Mega Disasters
Season 2
Combining science and history, Mega Disasters visits the sites of the most incredible disasters of the past -- and then virtually recreates them in modern times and locations using state-of-the-art computer animation.
Where to Watch Season 2
13 Episodes
- Comet Catastrophe
E2Comet CatastropheThe cause of the Biblical Great Flood may have been a massive three-mile wide comet that crashed in the Indian Ocean, 4,800 years ago. It is believed to have decimated over 60% of Earth's population. A similar comet, crashing into the Pacific Ocean near San Francisco, could cause millions of casualties followed by a lethal mega tsunami, earthquake, torrential rains and a nuclear winter. - Krakatoa's Revenge
E3Krakatoa's RevengeThe 1883 eruption of Krakatoa was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history, claiming over 36,000 lives by the tsunamis it triggered. Another volcanic eruption at Krakatoa, now called Anak Krakatau (meaning "Child of Krakatoa" in Indonesian), could spell curtains for Indonesia. - Glacier Meltdown
E4Glacier MeltdownWith scientists in complete agreement that the climate is warming, many climatologists are warning that intense and prolonged droughts could ravage the interior of the Western United States, leading to catastrophic water shortages. Could we be facing a replay of the Dust Bowl of the 1930s on an even bigger scale? - Hawaii Apocalypse
E5Hawaii ApocalypseMauna Loa, Hawaii, 1868, in its most spectacular eruption, spewed out enough lava to cover 40 percent of the Big Island. A similar eruption occurred in 1950. Now that the island has become developed, the potential for damage and loss from a major eruption is astronomical. - Methane Explosion
E6Methane ExplosionScientific theory states that gigantic eruptions of methane gas from deep in the ocean have occurred regularly throughout history. Although a global-scale methane eruption today is highly unlikely, there are stagnant, oxygen-poor basins in the ocean where methane might accumulate. - New York Earthquake
E8New York EarthquakeAn earthquake in New York City may seem like the plot of a bad movie, but a magnitude 5 quake occurred in 1884 and could happen again. Two faults run under Manhattan Island, including the 125th Street Fault where the landscape dips and the subway crosses on an open bridge. Since skyscrapers are designed to withstand windspeeds of 100 mph, most would survive sans windows; however, mid-sized masonry structures would collapse. As well, buildings (including smaller skyscrapers) built on landfill in Battery Park are subject to soil liquefaction, tipping over entirely in a major earthquake. - Super Swarms
E10Super SwarmsThe Locust is one of the most destructive and dreaded life forms on Earth. The very name evokes a primordial shudder in human kind that originated with Moses and the plagues of Egypt. The American Pioneers too faced catastrophes created by swarms of locust. They endured the largest swarm ever recorded. It was 1,800 miles long and 110 miles wide. - Oil Apocalypse
E11Oil ApocalypseThe oil that our world runs on won't last forever. The gap between supply and demand is ever increasing. Will alternative energy save us or is it already too late? What would happen to the world as we know it when our oil dependent industries come to a grinding halt? A worldwide depression is a certainty but a power struggle for the basic necessities of life would be complete chaos. - L.A.'s Killer Quake
E12L.A.'s Killer QuakeIt has been a century since the infamous 1906 San Francisco earthquake and Californians live with the knowledge that it's only a matter of time before they're hit again. Los Angeles is the second most populous city in America. If an earthquake hit directly beneath downtown LA, scientists believe that tens of thousands would be killed. Just how would the city respond to a 7.5 magnitude quake? - The Next Pompeii?
E13The Next Pompeii?In AD 79, Mount Vesuvius buried Pompeii and killed 5,000 people. The volcano is quiet at the moment, but the only consistency in Vesuvius' eruptive history is a lack of consistency. The danger zone that surrounds the volcano includes the city of Naples and its one million residents; another two million people reside nearby. Scientists know that when Vesuvius erupts again they won't have much warning and another major metropolis will be destroyed.
