Top of the Rocks S01E04 · Basalt

Overview

There’s a peculiarly young rock at the scale of geological times. It comes from the bowels of the Earth and is born from the volcanoes’ fury. This rock is at the root of the most emblematic landscapes, legends and significant evolutions of the animal world. This rock is basalt. We will discover it in the Giant’s Causeway, in Ireland, where they inspire artists, painters and poets. To get a better grasp of its ties with the living, we will go to France where a team of researchers has just demonstrated that life could sustain in its pores. In India, we will see how plants and gemstones find their settings in its heart. We will travel through the United States and in Auvergne, where the first men, Indians and Cowboys maintained close ties to this rock. In Iceland, finally, we will see how it can be a future source of energy.

Torrents

Subtitles

Episodes

1. 1 1. Clay2023-02-27 · 44mClay is a particularly surprising rock. Soft and fragile when dry, it is malleable when in contact with water and can freeze permanently under the action of fire. Thanks to its pec
2. 2 2. Granite2023-02-28 · 44mAlmost unbreakable, this rock constitutes much of the crust of our continents and the root of our mountains. This rock, considered as the base of the terrestrial world, is granite.
3. 3 3. Sandstone2023-03-01 · 44mThere’s a rock that crystallizes the beauty of the world more than any other. It’s sandstone. This rock, rich of the grains of sands that compose it, both porous and resistant, dev
4. 4 4. Basalt2023-03-02 · 43mThere’s a peculiarly young rock at the scale of geological times. It comes from the bowels of the Earth and is born from the volcanoes’ fury. This rock is at the root of the most e
5. 5 5. Limestone2023-03-03 · 43mThis rock is recognizable by its white color; the great builders have chosen it for their most edifying monuments. But even more surprising, it is born from the living and has main