colder times lie ahead.

The ice age began about 2.7 million years ago.

But what did cold times mean for life on earth?

Iceland is one of the northernmost landscapes in Europe,

with many echoes of the ice age.

Here, nature's power is palpable.

Both beautiful, and unforgiving.

The island is made up of two different continents.

The active gap between the North American

and European plates runs across the country.

The energy from the earth's interior makes itself felt

in many places.

There are comparatively few animal species.

(birds squawking)

(light music)

The Icelandic horses were brought in by settlers.

Inland, the ground is permanently frozen.

Before the first humans arrived,

the Arctic fox was the only native mammal.

(dramatic music)

Gigantic glaciers cover large parts of the island,

and shape the environment,

just like in central Europe during the ice ages.

Vatnajokull is the largest glacier in Europe,

up to 900 meters thick in some areas.

Wow, it's impressive here.

You can almost feel the weight of the ice above your head.

I don't know how much is up there,

and I really don't want to know.

This used to be snow.

Several hundred years ago it fell upon the mountains,

and through its own weight it's been compacted down

to this beautifully clear ice.

It's a really bizarre feeling.

You can look into here, meters.

You feel as if you can, at least,

but actually this ice is continually on the move.

It's continually being produced,

and continually melting.

And ice ages are a bit like that.

Constantly coming and going.

We've had several on earth.

We define and ice age as being when both poles are frozen.

But sometime in the past,

maybe the whole earth was completely frozen.

The last ice age we had

began about 2 1/2 million years ago.

And we can see, although we call it as ice age,

it's actually a really complicated thing.

It's not just one mass of ice.

The ice comes and goes, comes and goes.

That slight cooling or warming of the earth,

which leads to the ice advancing, or retreating.

Now, why exactly those slight cooling

or warming episodes occur, we're not quite clear.

The last really cold period ended about 10,000 years ago.

Since then, the ice is retreating.

You can hear the running water behind me.

That's a meltwater stream.

So in fact this glacier is disappearing,

and probably this beautiful ice cave

may not be here next year.

(dramatic music)

Everywhere ice melts, life is gaining ground.

Special green algae can exist even under icy conditions,

and even microscopic animals,

such as the water bears, survive in extreme cold.

But for most living beings,

a world of ice is problematic.

That's why during the ice age,

life thrives only beyond the great glaciers.

The mammoth and woolly rhinoceros

are the giants of the ice age.

They wander in search of food.

Nutritious herbs, for example.

(dramatic swoop)

About 15,000 years ago, the glaciers

are slowly releasing the continent.

This creates unique habitats.

The ice ages also show us

how fleeting landscapes on our earth can be.

With fluctuating temperatures,

living conditions change incredibly quickly,

from a natural history point of view.

(dramatic music)

Witnesses from the past still stand

on the northeast coast of England.

They remind us of a land long gone.

This is glacial clay.

Left here 10,000 years ago as the world got warmer,

and the ice retreated.

Now there was no North Sea here at that time,

because sea level was much lower, about 100 meters,

and this sort of plastered landscape

caused huge peat bogs to form.

There's lots of peat here, as you can see.

And even trees.

This is a 7000 year old tree stump.

It's got its roots.

There are branches lying around here.

There are remainders of leaves.

This is like looking at an ancient forest fossil,

absolutely fascinating.

Now this forest, straight from here,

right over to France,

and you could walk to France from here, 7000 years ago.

The stone age people who lived here,

found absolutely ideal conditions.

There was lots of game.

There were lots of fish.

But this paradise was fairly quickly lost.

Doggerland, a perfect moment

in the history of the earth.

The receding ice is first followed by light.

Then, increasingly dense forests.

Fertile soil.

It's getting warmer.

Sea eagles find plenty of fish in coastal waters.

The animal world is changing.

Instead of wandering mammoths,

there are other four legged herbivores.

They are local animals, such as deer, wild boar,

or roe deer, who do not need to migrate,

because they find enough food on the planes all year round.

But the history of the forests

between England and France ends soon.

(upbeat music)

The shrinking ice of the glaciers

causes sea levels to rise.

The soils become salted,

and the landscape sinks into the sea.

The British island is separated from mainland Europe.

(dramatic music)

Only the remains of ancient trees on the English coast

bare witness to the paradise of the last ice age.

Doggerland.

A view from space shows

how much man changes his surroundings.

