How the Earth Was Made — Season 1, Episode 6: Driest Place on Earth
Documentary • 45 min • 2 seasons, 26 episodes • ★ 6.9/10
Episode synopsis
The Atacama desert is considered the driest place on Earth. Since human records of the area began, some places have never received rain. But the records don't stop there--the Atacama is also the oldest desert in the world, and recently it has been dated to an amazing 150 million years old. Other research shows that the surface of this desert is also incredibly ancient, with boulders lying there that have not moved for over 23 million years--more than 50 times longer than it's taken for our human species to evolve. The soil is so dry, it has been used as a test bed for the Mars rovers. And though the desert was once thought to be completely lifeless, strange bacteria discovered there have given scientists new hope that they might find life on the red planet. Atacama is also home to the largest copper mine in the world. Inspect the riddle of the Atacama and uncover how this extraordinarily dry landscape was created.
About How the Earth Was Made
HISTORY goes to the ends of the earth to find where our world began. Forged from fire and ice, formed by floods, volcanoes, asteroids and earthquakes, our planet tells a dynamic geological story. What are mega-tsunamis? What happens when you have millions of years of rain? Visual effects, location filming and stunning aerial photography bring viewers back 4.5 billion years to enjoy a unique window on our world. How the Earth Was Made peels back time like layers of rock to reveal the origins of the place we call home.