The Pacific Rim is home to half the world's active volcanoes and 90 per cent of its earthquakes, yet nearly 800 million people live at its violent edge. This episode focuses on the Asia-Pacific side of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a living testament to the beauty and danger that geologic forces can deliver.
Our journey begins in New Zealand where we find a 500-kilometre long slip-strike fault deep under the Pacific Ocean. And in Japan we scale the iconic peak of Mount Fuji and discover new ways to monitor, and hopefully one day predict, seismic activity.
96-page Teacher Resource Guide, written by practicing educators, provides a wealth of activities, lesson plans and curriculum outcomes to assist in integrating the video into the classroom.
'This is where fire meets ice, from New Zealand to Japan. The Western Pacific Rim features stunning vistas, wrenching human narratives, and recent and historic footage of the activity of volcanoes and glaciers...This is an engaging geo travelog that is suitable for nature enthusiasts and as well as a platform for beginning geology students. Use the film as a regional vignette or watch a full length thematic narrative that highlights volcanic processes and their past and recent impact on humans along the Pacific's western rim.' Ben van der Pluijm, Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Co-author, Earth Structure: An Introduction to Structural Geology and Tectonics
'The Western Pacific Rim and The Pacific Rim: Americas are excellent for civics and history classes. Throughout history, individuals and society have lived with natural hazards to garner natural resources. The modern construct of plate tectonics rationally explains the occurrence of earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes on the Pacific Rim along with mineral and agricultural bounty, access to the ocean, and picturesque scenery. The interviews in the series clearly illustrate how informed people address this trade-off. Both titles in the series can spark excellent discussion about the hazards and benefits of living along active plate boundaries.' Dr. Norman Sleep, Professor of Geophysics, Stanford University, Author, Principles of Geophysics
'Blends the latest geologic findings with captivating cinematography, bringing the viewer on a worldwide tour of the tectonic forces that mold the surface of our planet...A heart-stopping adventure especially ideal for classroom viewing, or high school and public library DVD collections. Highly recommended.' The Midwest Book Review
'Exceptional...What makes this series especially compelling and of interdisciplinary interests are the discussions of the local cultures and mythologies that have developed based on historic and recent geologic activities, along with the adaptations the local peoples have made to changes in their environment. This stunning series is a valuable addition to any college, high school or public library.' Barbara Gage, Prince George's Community College, Science Books and Films
Citation
Main credits
Suzuki, David T. (narrator)
Allder, Michael (film director)
Allder, Michael (film producer)
Other credits
Editor, Jacques Milette; original music, Ken Myhr; directors of photography, Andy Binnington, Pierre Mainville.
African Studies; Anthropology; Asian Studies; Earth Science; Environment; Geography; Geology; History; Oceans and Coasts; Plate Tectonics; Science, Technology, Society; Sociology
Keywords
western Pacific Rim, active volcanoes, earthquakes, Pacific Ring of Fire, geologic forcs, New Zealand, slip-strike fault, Pacific Occean, Mount Fuji, monitoring seismic activity, predicting earthquakes, continental rifting, birth of new oceans, tsunamis,"The Western Pacific Rim",Bullfrog Films
Distributor: Bullfrog Films
Length: 52 minutes
Date: 2012
Genre: Expository
Language: English
Grade: 8-12, College, Adult
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
Interactive Transcript: Available
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