All language subtitles for Undiscovered Vistas Series 1 05of14 Canyon Country 1080p HDTV

Canyon Country.

A rugged empire
of towering rock...

in the outback of Southern Utah
and Northern Arizona.

From a labyrinth
of flooded canyons...

to a barren landscape
that holds the secrets

of a rich geological past.

It is one of North America's
last great wild lands.

A parched plateau
of swirling sandstone...

devoid of shade and water.

There are no maps, no signs...

just wilderness.

One little thing goes wrong
you may not make it out.

A place
where the earth's inner fires

erupt in billows
of eternal smoke.

A land rich in marine fossils

revealing
million-year-old secrets

of an ancient ocean.

These are little pieces
of the puzzle,

the window that brings us
back in time

to what the Earth
must have been like back then.

And a rarely seen view

of one of the world's
most remote

and rugged natural wonders.

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Glen Canyon.

A maze of soaring rock

stretching across
more than a million acres

of the southwest United States

straddling southern Utah
and the tip of northern Arizona.

An enchanted landscape
of twisting canyons

mirrored in the emerald waters
of Lake Powell

and the Colorado River Basin.

It's just
a very scenic landscape

that just has no comparison
anywhere else.

Dubbed "the land no one knew"

the far reaches of Glen Canyon
were seldom travelled

until the middle
of the last century

and today remain largely
undiscovered.

I don't think
the world really knows

how terrific this area is.

There is so much that is unique
and yet hasn't been touched.

(♪♪♪)

That term
"the place no one knew"

was used because
back in the 1950s

Grand Canyon had already
attracted a lot of attention.

Glen Canyon is such
a remarkable feat of nature

that it still manages
to impress

when compared to one
of the world's

most celebrated natural wonders.

Its close neighbor...

the Grand Canyon.

In the late 19th century
the promise of minerals

peaked an interest in mining
at the Grand Canyon.

Though tourism proved
to be more profitable.

By the turn of the 20th century

the Grand Canyon
was one of America's

most popular
tourist destinations.

It had a railroad
that went to the south rim

by 1901.

Farther upstream
there was a lot of activity

but this canyon, Glen Canyon,
was kind of left alone.

Glen Canyon was named
by Major John Wesley Powell:

The first explorer to journey
down the mighty Colorado River.

Once deemed,
the most treacherous waterway

in the northern hemisphere.

In 1869,
Major John Wesley Powell

and 9 of his men
embarked on a journey

of 1,000 miles
of unchartered canyons,

a voyage
that would change the West

forever.

The expedition lasted
a total of 100 days.

The rapids
of the Colorado River

were hostile
through Grand Canyon.

Supplies were ripped away...

food and water scarce...

lives lost.

In Glen Canyon
it was quite a bit different

than it was downstream
in Grand Canyon.

The gradient of the river
was so low

there were very few rapids,
so it was a relief to be here

in this beautiful place.

The name comes from
all of the vegetated alcoves

that lay along the river.

There was more vegetation here

than they had seen upstream
or downstream

so it was
a very beautiful place

that did not require
portaging boats around rapids

and it was very quiet.

After a second
grueling expedition

Major John Wesley Powell
became the first

to map the hostile
Colorado River.

At that time in 1869

this part of the map
of North America

was pretty much blank
and we did not know really

how the Colorado got
from the state of Colorado

down to Arizona and California.

Glen Canyon...

Grand Canyon...

And a vast expanse
of Canyon Country were excavated

by the Colorado River
over millions of years.

More than 1,450 miles long

flowing through
seven different states

the Colorado
is the central artery

of the Southwestern
United States.

It is the American Nile.

In spring
rain and melting snow

roll down the Rocky Mountains

feeding into streams
and tributaries

then converging at the Colorado.

This river system
is collectively known

as the Colorado River Basin.

Draining more than
240,000 square miles,

an area as large as France,

the basin covers nearly
10% of the United States.

The same percentage of Africa
that is drained by the Nile.

For millions of years

these rivers have been flowing
through the landscape

carrying debris
and boulders downstream

carving out the depths
of Canyon Country.

The steep Colorado River
and its tributaries

powered through the gully:

Chiseling the scenic landscape
of Glen Canyon.

The downward journey
of the Colorado

is not always a straight line.

Water takes the path
of least resistance

sometimes meandering down
the landscape

taking wide and swooping turns.

Horseshoe Bend.

A loop of turquoise water
twists between

the soaring sandstone walls

carving more than 1,000-feet
into the canyon.

An astounding 270° turn
in the river's ancient path

is preserved in stone.

