1
00:00:02,536 --> 00:00:04,370
- It's a volcanic eruption
2
00:00:04,472 --> 00:00:07,673
like no other
in the history of mankind.
3
00:00:07,775 --> 00:00:09,619
- We're talking
complete devastation.
4
00:00:09,643 --> 00:00:11,010
We're talking erasing things.
5
00:00:13,114 --> 00:00:15,447
- An explosion so huge
6
00:00:15,549 --> 00:00:16,715
that it's unimaginable.
7
00:00:20,454 --> 00:00:22,788
- The entire planet is suddenly
8
00:00:22,890 --> 00:00:23,890
a killing field.
9
00:00:28,629 --> 00:00:30,007
- You would have to wonder,
"Is this the end?
10
00:00:30,031 --> 00:00:32,097
Is this the apocalypse?"
11
00:00:35,169 --> 00:00:37,770
- It's a dangerous universe.
12
00:00:37,872 --> 00:00:39,738
There's a lot of ways
13
00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:42,641
the human race can go extinct.
14
00:00:42,743 --> 00:00:43,863
- Will you be ready...
15
00:00:45,413 --> 00:00:47,946
when Doomsday strikes?
16
00:00:48,049 --> 00:00:51,550
Can any of us survive?
17
00:01:02,730 --> 00:01:05,998
640,000 years ago,
18
00:01:06,100 --> 00:01:08,600
a supervolcano erupted
in what is now
19
00:01:08,702 --> 00:01:11,904
Yellowstone National Park.
20
00:01:12,006 --> 00:01:15,274
If it happened again today,
millions would die.
21
00:01:17,711 --> 00:01:20,779
But the Earth can produce
volcanic blasts
22
00:01:20,915 --> 00:01:22,948
even more deadly.
23
00:01:23,050 --> 00:01:24,983
Could you survive
24
00:01:25,086 --> 00:01:26,852
a hyper-eruption?
25
00:01:29,924 --> 00:01:32,002
- It's pretty much the worst day
that the Earth has had
26
00:01:32,026 --> 00:01:33,492
for 60 million years.
27
00:01:35,563 --> 00:01:37,541
- There's very little
that we could do
28
00:01:37,565 --> 00:01:38,831
to sustain ourselves.
29
00:01:40,201 --> 00:01:42,801
- Imagine people dying
all around the world.
30
00:01:44,705 --> 00:01:46,183
- There aren't enough
people left alive
31
00:01:46,207 --> 00:01:48,607
to bury all the dead bodies.
32
00:01:51,245 --> 00:01:53,245
- It's possible that
no one survives.
33
00:02:02,089 --> 00:02:03,522
- It's a beautiful day
34
00:02:03,624 --> 00:02:05,924
in America's oldest
national park,
35
00:02:05,993 --> 00:02:07,526
Yellowstone,
36
00:02:07,628 --> 00:02:09,695
where its famous hot springs
37
00:02:09,797 --> 00:02:11,130
bubble and steam.
38
00:02:13,300 --> 00:02:15,167
It's been a tourist attraction
39
00:02:15,269 --> 00:02:18,003
for nearly 150 years.
40
00:02:20,274 --> 00:02:22,975
Old Faithful
is the biggest draw.
41
00:02:26,347 --> 00:02:28,680
It has erupted
more than a million times
42
00:02:28,782 --> 00:02:30,883
in the park's history.
43
00:02:59,813 --> 00:03:04,049
- C'est magnifique, ca.
44
00:03:04,151 --> 00:03:06,518
- 200-degree water
45
00:03:06,620 --> 00:03:10,856
shoots 185 feet into the air.
46
00:03:10,958 --> 00:03:12,691
It's heated by magma,
47
00:03:12,793 --> 00:03:15,894
the molten rock
from the Earth's interior,
48
00:03:15,996 --> 00:03:19,598
which is unusually close
to the surface here.
49
00:03:19,667 --> 00:03:22,935
It's a volcanic hot spot
and it's the force
50
00:03:23,037 --> 00:03:26,038
driving all the geysers
and hot springs at Yellowstone.
51
00:03:28,075 --> 00:03:29,441
- The way it works is
52
00:03:29,543 --> 00:03:32,744
you have water
slowly heating up underground
53
00:03:32,846 --> 00:03:35,214
in sort of a cavity underground.
54
00:03:35,316 --> 00:03:37,436
And eventually,
that water starts to boil.
55
00:03:37,484 --> 00:03:39,451
And the boiling process causes
56
00:03:39,553 --> 00:03:41,298
kind of a
water and steam explosion
57
00:03:41,322 --> 00:03:43,555
to go shooting up a crevice
58
00:03:43,657 --> 00:03:46,058
and whoo... blowing out
into the air
59
00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:50,596
in a big fountain
that goes about 100 feet up.
60
00:03:52,700 --> 00:03:56,335
The underground processes
that power Old Faithful
61
00:03:56,437 --> 00:03:59,938
can grow to massive scales.
62
00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:04,509
Super-eruptions, like
the one 640 million years ago,
63
00:04:04,612 --> 00:04:08,647
can eject 10,000 times
the amount of ash and rock
64
00:04:08,749 --> 00:04:11,116
than more common
volcanic eruptions
65
00:04:11,218 --> 00:04:12,818
like Mount Saint Helens.
66
00:04:15,222 --> 00:04:17,656
- Past super-eruptions
in Yellowstone
67
00:04:17,758 --> 00:04:19,236
have broken through the surface
68
00:04:19,260 --> 00:04:21,104
in places where
the Earth's crust
69
00:04:21,128 --> 00:04:23,662
is relatively thin.
70
00:04:23,764 --> 00:04:24,997
But in this region,
71
00:04:25,099 --> 00:04:26,910
there are also
parts of the crust
72
00:04:26,934 --> 00:04:29,601
that are a hundred miles thick.
73
00:04:29,703 --> 00:04:31,336
And this allows
74
00:04:31,438 --> 00:04:33,505
for an even more dangerous
situation
75
00:04:33,607 --> 00:04:36,975
to take shape deep underground.
76
00:04:38,479 --> 00:04:39,719
- Directly over the hot spot
77
00:04:39,780 --> 00:04:41,291
of the thickest part
of the crust
78
00:04:41,315 --> 00:04:44,316
gases will start to
migrate up into the crust
79
00:04:44,418 --> 00:04:47,486
until they get trapped
at around 50 miles deep.
80
00:04:47,588 --> 00:04:48,732
And they'll build up there
and build up there
81
00:04:48,756 --> 00:04:51,056
based on the physics
until eventually,
82
00:04:51,158 --> 00:04:53,158
the force of all
that dissolved gas
83
00:04:53,294 --> 00:04:55,861
overwhelms the strength
of the rock over top.
