Seismic Seconds - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Seismic Seconds is a documentary

Documentary

A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...

television series that aired in the late 1990s on the National Geographic Channel

National Geographic Channel

National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...

. The program analysed the causes of six incidents, five involving the loss of human life. The better-known sequel

Sequel

A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...

to Seismic Seconds, Seconds From Disaster
Seconds From Disaster
-By original broadcast date:National Geographic Channel has broadcast many episodes under multiple titles. The title currently or most recently listed on the NGC Calendar is shown first...

, was spun off

Spin-off (media)

In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...

from the series.

In the British version, the narrator says in the voiceover

VoiceOver

VoiceOver is a screen reader built into Apple Inc.'s Mac OS X, iOS and iPod operating systems. By using VoiceOver, the user can access their Macintosh or iOS device based on spoken descriptions and, in the case of the Mac, the keyboard. The feature is designed to increase accessibility for blind...

Episodes

#	Title	Disaster	Date of disaster	Nature of disaster
1	Bhopal Gas Disaster	Bhopal disaster Bhopal disaster The Bhopal disaster also known as Bhopal Gas Tragedy was a gas leak incident in India, considered one of the world's worst industrial catastrophes. It occurred on the night of December 2–3, 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India...	3 December 1984	Human error
1	In Bhopal, India, lethal methyl isocyanate Methyl isocyanate Methyl isocyanate is an organic compound with the molecular formula CH3NCO. Synonyms are isocyanatomethane, methyl carbylamine, and MIC. Methyl isocyanate is an intermediate chemical in the production of carbamate pesticides . It has also been used in the production of rubbers and adhesives... gas was accidentally released from a pesticide Pesticide Pesticides are substances or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest.A pesticide may be a chemical unicycle, biological agent , antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest... s plant run by a subsidiary of Union Carbide Union Carbide Union Carbide Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company. It currently employs more than 2,400 people. Union Carbide primarily produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more further conversions by customers before reaching consumers. Some are high-volume... . Between 2,500 and 5,000 people in Bhopal died on the day of the disaster, and thousands more have died since from ill-effects.
2	Crash of TWA 800	TWA Flight 800 TWA Flight 800 Trans World Airlines Flight 800 , a Boeing 747-131, exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York, on July 17, 1996, at about 20:31 EDT, 12 minutes after takeoff, killing all 230 persons on board. At the time, it was the second-deadliest U.S...	17 July 1996	Electrical fault, central fuel tank explosion
2	Over the Atlantic Ocean, a Boeing 747 Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced... operating as TWA Flight 800 took off from John F. Kennedy International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North... . Twelve minutes into the flight the aircraft exploded and disintegrated, killing the 230 occupants.
3	The Eruption of Mount Saint Helens	1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, a stratovolcano located in Washington state, in the United States, was a major volcanic eruption. The eruption was the only significant one to occur in the contiguous 48 U.S. states since the 1915 eruption of Lassen Peak in California...	18 May 1980	Lava bulge opened by earthquake, volcanic eruption
3	Mount St. Helens, a volcano Volcano 2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank\| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15... in the state of Washington that had lain dormant for 123 years, began to experience seismic activity Seismic wave Seismic waves are waves of energy that travel through the earth, and are a result of an earthquake, explosion, or a volcano that imparts low-frequency acoustic energy. Many other natural and anthropogenic sources create low amplitude waves commonly referred to as ambient vibrations. Seismic waves... in March 1980. A series of earthquakes and small eruptions ensued as a large bulge grew in the North face of the mountain. On 18 May another earthquake caused the north face to collapse, triggering an eruption that blew off the top and side of the volcano. 57 tourists, local residents and scientists perished.
4	Death of Ayrton Senna Death of Ayrton Senna The death of three-time Formula One World Champion Ayrton Senna on May 1, 1994, occurred as a result of his car crashing into a concrete barrier while he was leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Italy. The previous day, Roland Ratzenberger had been killed...	1994 San Marino Grand Prix crash Death of Ayrton Senna The death of three-time Formula One World Champion Ayrton Senna on May 1, 1994, occurred as a result of his car crashing into a concrete barrier while he was leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Italy. The previous day, Roland Ratzenberger had been killed...	1 May 1994	Steering wheel failure, loss of control
4	At the San Marino Grand Prix San Marino Grand Prix The San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One championship race which was run at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in the town of Imola, near the Apennine mountains in Italy, between 1981 and 2006... track, triple Formula One Formula One Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which... world championship winner Ayrton Senna Ayrton Senna Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time... lost control of his car and crashed into a concrete barrier wall at Tamburello. Then the front right tire flew up and struck his helmet. Senna was killed instantly.
5	Sinking of HMS Coventry	HMS Coventry sinking HMS Coventry (D118) HMS Coventry was a Type 42 destroyer of the Royal Navy. Laid down by Cammell Laird and Company, Limited, at Birkenhead on 29 January 1973, she was launched on 21 June 1974 and accepted into service on 20 October 1978 at a cost of £37,900,000.She was sunk by Argentine Air Force A-4 Skyhawks on 25...	25 May 1982	Enemy aircraft bombing, failed intercept by HMS Broadway
5	During the Falklands War Falklands War The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands... , two British warships - HMS Coventry and HMS Broadsword HMS Broadsword (F88) HMS Broadsword was the lead ship and first Batch 1 unit of the Type 22 frigates of the Royal Navy.-Service:While on sea trials, Broadsword was called into service as the command ship during the large rescue operation required after storms struck the 1979 Fastnet race.Broadsword took part in the... - prepared for battle, tasked with defending the British fleet from air attack. An attack force of Argentinian aircraft bomb Bomb A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy... ed the Coventry and the Broadsword. One bomb hit the Broadsword but failed to explode until it had exited the ship's hull. Three bombs hit the Coventry, of which two exploded on board. The Coventry capsize Capsize Capsizing is an act of tipping over a boat or ship to disable it. The act of reversing a capsized vessel is called righting.If a capsized vessel has sufficient flotation to prevent sinking, it may recover on its own if the stability is such that it is not stable inverted... d shortly afterwards and sank the next day. Nineteen crew members were killed.
6	The Airshow Miracle	RIAT MiG-29 collision	24 July 1993	Pilot error
6	At the then-biannual Royal International Air Tattoo Royal International Air Tattoo The Royal International Air Tattoo is the world's largest military air show, held annually over the third weekend in July, usually at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom in support of The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust... held at RAF Fairford RAF Fairford RAF Fairford is a Royal Air Force station in Gloucestershire, England. It is a standby airfield, not in everyday use. Its most prominent use in recent years has been as an airfield for United States Air Force B-52s during the 2003 Iraq War, Operation Allied Force in 1999, and the first Gulf War in... , two Mikoyan MiG-29 Mikoyan MiG-29 The Mikoyan MiG-29 is a fourth-generation jet fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union for an air superiority role. Developed in the 1970s by the Mikoyan design bureau, it entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1983, and remains in use by the Russian Air Force as well as in many other... s flying an aerobatics Aerobatics Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in normal flight. Aerobatics are performed in airplanes and gliders for training, recreation, entertainment and sport... routine as part of the Tattoo air display collided in mid-air Mid-air collision A mid-air collision is an aviation accident in which two or more aircraft come into contact during flight. Owing to the relatively high velocities involved and any subsequent impact on the ground or sea, very severe damage or the total destruction of at least one of the aircraft involved usually... . Both pilots ejected from their aircraft and survived the accident, and there were no fatalities among the spectators.

Episodes

See also