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Earth’s surface is far from stable. Massive floods, shifting continents, and slow but unstoppable tectonic forces have reshaped the planet again and again and they’re still doing it today. These stories explore the moments when geography itself changed course, revealing how oceans vanished, landmasses moved, and entire regions were transformed forever. What looks permanent on a map is often just a snapshot in a much longer, restless history. Animation is created by Bright Side.
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Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/
Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV
Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz
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For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me
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This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.
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00:00Around 5.3 million years ago, a crucial event reshaped the Mediterranean region.
00:06It was a colossal flood that refilled the local sea, which had been extremely barren and salty up until that point.
00:14It got the name Zanclin Flood, and it forever changed the geography of the area.
00:20The Mediterranean Sea is surrounded by Europe, Africa, and Asia, and connects to the ocean by the Strait of Gibraltar.
00:26This is quite a narrow passage, measuring about 8 miles.
00:30It may not be that wide, but the Strait plays a crucial role in maintaining the liquid balance between these two bodies of water.
00:38About 6 million years ago, a bunch of things might have caused the Mediterranean to be cut off from the Atlantic Ocean.
00:45Some say it was an ice age. Others speak of tectonic movements, like earthquakes.
00:49Whatever the cause, it pushed the Mediterranean area into a period called the Mycenaean Salinity Crisis.
00:56For about 1,000 years, the sea slowly evaporated, leaving behind a dry basin that was several miles below sea level.
01:04This crisis really changed the landscape, creating conditions similar to those found in today's Dead Sea.
01:10What this means is that the lush Mediterranean beauty used to be a super salty environment, containing nearly 10 times more salt than the ocean.
01:20Say you could have visited.
01:22You would have been able to effortlessly float on the little water you could find, even if you're not a skilled swimmer.
01:28The amount of salt and that mineral content would have made it challenging for most creatures to survive.
01:35However, some hardy microorganisms, such as bacteria, could have adapted to these harsh conditions.
01:41These days, at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, we can find holes as large as the Grand Canyon,
01:47and they seem to have formed during that same period of dehydration.
01:50Evidence suggests that massive rivers, such as the Nile and the Rhone, flowed directly into the Mediterranean back then,
01:59leaving behind canyons as they reached the bottom, thousands of feet below the sea level.
02:04People had to find some sort of explanation back in the day for the drawing of the Mediterranean,
02:10so they came up with myths and legends.
02:13One such tale was told by the people of southern Iberia, in modern-day Spain and Portugal.
02:19It was also recounted by a famous Roman writer called Pliny the Elder.
02:23What this legend said was that the Mediterranean used to be cut out from the ocean until the hero Hercules,
02:29with his mighty sword, carved a path.
02:31He did so between a fictional location in modern-day Africa and the Rock of Gibraltar.
02:37This allowed the ocean waters to flow in, transforming the Mediterranean into what we know today.
02:44Some fossils also seemed to confirm the unusually large flood.
02:49Remains of marine organisms were found in layers high above current sea levels.
02:54This means the areas were once submerged underwater.
02:57These fossils belonged to mollusks, fish, and marine mammals.
03:02Because of modern techniques, we now have at least an estimated timing of the Zanclin flood.
03:08Scientists used computer simulations to reconstruct the event, providing further evidence that it was real.
03:15What they also discovered is that there is a possibility the Mediterranean might change once more.
03:20The Strait of Gibraltar could close, most likely because of movements deep under the ground.
03:27This could lead to the Mediterranean becoming dry again, over a span of about a thousand years.
03:33The Mediterranean area could disappear altogether if the African continent keeps shifting north too, getting closer to Europe.
03:40Another one of those famous yet still a bit hypothetical large floods is called the Black Sea Deluge Theory.
03:48Some scientists think that around 8,400 years ago, water from the Mediterranean might have spilled over into the Black Sea through a narrow passage called the Bosporus Strait.
03:59This could have caused a massive disaster, forcing people living near the Black Sea to pack up their things and move further inside the continent, in both Europe and Asia.
04:10Along with them, they might have carried stories about this colossal flood.
04:14The specialists that came up with this idea also suggested that these migrating people might have brought along new ways of farming.
04:21Not everyone from the scientific community is convinced, though.
04:26Some argue that while there might have been a flood, it likely happened earlier and was way smaller.
04:31They didn't think this flood could have caused, for example, the story of Noah's Ark.
04:36In this legend, a spiritual man was warned by a higher entity that a giant flood was on its way.
04:42The man went to gather pairs of animals and pack them all in a boat, to make sure these species would survive the devastating flood.
04:49There was also the concern among scholars that discussing real floods and ancient stories too much might blur the lines between science and fiction.
04:58There may be other reasons why these flood stories are so often found across different cultures all over our planet.
05:05One idea is that floods were incredibly destructive for early farmers, so they invented myths about them signaling the end of the world.
05:13Another idea is that people stumbled upon ancient sea creature fossils in unusual places.