84
00:04:55,963 --> 00:04:57,696
And then it'll fail.
85
00:04:57,798 --> 00:05:00,038
And what does that mean
when an enormous section
86
00:05:00,100 --> 00:05:01,533
of the Earth's crust fails?
87
00:05:01,635 --> 00:05:04,503
Think, uh, like a cork coming
out of a champagne bottle,
88
00:05:04,605 --> 00:05:07,839
but this one has a slug
that's 50 miles tall.
89
00:05:22,623 --> 00:05:24,222
- It could be
90
00:05:24,325 --> 00:05:27,726
the most devastating
volcanic event of all.
91
00:05:30,631 --> 00:05:33,665
Not a super-eruption,
92
00:05:33,767 --> 00:05:35,600
but a hyper-eruption.
93
00:05:38,305 --> 00:05:41,239
- A hyper-eruption
is at a whole other
94
00:05:41,342 --> 00:05:42,741
order of magnitude.
95
00:05:42,843 --> 00:05:45,544
Hyper-eruption, in comparison
to a super-eruption,
96
00:05:45,646 --> 00:05:48,613
is a bit like comparing
a stick of dynamite
97
00:05:48,716 --> 00:05:49,716
to a firecracker.
98
00:06:05,532 --> 00:06:07,599
- A tourist from Mexico City
99
00:06:07,701 --> 00:06:10,302
live-streams his friends
back home
100
00:06:10,404 --> 00:06:13,538
as he hikes around
Yellowstone Lake.
101
00:06:47,875 --> 00:06:49,441
Little does he know,
102
00:06:49,543 --> 00:06:52,177
he's 75 miles from the epicenter
103
00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:54,746
of what will be
a cataclysmic blast.
104
00:07:05,726 --> 00:07:09,628
- Pressure is building up
for centuries,
105
00:07:09,730 --> 00:07:11,496
up until a point in time
106
00:07:11,598 --> 00:07:14,032
where all the gas
comes out of the molten rock.
107
00:07:21,942 --> 00:07:24,709
Creating a hyper-eruption,
108
00:07:24,812 --> 00:07:27,446
an explosion so huge
109
00:07:27,548 --> 00:07:30,015
that it's unimaginable.
110
00:07:30,117 --> 00:07:34,619
It projects tons of rock
up into the sky.
111
00:07:34,721 --> 00:07:37,956
- It would look like
a laser beam of rock
112
00:07:38,058 --> 00:07:40,225
being fired from the Earth
towards space.
113
00:07:45,666 --> 00:07:48,700
- So imagine this
huge column of molten rock.
114
00:07:48,802 --> 00:07:50,802
It's 1,500 feet across
115
00:07:50,904 --> 00:07:53,071
and 50 mile high.
116
00:07:53,173 --> 00:07:56,508
That amount of molten rock
is shot into the sky,
117
00:07:56,610 --> 00:07:58,343
into sub-orbital height.
118
00:07:58,445 --> 00:08:00,445
It's almost like a,
like a missile.
119
00:08:04,785 --> 00:08:06,384
- In one brief moment,
120
00:08:06,487 --> 00:08:08,887
the hyper-eruption
sets in motion
121
00:08:08,989 --> 00:08:10,989
a series of devastating events,
122
00:08:11,091 --> 00:08:13,525
threatening all of life
123
00:08:13,627 --> 00:08:14,759
as we know it.
124
00:08:14,862 --> 00:08:17,562
Will anyone survive?
125
00:08:27,841 --> 00:08:29,474
- What would happen
126
00:08:29,576 --> 00:08:31,810
if a volcanic hyper-eruption
127
00:08:31,912 --> 00:08:34,646
100 billion times more powerful
128
00:08:34,748 --> 00:08:38,483
than the 1980
Mount St. Helens blast
129
00:08:38,585 --> 00:08:41,853
exploded in Wyoming's
Yellowstone National Park,
130
00:08:41,955 --> 00:08:44,789
triggering a worldwide disaster?
131
00:08:49,296 --> 00:08:51,196
Would you survive?
132
00:08:59,740 --> 00:09:04,709
A Boeing 737 cruises
past Yellowstone National Park
133
00:09:04,811 --> 00:09:08,313
on a routine flight to Atlanta.
134
00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:17,188
In an instant, a giant pillar
of red-hot rock
135
00:09:17,291 --> 00:09:20,725
reaches the plane's altitude
of 35,000 feet.
136
00:09:24,431 --> 00:09:28,700
- It would be hit by a...
A fist of material.
137
00:09:43,250 --> 00:09:46,418
- As it shoots
molten rock skyward,
138
00:09:46,520 --> 00:09:50,188
the hyper-eruption produces an
explosive release of energy...
139
00:09:53,093 --> 00:09:55,727
That generates
a seismic shock wave
140
00:09:55,829 --> 00:09:58,530
unlike anything
in human history.
141
00:09:59,700 --> 00:10:01,566
- It's likely to be equivalent
142
00:10:01,668 --> 00:10:03,902
to a magnitude-11 earthquake.
143
00:10:06,773 --> 00:10:09,941
- Survival depends
on your location.
144
00:10:10,043 --> 00:10:13,445
10,000 people live in
nearby Cody, Wyoming.
145
00:10:13,547 --> 00:10:15,914
Most of them are killed
in two seconds,
146
00:10:16,016 --> 00:10:18,617
victims of the
powerful shock wave.
147
00:10:21,154 --> 00:10:23,588
Inside the park itself,
148
00:10:23,690 --> 00:10:26,458
the shock wave reaches
Yellowstone's Old Faithful...
149
00:10:29,062 --> 00:10:32,731
And its historic inn,
built in 1903.
150
00:10:32,833 --> 00:10:34,733
Hundreds of people inside
151
00:10:34,835 --> 00:10:37,869
are crushed or trapped.
152
00:10:47,547 --> 00:10:48,980
- Whoa.
153
00:10:49,082 --> 00:10:50,615
- What the heck?
154
00:10:57,758 --> 00:10:58,798
- Come on, come on!
155
00:11:16,576 --> 00:11:20,779
- Imagine blowing up all
the nuclear arsenal of the earth
156
00:11:20,881 --> 00:11:22,080
all together.
157
00:11:22,182 --> 00:11:24,516
Now, imagine that
500 times stronger.
158
00:11:24,618 --> 00:11:26,978
That's the kind of explosion
that we're imagining here.
