All language subtitles for Mysteries.from.Above.S03E07.1080p.WEB.h264-BAWD_track3_[eng]

NARRATOR: A mysterious
colourful pattern bursts out

from a monochrome landscape.

- What created those stripes?
And how?

NARRATOR: An eerie pattern
of circles disturbs

an untouched desert.

- It looks like some kind of symbol,
but for what?

NARRATOR: A vast array of ancient
etchings visible from the skies.

- This is a seriously weird
collection of shapes.

NARRATOR: And a serene lake
transforms into a vivid

pattern of spots.

- It looks almost extraterrestrial.

NARRATOR: Everywhere
we look on our planet,

there's evidence of the past.

In nature. In buildings. In relics.

Each holds a mystery that technology
now allows us to see from above.

What new secrets are revealed?

Concealed in landscapes
across the planet,

the view from above reveals
perplexing patterns.

Hiding secrets of the natural world
and forgotten human exploits,

untold stories ready to be
uncovered from the skies.

This is Utah.

In the open terrain
south of Salt Lake City,

there are vistas that will
take your breath away.

It's a parade of stunning
landscapes,

showcasing sand-coloured hills
and rock formations.

Until this.

- I'm confused.
What is causing this?

NARRATOR: This cluster of contoured
hills boasts an unexpected

and hypnotic
pattern of polychrome stripes.

These strange formations
are known as the Rainbow Hills.

With an elevation
of over 1500 metres

they're almost as tall
as 5 Eiffel towers.

- If we look at the Rainbow Hills
in the view directly above them,

the stripes
transform into swirly rings.

- I mean, just look at that!

They seem alive,
like a giant coral reef.

- Or maybe some kind of fancy fungi?

- It's mesmerizing to look at, but
what created those stripes? And how?

- I wanna know why these
colours are here.

NARRATOR: A clue might be found
less than 1000 km southwest where

the rolling hills of the sunshine
state reveal signs of drought.

- The years 2020 to 2022 were some
of the driest years in Californian

history, and multiple seasons of
wildflower seeds

just sat in the soil,
waiting for water.

- That precipitation
came in early 2023

when you have record breaking rain
soaking, drenching those hillsides.

NARRATOR: And that huge
rush of water creates the perfect

conditions for those long-neglected
seeds to blossom come springtime.

Exploding into dazzling
patterns of colour on the hillsides.

And blooms this size don't
go unnoticed.

- They're even mapped by the local
news stations so tourists can

find the best spot to witness
their technicolour beauty.

These super blooms are so enormous,
they can even be seen from space.

- There's no denying that those
flowers are absolutely gorgeous.

Could some kind of bloom be
happening on Rainbow Hills?

- If we zoom in closer
on the view from above,

I don't see any plant life.

- That means the colours are built
into the surface. But how?

NARRATOR: If it's not a plant-life
super bloom that creates

these swirling colours in rock,
what is it?

Another clue can be
found in Southeast Asia where

a multi-coloured pattern on trees
is formed by another

natural phenomenon.

They are called rainbow eucalyptus.

- They're iridescent trees
native to Indonesia, New Guinea,

and the Philippines.

NARRATOR: Extremely fast growing,

rainbow eucalyptus can reach
heights of over 60 metres —

almost 5 times the size
of the average telephone pole.

Could a clue to the patterns be
found in their height?

- They're speedy growth causes
the bark to shed in strips,

revealing a bright green
layer beneath it.

- What on earth is it
that makes that bark become

so kind of ridiculously
multicoloured?

Is it something in the environment?

NARRATOR: The key to these
patterns is hidden in the air.

- As that layer gets
exposed to the air,

it ages over time into different
colours.

NARRATOR: A new green
strip of rainbow eucalyptus bark

becomes blue, purple, pink,
and then orange as it gets older.

- They look like cartoon trees.

- It eventually turns brown,
falls off,

and the process starts again by
revealing a new bright green layer.

- Because this process
happens continually,

there's always strips of
different-coloured shades on the

tree, giving the rainbow eucalyptus
its 'fantasy storybook' appearance.

- So, is it possible that the
Rainbow Hills are actually

caused by a similar process?

- I don't think 'air' on its own
could be changing the surface

colour of the hills.

NARRATOR: So what else could it be?

Over eight thousand kilometres away,
another exquisite rock

formation at the edge of the ocean
might give us a clue.

- On the Alabaster Coast in France
are the Cliffs of Etretat.

- These black and white striped
cliffs stand 70 metres

above the English Channel
and contain three natural arches.

- The staggering beauty of these
cliffs has been

reproduced by many photographers
and many actual artists,

including that famed impressionist
painter Claude Monet in the 1880s.

NARRATOR: What could be causing
the astonishing pattern that

inspired the likes of Monet?

- The black and white
stripes are made of flint and chalk.