05:19Leading them to believe there was a significant flood in the past.
05:24The solution to future floods, though, might be floating cities.
05:28As sea levels continue to rise, coastal cities like Amsterdam, New Orleans, and Venice may go under.
05:34So, floating infrastructure may be the way to go, with buildings that can rise with the water levels, making them able to resist extreme weather too.
05:43Countries like the Netherlands, which have a history of managing water risks, are pioneering these floating creations.
05:50With cities running out of space for expansion, we might be forced to move on water anyway.
05:56By moving on the water, we can reduce crowding and create more interesting ways to feed ourselves, like floating gardens.
06:02These homes also come with great alternatives to our energy needs, through systems that use solar and wind power.
06:09Not to mention that these homes might turn out to be cheaper in the long run.
06:14One such floating city might pop up soon in the Maldives.
06:18Its goal is to host up to 20,000 people and will feature places to live and eat, but also shops and schools.
06:25Designed to look like coral, the region will include canals placed between some 5,000 floating pieces of land.
06:33The city will be constructed using modular units, put together in a construction site nearby.
06:38After they're completed, they'll be towed to the floating city.
06:41The next step is to secure them to a large underwater concrete hull, which is screwed tightly to the seabed on some steel stilts.
06:49All these pieces of construction let the modular units easily move as naturally as the sea.
06:55Even for those that are afraid of seasickness, there's a solution.
06:59That's what the nearby coral reef is for.
07:02It will surround the city, making a natural wave breaker.
07:06Human-made coral banks will also be placed underneath the city, which will also help coral grow naturally.
07:13The long-term goal is to make the establishment self-sufficient.
07:16It will have electricity, mostly from on-site solar power.
07:20Waste will be treated nearby and reused as plant fertilizer.
07:23Instead of air conditioning, the city will use deep-sea water cooling.
07:28This method pumps cold water from the deep sea to cool the area, saving energy.
07:34Earth is not the only planet that's seen some serious floods.
07:38In ancient times, Mars seems to have experienced them too, and they played an important role in shaping its surface.
07:44Recent research reveals that billions of years ago, Mars was heavily affected by some serious river flooding, which contributed to the formation of its valleys and canyons.
07:56The reason for these floods was heavy rainfall, which reshaped the Martian landscape in a jiffy, at times even within days or weeks.
08:04Unlike Earth, where rivers form pretty slowly, Mars experienced rapid changes because of these floods, particularly around 4 billion years ago.
08:14We've known for quite some time that there have been floods on Mars, but this study really showed us their extent.
08:20We now know they were more widespread and frequent than previously thought.
08:25Consider South America and Africa.
08:28Don't they kind of look like they fit together, you know, like puzzle pieces?
08:32Well, they actually did.
08:33But about 130 million years ago, South America was like, bye, and slowly started drifting away.
08:41These days, it's around 1,800 miles from Africa, and it's still on the move.
08:46Every year, the continent shifts a little more toward the Pacific Ocean.
08:50So, how's that even happening?
08:53Tectonic plates are constantly moving.
08:55That's what makes the Earth's surface shift over time, going from this to what we see today.
09:01But those movements happen so slowly that you and I can't see them go.
09:05So, no, Brazilians or Chileans aren't out there feeling their continent inching westward.
09:11But the numbers don't lie.
09:13South America is moving.
09:14And apparently, all it wants is to get as far away as possible from this massive underwater mountain range called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
09:23But what exactly is pushing the land toward the Pacific Ocean?
09:27It is the heat inside our planet.
09:30Way, way down beneath the ocean, there are cracks in the Earth's crust.
09:35And magma, super-hot melted rock, rises up through those cracks.
09:39When that happens, the magma cools and hardens into solid rock.
09:43Over time, this process might build underwater mountains, like the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
09:48And as more new crust forms, it begins to push the older crust out of the way.
09:54In the process, tectonic plates and the continents riding on top of them get pushed along.
10:00Now, on the other side of South America, over by the Pacific, there is the Nazca Plate.
10:05It's heavier, and it's moving eastward.
10:08Since it is denser, it is sliding underneath the South American Plate.
10:12This entire process is called subduction, and it's happening at a rate of about 3 inches per year.
10:19By the way, the collision between these two plates is what's behind all those breathtaking volcanoes scattered throughout the Andes.
10:27And it's also making the continent move.
10:30So, if everything goes according to plan, projections show that South America will end up more centered in the Pacific Ocean in the future.
10:38But some models suggest something way crazier.
10:42Before we get into that, though, we need to clear something up.
10:45Why on Earth is an Africa following in South America's footsteps?
10:49I mean, shouldn't it be drifting west too?
10:52Well, not quite.
10:54Africa is doing its own thing, because it sits on the African Plate.
10:58So, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is located between those two continents.
11:02And just like it pushes the South American Plate, it also pushes the African Plate, but in the opposite direction.