Europe's major metropolises shine brightly at night.

Far down south, the Gulf of Naples.

A dark area is particularly conspicuous,

in the middle of the brightly lit urban area.

Mount Vesuvius.

No people live on its slopes.

Naples in the early morning.

It's quiet in the big city.

A deceptive calm.

The Neapolitan people know that,

not only because in a few minutes,

life awakens in the streets,

but because there is always a hint

of great danger in the air.

(dramatic music)

Roman columns.

These are the walls of an historical city: Pompeii.

About 20,000 people are said to have lived here,

in the year 79 A.D.

Wealthy Romans, who led a privileged life,

supported by slaves.

A functioning society, until disaster struck.

(dramatic music)

Exceptional.

(dramatic music)

The atmosphere in this town is bizarre.

It feels as if there ought

to be Romans running backwards and forwards.

In fact it's completely still.

And it's been that way for 2000 years.

On the 24th of August, 79 A.D.,

Vesuvius had a cataclysmic eruption.

Now some of the Pompeiians could flee,

but most of them stayed in the town,

and that was their undoing.

As the hot ash clouds rolled down the side of the volcano,

they were buried in their beds, turned instantly to stone.

And what's amazing is that they were so surprised

by this volcano, because it certainly wasn't the first time

the Vesuvius had erupted.

When the city was unearthed,

archeologists found more than just ruins.

Forms that human bodies left in the hot ashes.

Impressive freeze frames of a devastating catastrophe.

About 1000 such bodies were found,

but the total number of victims was many times higher.

(dramatic music)

The old volcano, with its long history,

still towers above it all today.

The ancient crater structures still hold the traces

of past eruptions.

(dramatic music)

The history of the volcano begins 400,000 years ago.

The first volcanic activity manifests itself.

A mountain is building up, the Monte Somma,

the forerunner of Vesuvius.

20,000 years ago, it reaches its maximum altitude,

1800 meters.

Then the first explosive outbreak blows the tip off.

Rest periods are followed by further outbreaks

in the coming millennia.

The eruption in Roman times was already

the fourth great eruption in its history,

and the emergence of the actual Vesuvius,

with its present peak.

(explosions)

Smaller eruptions follow, up until the last century.

A dangerous mountain, yet people still live

in the immediate vicinity of the volcano.

It's a tradition.

(dramatic music)

North of Vesuvius, scientists uncover the walls

of an old ruin.

It's a Roman bath, built 400 years after the catastrophe.

It belongs to a generous country estate.

(dramatic music)

And most of it is buried

in the ashes of the volcano, under modern apartments.

It's a magnificent building from Roman times,

and further ruins lie below.

Following each eruption, people build new houses

on the ruins, again and again.

It's the mountain that attracts people and nature.

It destroys many things,

but it also creates something new.

Only a few years after an eruption,

pioneer plants begin to reclaim the soil,

and others follow.

(light music)

Lava and ash from the volcano contain valuable minerals.

Fertilizer that furthers growth.

An entire region benefits from this.

(upbeat music)

The fruits are unique, famous for their taste.

As is the wine.

There are many animals and plants.

Following catastrophes, a lot of things in nature

have to start all over again.

The locals are joined by immigrants, conquering the area.

(upbeat music)

And so, and interesting mixture emerges.

The volcano might be a tyrant,

but it is also a patron.

The events of Vesuvius are dramatic, but not unique.

All over the world, life is confronted

with the violence of nature.

Colin Devey has reached the end of his journey,

at the Cape of Miseno.

The view of the Bay of Naples is particularly beautiful.

Time to say farewell.

And that I guess is the quintessence of our expedition.

On the one side, the forces of our planet

are still extremely dangerous for humankind,

but on the other side, it's exactly those forces

that make life on this planet possible in the first place.

So, studying them, and understanding them,

is absolutely essential for all of us.

And that's what my predecessor,

Pliny the Younger knew, when he stood here 1900 years ago,

with this excellent view over the Bay of Naples,

and wrote down his observations

of the eruption of Vesuvius, which was destroying Pompeii.

Now it was those observations

that formed the basis of the study of geology.

So as a geologist it's really quite emotional

to stand here with this view behind me.

And I'm gonna enjoy the atmosphere for a few more minutes.

Now think about it.

Our planet is constantly in motion,

and it's always worth taking a closer look.

Cheerio.

(dramatic music)