The canyon walls
are largely made of sandstone.

Particles of sand bound together
by minerals.

Over time,
these bonds are broken

by the flowing waters
of the Colorado.

And the river's winding path
is engraved into the land:

Marking the beginning
of what one-day might be

a natural bridge.

The natural bridges
of Canyon Country

form in the meanders
of the river's path.

As water carves
deep into the groove

it hits
an impenetrable rock layer

beneath the sandstone.

With its downward excavation
at a halt

the stream widens
its path instead

undercutting
the surrounding canyon walls.

Over time,
water wears down the inner wall

as it curves around the bend

leaving the narrow neck
of the meander

vulnerable to erosion.

Eventually, the stream pierces
through the weakened rock

taking a short cut
through the wall.

With time, this hole is widened
by the new path of the river.

The result is a natural bridge:

One of nature's
most beautifully

engineered structures.

Up the Colorado River

nestled in a canyon
north of Horseshoe Bend,

a natural bridge stands proudly
arched above its maker...

Rainbow Bridge.

Taller than
a 20-story skyscraper...

Nearly as long
as a football field...

It is the world's largest
natural bridge.

The Navajo, a native tribe
that has resided in the area

for hundreds of years
considers the bridge sacred,

a protector of the universe.

In the Navajo language the
bridge is called Nonnezoshi

meaning
"rainbow turned to stone."

In Navajo culture
the Bridge is believed

to capture the essence
of the desert

serving as a symbol
of the divine powers

that created clouds, rainbows,
and rain.

Special prayers are offered

passing beneath
the sacred bridge.

Failure to do so is believed
to bring a lifetime

of misfortune.

Rainbow Bridge was once among
the most remote

and inaccessible areas
in North America.

Today, a man-made reservoir

floods the surrounding streams
and canyons

and gives access to the bridge
by way of water.

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Lake Powell.

Stretching across 186 miles

of Northern Arizona
to Southern Utah.

It is the second largest
man-made reservoir

in the United States.

Lake Powell
and its flooded canyons

are fringed by more than
2,000 miles of shoreline,

a distance longer
than the entire west coast

of the United States.

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The lake was formed
by the construction

of Glen Canyon Dam
more than half a century ago.

(♪♪♪)

The building of the dam began
with the pouring

of damp concrete.

Each bucket of concrete
weighed 24 tons:

As heavy as 12 cars.

(♪♪♪)

Construction lasted three years

and required more than
400,000 buckets of concrete,

enough to lay
a four-lane highway

through all of Italy and Spain.

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Lake Powell stretches
across 13% of Glen Canyon

and holds up to 27 million
acre-feet of water,

enough to flood
the entire landmass of Cuba

in a foot of water.

(♪♪♪)

It is a reservoir

storing the waters
of the Colorado River

to be used in times of drought.

Its waters flow
through a hydro-powerplant

at the toe of Glen Canyon Dam.

Eight massive turbines
fueled by generators

convert water to electricity.

Operating at full capacity,

more than 15 million gallons
of water

pass through the power plant
each minute

providing electricity
to 6 million Americans.

But some wonder,
at what cost?

Calm...

Still...

Serene...

Lake Powell
is one of the world's

most scenic places.

But it is also
one of the most controversial.

In the desert sun
of Canyon Country

nearly 3% of the lake's volume
evaporates each year.

A white line
along the flooded canyon walls

indicates the level of water
that once occupied this lake.

It is referred to
as a "bathtub ring."

Calcium carbonate
and other minerals in the water

attach to sandstone
and leave behind a chalky streak

as they evaporate.

(♪♪♪)

The Colorado River
once zigzagged

through Glen Canyon...

Muddy and savage.

Today, it is one of the most

highly controlled rivers
in the world

with 15 dams installed
along its path.

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The waters of the Colorado,

not controlled
by Glen Canyon Dam

blush in the south-western sun.

Dirt and sand
carried by the river

color its waters red.

When Spanish explorers
first caught sight

of the silty river
they were astounded

by its striking hue,
naming it Rio Colorado:

Red River.

Today, the silt stays trapped
behind the dam

and with it,
its red color.

Native fish dependent on
the silty, life-giving minerals

of the Colorado's muddy waters

are unable to survive
beyond the dam.

Unnaturally cold waters

released from the bottom
of Glen Canyon Dam

pose another problem.

River temperatures
once as high as 85° Fahrenheit

plunge to lows of 44,
too cold for the fish to spawn.

These environmental changes

threaten the populations
of many native species

in the river corridor

between Glen Canyon Dam
and Hoover Dam.