159
00:11:41,068 --> 00:11:43,601
From above the shores
of Yellowstone Lake,
160
00:11:43,704 --> 00:11:46,971
75 miles away,
161
00:11:47,074 --> 00:11:50,275
it's easy to see the eruption's
bizarre pillar of light.
162
00:11:59,753 --> 00:12:02,687
- The rod of light
would be going
163
00:12:02,789 --> 00:12:05,290
essentially as high
as you could see.
164
00:12:08,261 --> 00:12:12,564
It would be 100 miles above you.
165
00:12:12,666 --> 00:12:14,444
As high as you could see,
to the...
166
00:12:14,468 --> 00:12:15,567
To the top of the sky.
167
00:12:20,574 --> 00:12:22,974
- The Mexican hiker
above the lake
168
00:12:23,076 --> 00:12:25,376
streams video to the web.
169
00:12:25,479 --> 00:12:28,079
- No one has seen anything
like this before.
170
00:12:28,181 --> 00:12:30,815
For all intents and purposes
this looks exactly like
171
00:12:30,917 --> 00:12:33,017
an asteroid impact
happening in reverse.
172
00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:35,200
It's as though the Earth
has projected
173
00:12:35,288 --> 00:12:37,555
an enormous amount of itself
174
00:12:37,657 --> 00:12:40,225
out into space
at blinding speeds.
175
00:12:40,327 --> 00:12:42,093
- Another five seconds later...
176
00:12:43,964 --> 00:12:46,064
the shock wave hits.
177
00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:48,733
[Umbling]
178
00:12:55,609 --> 00:12:58,610
Travelling at 18,000
miles per hour,
179
00:12:58,712 --> 00:13:01,579
the blast wave
reaches Salt Lake City
180
00:13:01,681 --> 00:13:04,048
260 miles away
181
00:13:04,151 --> 00:13:05,850
in less than one minute.
182
00:13:24,971 --> 00:13:26,905
- The great Mormon Temple
183
00:13:27,007 --> 00:13:28,373
in Salt Lake City
184
00:13:28,475 --> 00:13:32,544
was reinforced against
earthquake at roughly
185
00:13:32,646 --> 00:13:33,945
Richter 8.
186
00:13:36,550 --> 00:13:38,216
The building would collapse.
187
00:13:38,318 --> 00:13:40,418
The spires would crumble
188
00:13:40,520 --> 00:13:42,987
as if there were
no reinforcement whatsoever.
189
00:13:45,759 --> 00:13:48,426
The difference between
the magnitude
190
00:13:48,528 --> 00:13:50,228
of this shaking
191
00:13:50,330 --> 00:13:52,664
and the magnitude of
192
00:13:52,766 --> 00:13:55,233
the shaking from
a Richter-8 earthquake
193
00:13:55,335 --> 00:13:57,802
is roughly a thousand fold.
194
00:14:03,076 --> 00:14:06,477
- And this is just the
beginning of the disaster.
195
00:14:06,580 --> 00:14:08,146
In less than a minute,
196
00:14:08,248 --> 00:14:11,249
25,000 people are dead.
197
00:14:11,351 --> 00:14:13,451
The survivors are the lucky ones
198
00:14:13,553 --> 00:14:15,753
who avoid debris
from collapsing buildings.
199
00:14:17,357 --> 00:14:19,657
The shock wave's killer strength
200
00:14:19,759 --> 00:14:22,493
will extend 500 miles
in all directions.
201
00:14:22,596 --> 00:14:25,997
But that's just the beginning.
202
00:14:26,099 --> 00:14:28,967
What follows could be
the greatest catastrophe
203
00:14:29,069 --> 00:14:35,607
in the history of mankind.
204
00:14:35,709 --> 00:14:40,111
- 640,000 years ago,
205
00:14:40,213 --> 00:14:42,780
a supervolcano erupted,
206
00:14:42,883 --> 00:14:45,049
killing millions
of prehistoric creatures,
207
00:14:45,151 --> 00:14:48,453
roaming the ancient landscape.
208
00:14:48,555 --> 00:14:50,989
What if an even bigger
explosion,
209
00:14:51,091 --> 00:14:53,224
a volcanic hyper-eruption,
210
00:14:53,326 --> 00:14:55,660
happened today?
211
00:14:55,762 --> 00:14:57,462
Could you survive?
212
00:15:02,102 --> 00:15:04,602
Yellowstone National Park,
Wyoming.
213
00:15:06,606 --> 00:15:08,566
The most powerful volcanic event
214
00:15:08,608 --> 00:15:10,608
ever witnessed by mankind
215
00:15:10,710 --> 00:15:12,744
has just rocked the Earth.
216
00:15:15,849 --> 00:15:17,415
A massive shock wave,
217
00:15:17,517 --> 00:15:20,418
equivalent to a
magnitude-11 earthquake,
218
00:15:20,520 --> 00:15:23,021
now radiates out
in all directions.
219
00:15:24,591 --> 00:15:28,960
25,000 people are already dead,
220
00:15:29,062 --> 00:15:31,930
most of them in the falling
buildings of Salt Lake City,
221
00:15:32,032 --> 00:15:38,803
260 miles away.
222
00:15:47,380 --> 00:15:49,514
- 400 miles to the northeast,
223
00:15:49,616 --> 00:15:51,616
in Trenton, North Dakota,
224
00:15:51,718 --> 00:15:56,387
oil tanker trains
118-cars-long
225
00:15:56,489 --> 00:16:00,458
come and go
at a shipping terminal.
226
00:16:00,560 --> 00:16:02,493
When the shock wave hits...
227
00:16:05,231 --> 00:16:07,398
The terminal storage tanks
rupture,
228
00:16:07,500 --> 00:16:10,068
and with the first random spark,
229
00:16:10,170 --> 00:16:14,138
550,000 gallons of oil explode.
230
00:16:19,279 --> 00:16:21,813
- These are no ordinary fires.
231
00:16:21,915 --> 00:16:24,816
These are fires of
black crude oil,
232
00:16:24,918 --> 00:16:29,420
which is spewing carbon smoke
into the atmosphere.
233
00:16:29,522 --> 00:16:31,923
Completely black.
Completely opaque.
234
00:16:32,025 --> 00:16:34,158
Completely toxic.
235
00:16:34,260 --> 00:16:36,594
- Dozens of terminal workers
236
00:16:36,696 --> 00:16:39,430
are burned to death
in the explosions.
237
00:16:39,532 --> 00:16:41,099
And the thick smoke cloud
238
00:16:41,201 --> 00:16:43,534
reaches a mile in height.
