Fire & Water – From High Mountains to Deep Sea Trenches

Description

Our Earth is an exceptionally dynamic planet. The nature of its surface originates deep within the Earth's interior. This explains the continents that have been moving for millions of years, towering mountain ranges, the formation and disappearance of ocean basins, vast undersea mountain ranges, deep-sea trenches, ongoing volcanic activity, and the feared earthquakes. Life on Earth began over 3.8 billion years ago. This life and its evolution form a continuous, geologically active force. Alternating warm and ice ages are additional phenomena that, in interplay with the forces from the Earth's interior and the living world, have shaped our current living conditions. The exhibition Fire & Water primarily shows these connections from the perspective of the theory of continental drift, which has fundamentally changed our worldview since the 1970s. Visitors are guided from the Earth's interior to the surface and from high mountains to deep-sea trenches. By studying seismic waves that pass through the Earth, we learn about the layered structure and composition of our planet. These, in turn, have significant effects on the activity of the Earth's crust plates, whether at the ocean floor or on the continents. A large world map allows visitors to explore the relationships between neighboring crustal plates, volcanic belts, earthquakes, mountain ranges, and deep-sea trenches. Additionally, the research and drilling ship "Glomar Challenger," which played a pioneering role in proving plate tectonics from 1968 to 1983, can be viewed in a model. The diverse geological features on the Earth's surface, such as mountains and their typical rocks, plains and deserts, the continental shelf with its distinctive coral reefs, or the mysterious deep sea and some of its mineral resources, are also featured in the exhibition.

Highlights

• Exhibition about the Earth's dynamics
• Focused on continental drift and geological processes
• Interactive world map to explore earthquakes and mountain ranges

General Information

The "Fire & Water" exhibition at the Natural History Museum Basel highlights the geological processes that shape the Earth. Visitors learn more about the theory of continental drift and its effects on the Earth's surface, from high mountains to deep-sea trenches.

Location

Augustinergasse 2, 4051 Basel, Switzerland

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