(♪♪♪)

The natural landscape
of Glen Canyon

shaped by the Colorado River
and its tributaries

is always changing.

Over millions of years
plateaus turn into mesas

flat-topped landmasses
wider than they are tall.

These mesas
worn down by erosion

become narrower rocks,
known as buttes.

Eventually these buttes
will erode away to pinnacles.

Until they too surrender
to erosion

and crumble to the valley floor.

The stages in which
the landscape of Glen Canyon

was sculpted
are locked in stone.

Formed during the age
of dinosaurs

Glen Canyon's sandstone walls

date back
to the Jurassic period.

We're sitting
and standing on rocks

that go back about
160 million years,

180 million years.

And we're looking at landscapes

that have been carved out
of those rocks.

We end up with shapes
and sculptures

that you just don't see
anywhere else.

And then having a lake water
lapping up

against these beautiful rocks

and the combination
of blue water and red rocks

is all also pretty hard to beat.

(♪♪♪)

The landscapes that we see today
are just a snapshot

of what's going on here
over a long period of time.

More than 160 million years ago

the sandstone castles
of Glen Canyon

were massive,
wind-blown desert dunes.

And the mahogany rock layer

that lines the foothills
of its canyons

an inland sea.

As the ground rose and fell
the landscape changed

transforming inland seas
into desert dunes.

Over time, these environments
deposited in sedimentary layers

were preserved in stone.

Like the chapters
of a history book

each layer tells the story
of a geological past.

Certain periods of time
within the rock layers

are completely missing

referred to by geologists
as unconformities:

eras when the environment
did not deposit enough sediment

to create a layer.

With no record in the rocks

entire chapters
in the geological history

of Canyon Country
remain a mystery.

West of Glen Canyon
an ancient ocean floor

provides clues
to a mysterious past.

Dark...

Dry...

Desolate...

Deserted.

A place the locals call
"the moon"

for its otherworldly form
and color.

The Tropic Shale.

A stark graveyard
of prehistoric bones

that once teemed
with marine life.

I've been fossil hunting
in the southwest for a long time

and I have training
as a geologist

and I've found a lot of
significant fossil sites

in this formation
of The Tropic Shale.

(♪♪♪)

The fossils that we find here
tell us a lot about the biology

and the history
of what the earth was like here

so long ago.

(♪♪♪)

These are little pieces
of the puzzle,

the window that brings us
back in time

to what the Earth
must have been like back then.

And every single discovery
that's made out here

is an extremely important piece
of that puzzle

that helps us see exactly
what was going on.

Rich in marine fossils

the Tropic Shale reveals
the 90-million-year-old secrets

of an ancient ocean.

The remnants found here
are from the Cretaceous period:

The age of dinosaurs.

If you were here
90 million years ago

you would be in the middle
of an inland sea called

the Western Interior Seaway

that covered most
of western North America.

And you would see fish
swimming around in this ocean.

You would see giant turtles

that were the size of vehicles
swimming around.

A vast array of different types
of sharks

some of which are now extinct.

There were seagoing
marine reptiles

that were also swimming around
in this ocean.

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The colors of the Tropic Shale

help tell the story
of these fossils.

Deep grey coloration indicates

there was a lot of carbon
and little oxygen

on the bottom of this ocean:

What is called
an anoxic environment.

A lack of oxygen
decreased the number

of microbial
and other smaller life forms

that typically consume the bones
collected on an ocean floor

making the tropic shale
an ideal environment

for preserving the fossils
of the marine life

that once swam in these waters.

It's interesting that
you can go to a desert

in the southwest and hike around
in a very remote location

and find a shark tooth
at 4,000-feet elevation

when it's 104° outside.

(♪♪♪)

This is a Cretaceous shark tooth
that we just found close by here

in the tropic shale.

You have part of the root here
has been snapped off.

This is what's known
as an eyetooth,

which is one of the side teeth
from the main tooth,

which is also snapped
on the top.

It's broken
but still beautifully preserved.

Along the Tropic Shale

deposited in shallower,
beach waters

are millions
of fossilized oysters

embedded in the sandstone
as far as the eye can see.

Their shells,
tightly packed together

protected by the stone.

Oysters live in shallow,
salt-water environments.

These fossilized oysters
provide a window

into an oceanic past.

So this entire area
behind me here

was a beach
90 million years ago.

Right on the oceanfront,

which is the darker sediment
right above the beach.

This beach
is just caked in oysters,

which is one of the indications
why we know it was a beach.