239
00:16:51,311 --> 00:16:54,579
- 400 miles south
of Yellowstone,
240
00:16:54,681 --> 00:16:57,615
campers at Utah's
Arches National Park
241
00:16:57,717 --> 00:16:59,350
suspect nothing
242
00:16:59,452 --> 00:17:01,552
as they gaze at the spectacular
243
00:17:01,654 --> 00:17:03,354
sandstone landmarks.
244
00:17:09,662 --> 00:17:11,874
- Arches National Park
is a majestic collection
245
00:17:11,898 --> 00:17:14,732
of somewhere around 2,000
sandstone arches
246
00:17:14,834 --> 00:17:16,467
that have been eroded by wind
247
00:17:16,569 --> 00:17:18,302
to leave a gap underneath.
248
00:17:21,908 --> 00:17:25,810
- Created after the sandstone
was exposed to the elements,
249
00:17:25,912 --> 00:17:28,780
the arches have taken
15 million years to form.
250
00:17:32,752 --> 00:17:36,220
Delicate Arch, 65 feet tall,
251
00:17:36,322 --> 00:17:38,489
is the most popular
252
00:17:38,591 --> 00:17:41,993
and famous the world over.
253
00:17:42,095 --> 00:17:45,063
Landscape Arch is the longest,
254
00:17:45,165 --> 00:17:47,999
stretching 290 feet end to end.
255
00:17:49,702 --> 00:17:53,671
And Balanced Rock,
weighing 3,500 tons,
256
00:17:53,773 --> 00:17:55,606
is an improbable oddity
257
00:17:55,708 --> 00:17:58,342
few photographers can resist.
258
00:17:58,445 --> 00:18:01,112
- Sandstone is not
the best building material.
259
00:18:01,214 --> 00:18:04,816
And so when you experience a
strong seismic shock like this,
260
00:18:04,884 --> 00:18:08,019
these arches, which have
lasted for millennia
261
00:18:08,121 --> 00:18:10,788
and which were patiently
carved by rain and floodwater,
262
00:18:10,890 --> 00:18:12,356
will come tumbling down.
263
00:18:37,417 --> 00:18:38,883
- Oh, my God.
264
00:18:39,953 --> 00:18:41,052
Come on.
265
00:19:21,594 --> 00:19:24,495
[Creeching]
266
00:19:29,302 --> 00:19:31,669
- Oh... wow.
267
00:19:31,771 --> 00:19:35,673
- Video and pictures from
both Arches and Yellowstone
268
00:19:35,775 --> 00:19:37,942
race around the internet.
269
00:19:38,044 --> 00:19:41,112
And as the world gets wind
of what's happening in America,
270
00:19:41,214 --> 00:19:43,848
the devastation
near the eruption site
271
00:19:43,950 --> 00:19:46,450
only gets worse.
272
00:19:54,661 --> 00:19:58,095
Around Yellowstone's
glowing pillar of molten rock,
273
00:19:58,198 --> 00:20:00,898
a mushroom cloud forms.
274
00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:02,511
- This mushroom cloud
is being propelled
275
00:20:02,535 --> 00:20:04,113
by so much heat
that's been generated,
276
00:20:04,137 --> 00:20:06,217
it can move higher
through the atmosphere
277
00:20:06,306 --> 00:20:08,284
than anything we've ever
seen like it before.
278
00:20:08,308 --> 00:20:11,142
We're talking 40, 50, 60,
higher,
279
00:20:11,244 --> 00:20:13,324
miles into the sky
to the edge of space.
280
00:20:19,652 --> 00:20:21,786
- 75 miles away,
281
00:20:21,888 --> 00:20:25,423
a blast of air
traveling at the speed of sound
282
00:20:25,525 --> 00:20:28,392
reaches the waters
of Lake Yellowstone,
283
00:20:28,494 --> 00:20:31,829
creating a deadly tsunami.
284
00:20:34,167 --> 00:20:37,301
150 people drown
in the onrushing wave.
285
00:20:48,581 --> 00:20:50,181
- The only survivors
286
00:20:50,283 --> 00:20:53,117
are those who make it
to high ground.
287
00:20:56,356 --> 00:20:59,790
The air blast also
generates a deafening sound.
288
00:21:03,596 --> 00:21:05,930
It's a phenomenon
seen on a much smaller scale
289
00:21:06,032 --> 00:21:07,965
in 2014,
290
00:21:08,067 --> 00:21:10,201
when the Mount Tavurvur volcano
291
00:21:10,303 --> 00:21:12,803
became active in
Papua, New Guinea.
292
00:21:12,905 --> 00:21:15,640
- Watch out for the shock,
it's coming.
293
00:21:15,742 --> 00:21:18,643
- The sound of the eruption
took about 13 seconds
294
00:21:18,745 --> 00:21:19,977
to reach the boat,
295
00:21:20,079 --> 00:21:21,746
just under three miles away.
296
00:21:26,052 --> 00:21:29,387
- Oh!
- Holy smokin' Toledos!
297
00:21:32,158 --> 00:21:34,625
- The Yellowstone
hyper-eruption
298
00:21:34,727 --> 00:21:36,861
is thousands of times
more powerful.
299
00:21:44,837 --> 00:21:46,504
The explosive sound
300
00:21:46,606 --> 00:21:48,739
doesn't reach Salt Lake City
301
00:21:48,841 --> 00:21:51,142
until long after
the initial jolt.
302
00:21:52,445 --> 00:21:54,545
That's because the seismic waves
303
00:21:54,647 --> 00:21:56,814
travel much faster
than sound waves.
304
00:22:01,587 --> 00:22:04,188
- The Earth is much stiffer
than the air,
305
00:22:04,290 --> 00:22:07,058
and so disturbances
travel much faster
306
00:22:07,126 --> 00:22:08,426
through the stiff material.
307
00:22:08,528 --> 00:22:10,761
So the seismic waves
308
00:22:10,863 --> 00:22:12,563
reach Salt Lake City
309
00:22:12,665 --> 00:22:14,432
well before the sound waves do.
310
00:22:14,534 --> 00:22:16,067
It takes about 22 minutes
311
00:22:16,169 --> 00:22:18,269
before the sound
of the explosion
312
00:22:18,371 --> 00:22:20,004
is heard in Salt Lake City.
313
00:22:23,343 --> 00:22:25,776
- The sound of the blast
is so loud
314
00:22:25,878 --> 00:22:29,213
that even as far
as 2,000 miles away,
315
00:22:29,315 --> 00:22:32,583
it measures more than
150 decibels.
316
00:22:32,685 --> 00:22:35,886
It's like standing
next to a jet at takeoff,
317
00:22:35,988 --> 00:22:39,857
and is easily enough to
rupture people's eardrums.