11:09It's like this ridge is trying to split up two ex-besties, you know?
11:13But there's more.
11:15Africa is also being influenced by the East African Rift.
11:19It's one of those massive cracks we talked about earlier.
11:22But it's happening on land, which makes it extra dramatic.
11:26This is what's causing the continent to slowly split apart.
11:30It's a long story, but let's just say the rift is pulling Africa in more directions than South America ever had to deal with.
11:38Okay, now it is finally time to talk about that crazier thing that might happen to South America, and everything around it, in the future.
11:46Theory number one.
11:47It could break away from North America.
11:49I know, super dramatic, but don't panic, we're talking hundreds of millions of years from now, and I won't be around.
11:56You see, both continents are moving in the same general direction, but at different speeds.
12:02The North American Plate is cruising along at about one inch per year, while South America is moving a bit faster.
12:09So, even though they're heading the same way, they are not keeping pace.
12:13Over time, as the Atlantic Ocean continues to widen and the Pacific keeps shrinking, all this tectonic movement could eventually pull the Americas apart.
12:23Theory number two.
12:25Marine life could go through some major changes.
12:27Right now, the Americas act as kind of a giant wall between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
12:33Because of that, sea animals have evolved differently on each side.
12:36Take the green sea turtle, for example.
12:39The ones living in the Atlantic tend to be bigger and lighter in color.
12:44Meanwhile, their Pacific cousins are usually smaller and darker.
12:47But if, one day, there is no land blocking these two populations from mixing,
12:53they would end up with brand new migration routes, new nesting spots, and a lot more overlap in their territories.
13:00Now, multiply that scenario by hundreds of other species, and things could really get shaken up.
13:06We're talking about new interactions, unexpected competition, and maybe even the rise of entirely new species.
13:14Alright, theory number three.
13:16America might meet Africa again.
13:19Right now, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is busy creating a new seafloor.
13:23And because of that, the Atlantic Ocean is slowly getting wider.
13:27But in about 125 million years, scientists believe that process could come to a stop.
13:34Instead of the seafloor spreading apart, the ocean floor might start getting pulled under the continents.
13:40When that happens, the Atlantic will stop growing and start shrinking.
13:44And the water section between South America and Africa is likely to be the first part pulled beneath the land.
13:51That means the Americas and Africa could meet again.
13:56And when that happens, border countries could turn into super shaky places,
14:01with earthquakes happening all the time and brand new volcanoes popping up left and right.
14:07The eastern United States would no longer be known for the peaceful green slopes of the Appalachians,
14:12but for snow-covered giants that occasionally spew lava and ash,
14:16more like the Cascade Range out west.
14:18Countries would end up with totally new neighbors.
14:22Brazil might line up with Nigeria and Cameroon.
14:25Uruguay could be sitting right next to Angola.
14:28And Argentina might be sharing a border with South Africa.
14:32So if these two continents really do merge, how intense would that be?
14:37Well, for starters, this new supercontinent would instantly become the biggest one on Earth,
14:42about one and a half times the size of Asia.
14:45And chances are, a brand new mountain range would form right where the continents meet,
14:50creating a natural border between nations.
14:53Being part of the same massive continent could make a lot of things way easier.
14:58For one, tourism could totally take off.
15:02People traveling between countries by land without needing pricey plane tickets could be a game-changer.
15:07But it wouldn't stop there.
15:09Other types of economic activity could get a major boost too.
15:13Now, on one side, we have South America, which already produces and sells a wide variety of foods,
15:19from wheat to bananas, beef, cocoa, soybeans, hey, you name it.
15:24On the other side, there is Africa, exporting things like textiles and clothing.
15:30That alone would make them a super powerful block when it comes to trading raw goods.
15:34But can you name another important thing these two continents have in common?
15:39Yep, petroleum.
15:41Countries in South America, like Brazil, Venezuela, and Colombia, are major oil exporters.
15:47And over in Africa, you've got Nigeria, Algeria, and Libya doing the same.
15:52Now, can you see just how powerful that kind of union could be?
15:57Meanwhile, let's talk about animals.
15:58These two massive lands coming together could lead us to wild meetups, like a capybara sharing
16:05space with a Nile crocodile, or a sloth seeing a hyena from the top of a tree.
16:11This could even lead to new animal hybrids showing up, like a cabby crocodile or a sloth hyena.
16:19Okay, those weren't the cleverest names, and honestly, these animals wouldn't be able to
16:23mate or even wouldn't want to.
16:25But you get the point, right?
16:26It's not all positive, unfortunately.
16:29New species showing up could become predators, competitors, or even parasites to the native
16:34plants and animals.
16:36It would take a long time for things to settle into a new balance in those border regions.
16:41But honestly, no one really knows how long it would take.
16:45The only thing I do know is, neither of us will be around to see it.
16:48Which is okay.
16:50That's it for today.
16:51So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your
16:56friends.
16:56Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the bright side.
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