When you look at the rocks here,

there are actually
so many oysters

packed together here,

you can hardly even tell
one oyster from the next.

Here's one of these oysters,

beautifully preserved
for 90 million years.

It's really fascinating
to go walk along

this ancient beach

and you can almost imagine
being there

90 million years ago.

There would be oysters
living in the sand

underneath your feet

and it would be like
a tropical paradise

as opposed
to what you see today,

a very dry, desolate desert.

(♪♪♪)

From an ancient ocean floor

to one of the world's largest
sand-dune deserts

the rocks of Canyon Country
reveal a rich geological history

layer by layer.

South of the Tropic Shale

along the deep meander
of the Colorado River

its tributary,
the Paria River

carves through the narrow,
twisting canyons

of the Paria Plateau.

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Above the valley
lies a barren stretch

of pristine desert
brimming with geologic wonders.

(♪♪♪)

(♪♪♪)

Vermillion Cliffs
Wilderness Area:

More than 250 acres
of rugged, unspoiled beauty.

A remote expanse of desert
atop the towering Paria Plateau

girded by 2,000-feet
of soaring, crimson cliffs

stretches across more than
30 miles of Northern Arizona.

(♪♪♪)

It's the most beautiful country
I've ever seen.

To me it is a place that
looks like

it's touched by the divine.

In the scorching desert sun

the Vermillion Cliffs burn
with a fiery, red glow.

The ground sweats

releasing shimmering waves
of heat.

A blooming flower
alone among the desert shrubs

sways in the summer wind.

(♪♪♪)

Wildlife is nowhere to be seen.

High up in the cliffs

the largest land birds
in North America

California Condors
wait out the desert sun

in the shelter
of a shaded cave.

Few creatures can survive
the desert's extreme conditions.

(♪♪♪)

Summer temperatures can spike
to 115° Fahrenheit.

But that's not the start of it.

What you need to worry about
is the fact that from the ground

and from the rocks the heat
is reverberating back to you.

So it is like a pressure cooker.

Sandstone dominates
the landscape

of the Vermillion Cliffs

trapping the scorching rays
of sun

deep inside the ground.

(♪♪♪)

There is no water
and little vegetation

to relieve the heat.

Plants cool the landscape
through a process

called transpiration.

As the surrounding air heats up

plants release excess water
into the atmosphere

cooling both themselves
and the surrounding air.

Junipers, sprinkled across
the barren land

offer little relief
in the way of shade.

The fleeting shadow
from an overhang

on the escarpment
provides a moment of reprieve.

(♪♪♪)

At night,
as the sun retreats

and heat escapes the rocks

temperatures can drop
to lows of 60°

as much as a 30° difference
from the daytime.

You really need to bring
as much as you can

as far as layering:
long-sleeve shirts, hats,

things that will protect you.

You know you wouldn't go out
into the Sahara Desert

ill-prepared.

The landscape
of Vermillion Cliffs

was, in fact,
once an ancient desert

as vast as the Sahara.

A remote and isolated patch
of sandstone

hidden in the Northwest corner
of Vermillion

exposes its ancient past.

The Coyote Buttes,

a landscape of colorful,
swirling sandstone

that must be seen
to be believed.

You won't see anything else
like it in the world.

I've travelled pretty
extensively myself

and I've never seen formations

that are this inspiring
and mind boggling and moving.

The journey out
to the Coyote Buttes

is no easy feat.

There are no signs, no maps.

Just desert.

It's an area that
can be really unforgiving.

Mother Nature's learning curve
here is very harsh

if you're not prepared.

(♪♪♪)

You need your maps,
you need to study them.

You need to be prepared
with a cache of food.

And you need to hydrate.

I can't say enough
that you have need to hydrate

before you head out.

(♪♪♪)

Folks will head out
and be unfamiliar with the area,

get totally turned around
or get dehydrated

because they haven't had
enough water.

There's no signs

and they start hiking
another way

and they're lost.

(♪♪♪)

I feel like out here,

we're on a bit of
a tenuous thread

that if someone were to pull
that tiny little thread,

everything is unravelled
in a moment.

(♪♪♪)

One little thing goes wrong
you may not make it out.

(♪♪♪)

The South Coyote Buttes

tucked away
in the northwest corner

of the Vermillion
Wilderness Area.

A billowing landscape
stained white, orange and red.

Isolated sandstone peaks
emerge from level ground

like tents pitched
in the middle of a desert.

(♪♪♪)

More than 200 million years ago

these summits were massive,
wind-blown sand dunes

that spanned
what is now the stretch

from Wyoming to Las Vegas.