318
00:22:45,064 --> 00:22:48,265
Then the eruption ends,
319
00:22:48,368 --> 00:22:51,268
almost as suddenly as it began.
320
00:22:52,872 --> 00:22:55,406
- A hyper-eruption
takes place much faster
321
00:22:55,508 --> 00:22:58,242
than an ordinary
volcanic eruption.
322
00:22:58,344 --> 00:23:00,478
It's over within
ten minutes or so.
323
00:23:02,482 --> 00:23:04,827
After the eruption, after
the smoke and dust has cleared,
324
00:23:04,851 --> 00:23:07,051
there's a crater
that's several miles wide.
325
00:23:10,690 --> 00:23:13,090
- The western United States
has been hit hard.
326
00:23:14,927 --> 00:23:17,895
From Yellowstone to
Salt Lake City and beyond,
327
00:23:17,997 --> 00:23:20,631
35,000 are dead.
328
00:23:20,733 --> 00:23:23,834
Survivors are left
to sort through the wreckage
329
00:23:23,936 --> 00:23:26,570
in the 500-mile
circle of destruction.
330
00:23:29,242 --> 00:23:31,475
But this catastrophic event
331
00:23:31,611 --> 00:23:34,645
is about to go global.
332
00:23:39,619 --> 00:23:43,320
37 billion tons
of volcanic debris,
333
00:23:43,423 --> 00:23:46,490
heated up to
more than 3,000 degrees,
334
00:23:46,592 --> 00:23:48,259
is flying through space
335
00:23:48,361 --> 00:23:50,428
more than 200 miles up.
336
00:23:52,765 --> 00:23:54,398
When it comes crashing down,
337
00:23:54,467 --> 00:23:57,601
it will be more powerful
than a nuclear bomb.
338
00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:11,215
- The most powerful volcanic
eruption in human history
339
00:24:11,317 --> 00:24:14,652
has just rocked
Yellowstone National Park.
340
00:24:16,322 --> 00:24:18,355
Could you survive?
341
00:24:29,268 --> 00:24:31,302
- 50,000 people are dead.
342
00:24:31,404 --> 00:24:32,870
And cities are in ruin
343
00:24:32,972 --> 00:24:35,406
across the
American and Canadian west
344
00:24:35,508 --> 00:24:38,375
from the powerful seismic shock
of the hyper-eruption.
345
00:24:41,147 --> 00:24:42,413
- In the wreckage,
346
00:24:42,482 --> 00:24:45,216
a traumatized population
struggles
347
00:24:45,318 --> 00:24:49,587
as water, power, and other
essentials are cut off.
348
00:24:49,689 --> 00:24:53,157
Those who have stockpiles
of supplies will survive.
349
00:24:53,259 --> 00:24:55,326
Those without are in peril.
350
00:25:01,033 --> 00:25:03,934
Emergency relief
is rushed to Salt Lake City
351
00:25:04,036 --> 00:25:05,848
and other devastated communities
352
00:25:05,872 --> 00:25:08,032
within hundreds of miles
of the eruption.
353
00:25:10,510 --> 00:25:12,109
But they are unable to cope
354
00:25:12,178 --> 00:25:15,446
with the magnitude
of the destruction.
355
00:25:15,548 --> 00:25:18,249
- Some people would think
the end of the world had come.
356
00:25:18,351 --> 00:25:20,751
No one is prepared for
a disaster of this magnitude.
357
00:25:25,291 --> 00:25:28,125
- Meanwhile, the force
of the hyper-eruption
358
00:25:28,227 --> 00:25:30,427
is about to wreak more havoc.
359
00:25:30,530 --> 00:25:34,131
The volcano's 50-mile-high
column of molten rock
360
00:25:34,233 --> 00:25:37,201
is flying through
the atmosphere.
361
00:25:37,303 --> 00:25:38,881
- It's a little bit like
a shotgun blast
362
00:25:38,905 --> 00:25:40,971
that peppers an area,
363
00:25:41,073 --> 00:25:43,040
that spreads out a little bit,
364
00:25:43,142 --> 00:25:45,609
but it doesn't spread out
to cover the entire Earth.
365
00:25:48,347 --> 00:25:50,147
- The salvo of debris
366
00:25:50,249 --> 00:25:52,950
spans the border of
the United States and Canada.
367
00:25:57,657 --> 00:25:59,823
Millions of red-hot
projectiles
368
00:25:59,926 --> 00:26:02,960
slam down on Seattle
and Vancouver.
369
00:26:17,343 --> 00:26:19,843
- It's like if you've
ever been in a hailstorm
370
00:26:19,912 --> 00:26:22,813
with thick balls of hail,
except these are even heavier,
371
00:26:22,915 --> 00:26:24,915
coming down with
a lot of momentum...
372
00:26:26,018 --> 00:26:28,152
Smashing into cars,
373
00:26:28,254 --> 00:26:29,820
breaking windows,
374
00:26:29,922 --> 00:26:31,922
going through
the roofs of houses.
375
00:26:33,359 --> 00:26:35,370
- The calculations show
that a hyper-eruption
376
00:26:35,394 --> 00:26:38,529
would push out about
three cubic miles of material.
377
00:26:42,101 --> 00:26:44,268
Three cubic miles of material
is like
378
00:26:44,370 --> 00:26:47,137
about 12,000
Empire State Buildings
379
00:26:47,239 --> 00:26:49,506
all landing in one region.
380
00:26:51,243 --> 00:26:53,611
The only way to survive
the onslaught
381
00:26:53,713 --> 00:26:56,513
is to be lucky enough for
the projectiles to miss you.
382
00:26:57,883 --> 00:27:00,451
Deep underground shelter
may help,
383
00:27:00,553 --> 00:27:03,287
but not if it's hit
by something really big.
384
00:27:05,658 --> 00:27:07,898
- Of the stuff that's
raining down on the area,
385
00:27:07,960 --> 00:27:09,860
you'd expect a range of sizes,
386
00:27:09,962 --> 00:27:12,963
everything from gravel
or, uh, pebbles
387
00:27:13,065 --> 00:27:14,710
all the way up to
large buildings
388
00:27:14,734 --> 00:27:17,401
or even stadium sizes.
389
00:27:17,503 --> 00:27:20,237
- Vancouver's
art deco city hall,
390
00:27:20,339 --> 00:27:22,573
with its distinctive
12-story tower,
391
00:27:22,675 --> 00:27:25,509
was built in 1936
392
00:27:25,611 --> 00:27:27,745
and is only 250 feet wide.
393
00:27:32,752 --> 00:27:33,851
- Vancouver City Hall
394
00:27:33,953 --> 00:27:35,219
would simply disappear.
