A fascinating historical trail of geological mysteries unveiled in new season of HISTORY's popular series

HOW THE EARTH WAS MADE - Season 2 launches Tuesday, November 24 at 9pm on HISTORY�

NEW YORK, NOV. 3, 2009 - Titanic forces�colliding continents, raging volcanic eruptions, and the grinding power of glaciers�have been carving and sculpting the Earth's crust for 4.5 billion years. HOW THE EARTH WAS MADE returns to HISTORY with an all-new season, to peel back the millennia, combining cutting-edge scientific research with stunning aerial photography and exotic locations, as it investigates how these slow but immensely powerful forces of geology shape our world. New episodes of HOW THE EARTH WAS MADE start Tuesday, November 24 at 9 pm ET/PT on HISTORY.

From the summit of Mt. Everest to the depths of the Grand Canyon to the sands of the Sahara, scientific experts explore the deep, hidden forces that create these iconic geologic formations and continue to shape the Earth's future. In the new season, HOW THE EARTH WAS MADE will strip away layers of rock, fill up river canyons, part the oceans, and level mountains in order to reveal the geological mysteries of Earth. Using clues that were left behind, the series explores questions such as; Is there another devastating mega-blast brewing in the heart of Vesuvius? When will Earth be plunged into the next ice age? Dramatic visual effects provide viewers with X-ray vision to see how these geological formations came into being, and how the layers were added to end up with what we know today.

Upcoming episodes of HOW THE EARTH WAS MADE:

GRAND CANYON (November 24)

The Grand Canyon is nearly 200 miles long and over a mile deep. You could stack three Empire State buildings one on top of the other�and they still wouldn't reach the lip of the Canyon. As vast tectonic plates clash and grind against one another a giant plateau has been pushed up over a mile in the air. The Colorado river, flowing from high in the Rockies and carrying a thick load of sediment, has carved an amazing canyon in the rising plateau.

VESUVIUS (December 1)

Mt. Vesuvius is the world's most dangerous volcano because it's located in the most densely populated area. The volcano threatens three million people. The eruption of Vesuvius caused the most famous natural disaster in ancient history�it destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Its most recent blast was witnessed by Allied troops and caught on film in 1944. Recent scientific discoveries show that hidden beneath Vesuvius there is a vast magma chamber of boiling hot rock primed with fuel for a massive explosion and could be triggered by an earthquake.

BIRTH OF THE EARTH (December 8)

This episode investigates the greatest geological mystery of all�the first billion years of Earth's existence. On location experts explore how our planet first formed from the dust of the solar system� how molten rock solidified to become land�how our oceans filled with water�and how first life arrived on Earth.

SAHARA (December 15)

The Sahara desert is the size of the United States�making it the largest desert in the world. It's also the hottest place on the planet. But now an astonishing series of geological discoveries has revealed this searing wasteland hides a dramatically different past�one that altered the course of human history and culminated in the biggest climate change event of the last 10,000 years.

YOSEMITE (December 22)

The Sierra Nevada, North America's highest mountain range, contains one of the most awe-inspiring geological features on the planet: Yosemite Valley. Walled by sheer 3,000-foot granite cliffs and made from one of the toughest rocks on earth, it is home to the mighty El Capitan and iconic Half Dome. Yet how this extraordinary valley formed has been the subject of controversy for over 100 years. Was it carved by gigantic glaciers or a cataclysmic rifting of the Earth? HOW THE EARTH WAS MADE investigates.

Other episodes of HOW THE EARTH IS MADE will cover the Rockies, Everest, the Ring of Fire, America's Ice Age, Earth's Deadliest Eruption, Death Valley, America's Gold, and Mount St. Helens.

Executive Producer for History is Susan Werbe. HOW THE EARTH WAS MADE is produced for HISTORY� by Pioneer Productions. Executive Producers for Pioneer Productions are Stuart Carter and Stephen Marsh. Series Producers are Bob Strange and William Hicklin.

HISTORY� and HISTORY HD� are the leading destinations for revealing, award-winning original non-fiction series and event-driven specials that connect history with viewers in an informative, immersive and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. Programming covers a diverse variety of historical genres ranging from military history to contemporary history, technology to natural history, as well as science, archaeology and pop culture. Among the network's program offerings are hit series such as How The Earth Was Made, Pawn Stars, Ax Men, Battle 360, The Universe, and Ice Road Truckers, as well as acclaimed specials including 102 Minutes That Changed America, King, Life After People, 1968 with Tom Brokaw, Nostradamus: 2012 and Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed. HISTORY has earned four Peabody Awards, seven Primetime Emmy� Awards, 12 News & Documentary Emmy� Awards and received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's Save Our History� campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. Take a Veteran to School Day is the network's latest initiative connecting America's schools and communities with veterans from all wars. The HISTORY web site, located at www.history.com, is the definitive historical online source that delivers entertaining and informative content featuring broadband video, interactive timelines, maps, games, podcasts and more.