It was one of the world's
largest deserts.

Water filled with minerals
filtered through the desert

binding sand particles together
like cement.

Over millions of years

desert sands turned
to sandstone.

As ancient winds blew
across the desert

sand dunes were stacked
one on top of the other

creating a rippled pattern.

Hardened over time to rock
these ripples were preserved

as smooth, colored ribbons
of sandstone.

Each color represents
a different chemical reaction

between sand, minerals,
and water.

Over millions of years

the landscape is bleached
and stained band by band

in perfectly aligned
horizontal stripes.

(♪♪♪)

Pockets
of the North Coyote Buttes

give way to a chaotic landscape

of tangled reds, whites,
and creams...

and bunches of rock
robbed of color.

You will come to places
that feel like

it's out of this world.

And they are magically
unspoiled.

A place where you can really be
close to nature

and have that connection.

And it feels like
being on another planet.

(♪♪♪)

Curious swells
and weaving twists of color

paint the desert landscape.

(♪♪♪)

You're seeing cream splashed

against these brilliant
oranges and reds and grey

and then the strata,
the formations kind of you know

there's places
where it undulates and swirls

and it kind of smears together

almost like a really luscious
ice cream cone.

It is a different interpretation
that everyone walks away with.

(♪♪♪)

To see all of those

mind-boggling formations
and colors

just kind of smeared
and mixed together

and mashed together

and kind of wonder
how the earth did this,

how the elements pushed
all of these things together

and molded them
and melted them together.

It's really beautiful.

The processes that yielded
these bizarre formations

have stumped geologists
for years.

The contortions,
twists and grooves

are thought to have occurred
in the Jurassic period

more than 100 million years ago

when this was
an ancient desert.

(♪♪♪)

Some geologists believe
this unusual landscape

is the product of a process
called soft sediment formation.

(♪♪♪)

A sand-slide
triggered by an earthquake

mixed different layers of sand.

Over millions of years
these sands solidified to stone

shaping one of nature's most
miraculously painted landscapes.

North of the Vermillion Cliffs,

high above the Colorado River
and its string of canyons

smoke dances in the evening glow
of the setting sun

exhaled from the mouth
of a blackened fissure

that peers deep
into the earth.

Smokey Mountain.

Overlooking the rugged peaks
and valley plains

of Canyon Country

a mountain range that hints
at fires burning deep within.

A build-up of black tar
lines fissures

scattered on the mountaintop.

The pungent odor
of an old, coal-burning furnace

is evidence of a fire
burning miles below the ground.

(♪♪♪)

Millions of years ago

a coal deposit,
deep below the earth

was set ablaze.

(♪♪♪)

The source
that sparked the flame

remains a mystery.

Geologists suggest the fire
was ignited

either
by spontaneous combustion

or a strike of lightning.

A seemingly endless supply
of coal fuels the fire.

Oxygen entering
through the fissures

keeps it burning
like a natural chimney.

(♪♪♪)

The crimson color
of the cliff face

indicates the age and power
of the fire deep within.

The coal oxidizes iron minerals
trapped within the rock

changing the coloration
of the cliffs from brown to red.

Similar to the ruddy bricks
of an aging furnace.

An indication that this fire
has been burning

for millions of years.

(♪♪♪)

With so much valuable coal
going up in smoke

government agencies
and coal companies

tried to extinguish the fire
in the 1960s.

Their efforts failed.

In 1996, a proposed coal mine
in the area was quashed

when US President Bill Clinton
designated this area

a national park.

(♪♪♪)

As the sun descends
on Canyon Country

smoke clouds billow
from the fissures.

(♪♪♪)

The inner fires
of Smokey Mountain

will stay ablaze
through the night

and for countless nights
to come.

From the winding
sandstone labyrinth

of Glen Canyon...

to the swirling sands
of The Vermillion Cliffs...

The Canyon Country
of the American south-west

is a land of raw
and rugged beauty.

It's unlike anything else that
you see anywhere else on Earth.

A barren landscape
that once teemed

with prehistoric life.

Every fossil is a little window
back into that past.

A place to connect with nature.

Today,
we are running way too fast.

Need to slow down
and just listen

and sometimes the only thing
that we hear is nothing at all.

(♪♪♪)

In the outback
of Canyon Country

water slowly deepen canyons...

(♪♪♪)

And winds sculpt desert plains

as they have
for millions of years.

Eroded by the elements
and by time

this land writes the story
of its creation

line by line.

Sometimes revealing
a surprising geological past.

Other times
keeping its origins

a secret.

(♪♪♪)

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