395
00:27:36,689 --> 00:27:38,055
It's important to keep in mind
396
00:27:38,157 --> 00:27:40,068
that the ejecta coming back down
397
00:27:40,092 --> 00:27:42,660
is very similar to an
asteroid striking from space.
398
00:27:45,264 --> 00:27:47,765
So where Vancouver City Hall
used to be,
399
00:27:47,867 --> 00:27:49,333
you'd now have a crater
400
00:27:49,435 --> 00:27:50,834
that's more than a mile wide.
401
00:28:04,950 --> 00:28:06,884
Two hours after the eruption,
402
00:28:06,986 --> 00:28:08,619
people around the world
403
00:28:08,721 --> 00:28:13,090
start literally hearing
the massive volcanic explosion
404
00:28:13,192 --> 00:28:15,459
as its sound waves
circle the globe
405
00:28:15,561 --> 00:28:18,562
at 767 miles per hour.
406
00:28:25,471 --> 00:28:26,904
In Mexico City,
407
00:28:27,006 --> 00:28:29,940
1,800 miles from the
site of the blast,
408
00:28:30,042 --> 00:28:31,475
it sounds like thunder.
409
00:28:37,917 --> 00:28:40,184
- It would be the shot
heard around the world
410
00:28:40,252 --> 00:28:41,785
several times around.
411
00:28:43,355 --> 00:28:45,489
- And within six hours...
412
00:28:46,892 --> 00:28:48,759
The eerie noise hits Europe...
413
00:28:48,861 --> 00:28:50,761
Africa...
414
00:28:50,863 --> 00:28:52,930
And Asia.
415
00:29:06,879 --> 00:29:09,113
- The sound that it makes,
like a ripple,
416
00:29:09,215 --> 00:29:11,982
will travel all the way
around the world
417
00:29:12,084 --> 00:29:15,252
once every 32 hours or so
and keep going
418
00:29:15,354 --> 00:29:18,355
maybe three times
before eventually
419
00:29:18,457 --> 00:29:19,735
the intensity of that sound
dropped below
420
00:29:19,759 --> 00:29:20,959
the limit of human hearing.
421
00:29:29,802 --> 00:29:31,135
- Across the world,
422
00:29:31,237 --> 00:29:33,357
the sound of the blast
is merely a sign
423
00:29:33,439 --> 00:29:35,339
of things to come.
424
00:29:35,441 --> 00:29:37,674
The far-reaching effects
of the eruption
425
00:29:37,777 --> 00:29:41,478
will be more disastrous
than anyone realizes.
426
00:29:44,617 --> 00:29:46,817
- There's actually
another killing mechanism
427
00:29:46,919 --> 00:29:48,318
lurking behind all of this.
428
00:29:48,420 --> 00:29:51,355
And it's one
that could actually threaten
429
00:29:51,457 --> 00:29:53,697
the entire human civilization
across the globe.
430
00:30:02,034 --> 00:30:04,868
- 640,000 years ago,
431
00:30:04,970 --> 00:30:07,738
a supervolcano erupted
in what is now
432
00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:09,540
Yellowstone National Park.
433
00:30:09,642 --> 00:30:13,443
What if an even more powerful
and deadly blast...
434
00:30:16,482 --> 00:30:17,981
Happened today?
435
00:30:24,890 --> 00:30:27,124
The Yellowstone hyper-eruption
436
00:30:27,226 --> 00:30:29,560
is the first
of its kind in human history.
437
00:30:32,498 --> 00:30:35,999
The sheer explosive force
of the hyper-eruption,
438
00:30:36,101 --> 00:30:38,435
its mighty shock waves...
439
00:30:41,874 --> 00:30:45,776
And the ensuing rain of
volcanic debris that followed
440
00:30:45,845 --> 00:30:47,945
has toppled buildings,
441
00:30:48,047 --> 00:30:51,348
destroyed cities,
442
00:30:51,450 --> 00:30:55,919
and ignited fires
up to 500 miles away.
443
00:30:58,557 --> 00:31:00,717
Hundreds of thousands are dead
or injured.
444
00:31:03,028 --> 00:31:04,595
But a month after the blast,
445
00:31:04,697 --> 00:31:06,430
the worst is yet to come.
446
00:31:08,133 --> 00:31:09,911
- Frightening conclusions
tonight from scientists
447
00:31:09,935 --> 00:31:11,947
following last months
so-called "hyper-eruption"
448
00:31:11,971 --> 00:31:13,804
in the United States.
449
00:31:13,906 --> 00:31:15,372
The sulfuric gas it released
450
00:31:15,441 --> 00:31:17,185
threatens to plunge
the entire planet
451
00:31:17,209 --> 00:31:19,643
into a prolonged winter.
452
00:31:19,745 --> 00:31:22,779
- Sulfur dioxide
is not a gas that you want
453
00:31:22,882 --> 00:31:25,115
put into the atmosphere
in large quantities.
454
00:31:26,252 --> 00:31:27,618
It does a couple things,
455
00:31:27,720 --> 00:31:30,687
none of which are particularly
good for the environment.
456
00:31:30,789 --> 00:31:34,124
Most importantly,
the sulfur gas, sulfur dioxide,
457
00:31:34,226 --> 00:31:35,470
when it goes into the atmosphere
458
00:31:35,494 --> 00:31:37,794
is converted into sulfuric acid.
459
00:31:39,465 --> 00:31:41,409
Tiny droplets
or aerosol droplets
460
00:31:41,433 --> 00:31:43,634
of sulfuric acid,
which form clouds,
461
00:31:43,736 --> 00:31:46,470
which cause the sunlight
effectively to bounce off
462
00:31:46,572 --> 00:31:49,640
and dramatically cool down
the ground below.
463
00:31:54,947 --> 00:31:56,747
- The upper atmosphere
464
00:31:56,849 --> 00:31:59,850
is flooded with sulfur
compounds from the eruption,
465
00:31:59,952 --> 00:32:02,586
blocking sunlight,
466
00:32:02,688 --> 00:32:06,056
chilling the climate,
467
00:32:06,191 --> 00:32:08,926
and plunging the world
into a sudden ice age.
468
00:32:11,330 --> 00:32:13,397
As the deep freeze takes hold,
469
00:32:13,499 --> 00:32:17,367
civilization is slowly
brought to its knees.
470
00:32:19,271 --> 00:32:21,231
The canals of Venice are frozen.
471
00:32:23,776 --> 00:32:27,544
The wheat fields of
the Midwest are dead.
472
00:32:27,646 --> 00:32:30,380
Blizzards whip across
landscapes everywhere,
473
00:32:30,482 --> 00:32:33,250
making travel nearly impossible
474
00:32:33,319 --> 00:32:37,054
and bringing normal life
to a grinding halt.
