The Earth

Earth comes to life with stunning clips from the BBC's television archive. There is a lot to watch: See Mount St Helens erupt, the Earth form, and glaciers shrink.

Atmosphere & climate (4)

• Atmosphere

  The atmosphere protects our planet from radiation and asteroids.

• The carbon cycle

  Carbon is a key ingredient of all known life.

Water & ice (6)

• Ice ages

  We are living during a relatively warm interglacial period.

• Glaciers

  Glaciers scour the land surface and erode solid rock.

Surface & interior (16)

• Lava

  Aa is a Hawaiian name for a type of lava.

• Magma

  Large bodies of molten rock exist below the Earth's surface.

Earth timeline (10)

• Early life: Oxygen enters the atmosphere

  Early life affected the geology of our planet.

• Future Earth

  Billions of years from now it is predicted the Sun will destroy the Earth.

Natural disasters (10)

• Hurricanes

  The 1970 Bangladesh cyclone is the most deadly in recorded history.

• Floods

  Floods destroy homes, take lives and spread disease.