In fact, said geoscientist Chris Jackson, it almost felt as though every part of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii whispered to you. Jackson consulted the team that created National Geographic’s spectacular series Pompeii: Out Of Time on the ancient tragedy. Thousands died, and the hot ash sealed them where they fell, preserving their streets, kitchens and even ancient graffiti. “The rock record is this beautiful record of the changing climate, of life on Earth, of different physical states of the Earth, where there were mountains, there’s now a sea.” Jackson said the rock record is the closest thing humanity has to a manual for understanding how the Earth behaves when it turns violent.