475
00:32:37,156 --> 00:32:38,633
- Once the temperature
starts plummeting,
476
00:32:38,657 --> 00:32:41,692
life as we know it
is gonna fundamentally change.
477
00:32:41,794 --> 00:32:46,029
- Now, survival becomes
a question of finding food
478
00:32:46,131 --> 00:32:48,198
for those left alive.
479
00:33:00,746 --> 00:33:03,186
- So I think people would start
hoarding food very quickly.
480
00:33:04,216 --> 00:33:06,149
Looting, that's a possibility.
481
00:33:06,251 --> 00:33:07,529
If you're thinking about
feeding your family,
482
00:33:07,553 --> 00:33:09,793
you might think about
stealing food from stores.
483
00:33:15,861 --> 00:33:18,395
- The severe blocking
of sunlight
484
00:33:18,497 --> 00:33:20,764
that would follow
a hyper-eruption
485
00:33:20,866 --> 00:33:23,767
would lead to something like 99%
486
00:33:23,869 --> 00:33:26,603
of the plant life
on Earth dying.
487
00:33:27,906 --> 00:33:29,673
And that die-off
488
00:33:29,775 --> 00:33:32,442
would have severe consequences
for the food webs
489
00:33:32,544 --> 00:33:34,911
that most life on Earth
depends on.
490
00:33:36,582 --> 00:33:37,759
- By some accounts,
you're reaching
491
00:33:37,783 --> 00:33:40,617
6 billion people dying
from lack of food.
492
00:33:44,089 --> 00:33:45,734
- They say we have about
a year's worth of food
493
00:33:45,758 --> 00:33:46,958
for everyone on the planet.
494
00:33:48,727 --> 00:33:51,261
- That includes
everything in grain silos,
495
00:33:51,363 --> 00:33:53,196
warehouses,
496
00:33:53,298 --> 00:33:55,265
processing plants,
497
00:33:55,367 --> 00:33:57,167
remaining livestock.
498
00:34:01,707 --> 00:34:03,874
After the first year
of the ice age...
499
00:34:06,078 --> 00:34:07,711
Food for humans,
500
00:34:07,813 --> 00:34:10,347
for creatures of all kinds,
501
00:34:10,449 --> 00:34:11,449
will be gone.
502
00:34:22,795 --> 00:34:25,195
- Almost all animals
of all species
503
00:34:25,297 --> 00:34:27,064
will die
504
00:34:27,166 --> 00:34:29,232
because they don't have
nutrition.
505
00:34:30,903 --> 00:34:33,370
This is what happens
in a mass extinction.
506
00:34:47,786 --> 00:34:51,154
- What happens to a world
brought to its knees
507
00:34:51,256 --> 00:34:53,957
by the worst volcanic
eruption in history?
508
00:35:05,270 --> 00:35:07,471
The Yellowstone hyper-eruption
509
00:35:07,573 --> 00:35:09,573
has left cities in ruins.
510
00:35:12,244 --> 00:35:14,211
And its volcanic gases
511
00:35:14,313 --> 00:35:16,179
have blanketed the atmosphere,
512
00:35:16,281 --> 00:35:18,482
blocking the sun,
513
00:35:18,584 --> 00:35:20,884
and triggering a global ice age
514
00:35:20,986 --> 00:35:23,186
that has brought civilization
to the brink.
515
00:35:26,158 --> 00:35:28,191
Decimated by starvation,
516
00:35:28,293 --> 00:35:30,560
the human population plummets
517
00:35:30,662 --> 00:35:32,829
to less than 1 billion people.
518
00:35:36,001 --> 00:35:37,479
- You've reached a point
now where
519
00:35:37,503 --> 00:35:39,414
there aren't enough
people left alive
520
00:35:39,438 --> 00:35:42,506
to bury all of the dead bodies.
521
00:35:42,608 --> 00:35:44,941
You would have entire
populations either vacate
522
00:35:45,043 --> 00:35:46,610
or die in place.
523
00:35:49,214 --> 00:35:52,015
- Some survive by luck.
524
00:35:52,117 --> 00:35:55,352
Those who happen to live
in narrow equatorial regions
525
00:35:55,454 --> 00:35:56,853
do not freeze.
526
00:35:56,955 --> 00:36:00,590
Other people find
clever strategies to adapt
527
00:36:00,692 --> 00:36:04,127
and overcome the extreme cold.
528
00:36:04,229 --> 00:36:05,562
Perhaps surprisingly,
529
00:36:05,664 --> 00:36:08,765
a chance of life
exists in Iceland,
530
00:36:08,867 --> 00:36:11,067
where cold was already
a way of life
531
00:36:11,170 --> 00:36:12,769
before the disaster.
532
00:36:12,871 --> 00:36:16,873
- They are already used to
an almost barren environment.
533
00:36:16,975 --> 00:36:20,377
And they certainly have
the knowledge and the technique
534
00:36:20,479 --> 00:36:23,547
necessary to, I believe,
adapt to such an environment.
535
00:36:28,020 --> 00:36:29,260
- Iceland has something that
536
00:36:29,354 --> 00:36:32,923
most populated
parts of the planet don't:
537
00:36:33,025 --> 00:36:36,459
An underground source
of heat and energy.
538
00:36:36,562 --> 00:36:39,329
The country sits on top
of a volcanic hot spot.
539
00:36:41,400 --> 00:36:44,267
Survivors here
are able to harness that heat
540
00:36:44,369 --> 00:36:49,139
to keep greenhouses warm
despite freezing temperatures.
541
00:36:49,241 --> 00:36:51,942
With the collapse of
traditional outdoor farming,
542
00:36:52,044 --> 00:36:55,745
these indoor farms
will be a key to survival.
543
00:36:57,416 --> 00:37:00,951
More than 1,500 miles away
in Denmark,
544
00:37:01,053 --> 00:37:03,186
another colony of survivors
545
00:37:03,288 --> 00:37:05,922
uses technology that
had been under development
546
00:37:06,024 --> 00:37:09,593
in the country since 2001.
547
00:37:09,695 --> 00:37:12,829
They're turning natural gas
548
00:37:12,931 --> 00:37:14,197
into food.
549
00:37:16,868 --> 00:37:19,302
- Natural gas is mostly
composed of methane.
550
00:37:19,404 --> 00:37:21,771
And, as it turns out,
there are some microorganisms
551
00:37:21,873 --> 00:37:24,674
that can eat methane for food.
