Accretionary Wedge: Geology in Film

I relish the thought of being able to fully partake in this particular "wedge" but sadly I don't have all my notes from a course I've taught a few times titled 'Geology in Film.' It's just a 1-credit fun course that looks at the reality of science in Hollywood depictions of geology, geologists, and geologic events (I think this type of course is catching favor these day)... As we all know, the science is pathetic but the entertainment is fantastic!

So here are a few of my favorites per Tuff Cookie's request. Although I thoroughly enjoy the traditional classics (i.e. - Earthquake, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Volcano, Dante's Peak, etc), I'm drawn to the esoteric (or what I believe to be esoteric).



One of the best (I mean worst, I mean best...) films that offer a horrific view into the geology behind volcanic eruptions is "When Time Ran Out (1980)" - even though Paul Newman is in it and provides gloriously awkward dialog. Again, without my notes, what I remember best is a "lava level" diagram depicting subsurface magma levels, traditional Hollywood volcanic eruptions (i.e. - ridiculous explosions), and the view of LAVA (Jello?) from a poorly constructed wood bridge. You would think by the time Hollywood made Volcano/Dante's Peak they would have found someone to differentiate between felsic and mafic eruptions AND create a realistic volcanic eruption (OK, DP wasn't that bad)...

Another older favorite is "The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961)" - a tragic story of nuclear weapons and orbital chaos... meaning a Cold War nuclear race between the US and USSSR causes Earth's orbit to shift hurtling us towards the sun. Not classical geology (maybe someone would even argue solely astronomy, but I've used it in class and watch it with glee nevertheless).

Some of my other favorites include At the Earth's Core (1976), Krakatao: East of Java (1969), and When Worlds Collide (1959). The eruption scene in Krakato is unbelievably long and fabulously innacurate! When Worlds Collide (similar to The Day the Earth Caught Fire) is riddled with Cold War references of course appalling geology. I strongly recommend watching them just for the sheer thrill of poor cinematography, dialog, plot, and of course even worse scientific accuracy... I apologize for not being to pull out "all the stops" on this one, but I think I'll repost once I get back to the US and add in my observations. I'm looking forward to seeing if anyone has any new ones I can add to my collection...



My Collection in no particular order:

All of the above, Meteor, Armageddon, Earthquake, Tremors, A View to A Kill, 10.5, Magma: Volcanic Disaster, Twister, Aftershock: Earthquake in New York, Deep Impact, Asteroid, One Million BC, The Lost Volcano, The Big One, Earthquake in NY, Killer Flood: The Day the Dam Broke, and probably a few more I can't remember right now... It grows each time they put out another bit of ridiculousness...