552
00:37:24,776 --> 00:37:26,610
And one of the strategies
553
00:37:26,712 --> 00:37:28,256
for finding an alternate
food supply
554
00:37:28,280 --> 00:37:29,813
after a disaster like this
555
00:37:29,915 --> 00:37:33,783
is supplying these bacteria
with natural gas,
556
00:37:33,885 --> 00:37:37,821
and then harvesting them
as food themselves.
557
00:37:37,923 --> 00:37:40,290
- Half of Denmark's natural gas
558
00:37:40,392 --> 00:37:42,292
is kept in underground storage
559
00:37:42,394 --> 00:37:44,461
near the town of Stenlille.
560
00:37:44,563 --> 00:37:47,697
Here a food factory is built.
561
00:37:47,799 --> 00:37:50,634
They feed the gas
to the methane-eating bacteria.
562
00:37:50,736 --> 00:37:52,669
The microbes are then dried
563
00:37:52,771 --> 00:37:57,707
to produce a highly nutritious
edible protein.
564
00:37:57,809 --> 00:38:00,644
These survivors
have weathered the worst
565
00:38:00,746 --> 00:38:02,706
of the hyper-eruption's
effects.
566
00:38:14,426 --> 00:38:16,326
Now, ten years after
567
00:38:16,428 --> 00:38:19,029
the volcanic disaster began...
568
00:38:20,766 --> 00:38:23,166
Earth's climate
is about to turn a corner.
569
00:38:26,872 --> 00:38:28,650
- After about a decade,
the sulfur dioxide
570
00:38:28,674 --> 00:38:30,674
has rained out of
the atmosphere,
571
00:38:30,776 --> 00:38:32,587
and its effects on the climate
start to wane.
572
00:38:32,611 --> 00:38:34,589
But that's when the effects
of the other gas
573
00:38:34,613 --> 00:38:36,079
produced by the hyper-eruption
574
00:38:36,181 --> 00:38:37,347
start to rear its head.
575
00:38:37,449 --> 00:38:39,516
And that's carbon dioxide.
576
00:38:39,618 --> 00:38:41,029
And that will actually
take the climate
577
00:38:41,053 --> 00:38:42,385
in the opposite direction
578
00:38:42,487 --> 00:38:44,120
and start to warm everything.
579
00:38:45,223 --> 00:38:47,257
- The rapid warming period
580
00:38:47,359 --> 00:38:49,926
is slow to die down.
581
00:38:50,028 --> 00:38:51,973
It's gonna last for
thousands of years
582
00:38:51,997 --> 00:38:54,030
after the eruption.
583
00:38:54,132 --> 00:38:57,033
- The world may have
suffered a mass extinction,
584
00:38:57,135 --> 00:38:59,302
but human beings are among those
585
00:38:59,404 --> 00:39:01,638
who dodged the bullet.
586
00:39:01,740 --> 00:39:07,410
- We are talking about
99.99% of all humans dying.
587
00:39:07,512 --> 00:39:10,046
But that is not an extinction.
588
00:39:10,148 --> 00:39:14,284
That is just
a terrible calamity.
589
00:39:14,386 --> 00:39:16,953
- We won't be able to survive
590
00:39:17,055 --> 00:39:18,966
in the same way that
we're doing right now.
591
00:39:18,990 --> 00:39:21,424
We won't be able to have
big infrastructure projects.
592
00:39:21,526 --> 00:39:23,471
We won't have
large numbers of people
593
00:39:23,495 --> 00:39:25,373
living together for that matter.
594
00:39:25,397 --> 00:39:27,797
- As the Earth begins to warm,
595
00:39:27,899 --> 00:39:30,767
how long will it take
humanity's few survivors
596
00:39:30,869 --> 00:39:33,069
to rebuild civilization?
597
00:39:40,846 --> 00:39:43,780
- 200 years after the disaster,
598
00:39:43,882 --> 00:39:46,616
plant life has started
to repopulate.
599
00:39:46,718 --> 00:39:48,284
And this began as ferns
600
00:39:48,387 --> 00:39:51,621
and ground plant life
across the mainland.
601
00:39:51,723 --> 00:39:54,924
And slowly, trees
now start to recover, forests.
602
00:39:57,929 --> 00:40:00,630
- Imagine how many cities
will be first frozen,
603
00:40:00,732 --> 00:40:03,266
then empty of people,
devoid of life,
604
00:40:03,368 --> 00:40:04,801
and then probably forgotten.
605
00:40:04,903 --> 00:40:07,170
And as the planet
warms up again,
606
00:40:07,272 --> 00:40:12,776
the green will come back
to those long-forgotten cities.
607
00:40:12,878 --> 00:40:15,779
Two centuries after
the eruption,
608
00:40:15,881 --> 00:40:18,148
civilization begins
to revive itself.
609
00:40:22,287 --> 00:40:25,655
And despite the extent
of the global disaster,
610
00:40:25,757 --> 00:40:28,858
mankind won't necessarily
have to return
611
00:40:28,960 --> 00:40:30,527
to a primitive existence.
612
00:40:31,630 --> 00:40:33,730
- The Dark Ages in Europe,
613
00:40:33,832 --> 00:40:36,232
people forgot about Rome.
614
00:40:36,334 --> 00:40:39,202
It took humankind
a thousand years
615
00:40:39,304 --> 00:40:42,172
to get back to where the
Greeks and the Romans had been.
616
00:40:43,809 --> 00:40:46,042
But that's not
gonna happen this time.
617
00:40:46,144 --> 00:40:47,577
We know too much.
618
00:40:47,679 --> 00:40:49,179
- The planet and its people
619
00:40:49,281 --> 00:40:51,314
now live in a new world,
620
00:40:51,416 --> 00:40:53,650
whose history took a sharp turn
621
00:40:53,752 --> 00:40:56,986
with the volcanic explosion
at Yellowstone.
622
00:40:57,088 --> 00:40:58,755
The hyper-eruption's crater
623
00:40:58,857 --> 00:41:03,226
is filled with water
from nearby streams and rivers,
624
00:41:03,328 --> 00:41:07,831
a striking landmark that will
last for thousands of years.
625
00:41:07,933 --> 00:41:10,066
- It's a lake,
surrounded by vegetation.
626
00:41:10,168 --> 00:41:12,447
And I think ironically it
actually looks very idyllic.
627
00:41:12,471 --> 00:41:13,903
It would be calm.
628
00:41:14,005 --> 00:41:16,506
I think for the survivors
of the new civilization
629
00:41:16,608 --> 00:41:18,786
that comes thereafter,
this would be a symbol.
630
00:41:18,810 --> 00:41:21,077
And it actually represents
the beginning
631
00:41:21,179 --> 00:41:24,581
of the new world,
as opposed to the end.