- The chalk is a form of limestone

and the mineral calcite —
which originally

formed under the sea by the
compression of microscopic plankton.

Between 80
and 100 million years ago,

microscopic aquatic creatures
known as coccoliths died there.

Their skeletons
piled up on the seafloor

and turned into a white ooze.

- That 'soup' hardened

and compacted over millions
of years into a soft white rock.

NARRATOR: That explains
the formation of the white stripes.

But what caused the black stripes?

- The black flint in the cliffs was
created by a chemical reaction

on the surface of the chalk,
and over time, many layers of this

chalk and flint build up to create
the striped pattern we see today.

- So, is it possible that the
stripes on Rainbow Hills

are caused by a layering
of material over millions of years?

NARRATOR: The striped pattern
in the rocks look very similar,

but there is one clear difference
- the colour.

So could another colourful
landform hold the answer?

- Around 7000 km
southeast of the Rainbow Hills,

near the city of Cusco, Peru,

there are massive elevations
that are just as breathtaking.

NARRATOR: At 5,200 meters,

these majestic Peruvian
mountains are over 3000 meters

taller than the Rainbow Hills and
have strikingly similar features.

- They flaunt large
swaths of colour that appear to be

sliding down vertically
from the peaks.

Those vibrant
stripes are made of minerals.

NARRATOR: The mineral stripes
originated about 65 million

years ago when marine, lake,
and river sediments were

transported there by water
that once covered the area.

- Its colours are made up of things
like calcium carbonate,

iron sulphide and copper oxide.

- But how did all those
minerals in the ground then

end up becoming vertical
stripes on a mountain?

NARRATOR: Over time,
the mineral sediments formed layers

and the movement of the tectonic
plates thrust the layers upwards

forming large mountains and rotating
the stripes of mineral deposits.

- The local Peruvians call these
colourful peaks 'Vinicunca',

but they're also
known as 'Rainbow Mountain'.

NARRATOR: Is it
possible this ancient geological

phenomenon in Peru is
echoed in the Rainbow Hills of Utah?

Could the striped patterns here be
created from ancient ocean minerals?

- If you compare the patterns
between the Rainbow Hills in Utah

and the Rainbow Mountain in Peru,
there is a distinctive difference.

- The mountains in Peru have
vertical stripes.

- But remember the aerial
view of Utah's Rainbow Hills?

From above,
the stripes look like swirly rings.

That's because the stripes
on the Rainbow Hills are horizontal.

NARRATOR: So could another powerful
natural force be the cause?

- I have an idea
and the clue lies over 9500 km

away from the colourful minerals
in Rainbow Mountain to something

that's many degrees colder than
anything you'll find in Peru: Ice.

- There are icebergs in Iceland
that are more than 1000 years old,

and some of them
are pretty crazy-looking.

- But my favourite are the striped
icebergs in the Jokulsarlon

lagoon, at the edge
of the Breidamerkurjokull glacier.

- Pardon?

How can Icelandic icebergs explain
what happened on the dusty

hills in Utah?

- The landscape between these
two places is a lot more

similar than you might think.

- Those icebergs got their stripes
from another one of Iceland's

famous natural wonders.

- Let me guess. They're volcanoes.
- Yeah.

A long time ago a volcano near the
glacier kept erupting, and each time

it happened, it deposited a thin
blanket of black ash on top of it.

NARRATOR: Snow would fall
and freeze on the glacier,

creating a layer of white,
and that process continued for many

years to build what
looks like a layer cake.

- Because of global warming,

icebergs started
breaking off the glacier

and rolling into the lagoon below,
revealing the black stripes within.

- So the black stripes
are volcanic ash,

and every stripe represents
an eruption.

That's wild, but how does this
relate to the Rainbow Hills in Utah?

NARRATOR: Utah has many volcanoes
with the last eruption only

about 700 years ago, with several
others in the last 10,000 years.

- So the colourful
stripes in Utah are the handiwork

of an ancient volcano?

- What the National Parks Service
in Utah say,

is that the Rainbow Hills
are from the Jurassic Period.

That's around 140 million years ago.

I mean, that's when dinosaurs were
literally roaming the earth.

NARRATOR: And when volcanoes
near the Rainbow Hills

were likely active.

- Scientists believe
the Rainbow Hills

and their rings are made of mud,
sand and volcanic ash.

NARRATOR: Those elements
settled in lakes and swamps,

forming a volcanic clay
called Bentonite.

Over time, they absorbed water
and dried out in layers.

And because clay erodes more
easily than other kinds of stone,

the hills are rounded in shape.

Each layer is
composed of iron and other minerals.

As the iron was exposed to air,
water, and other elements,

it was chemically altered -
resulting in a rainbow of colours.

The stripes with the most
iron are responsible

for the overwhelming red
shades of the Rainbow Hills.

They are an iconic feature of Utah.

- And there's something
else about that reddish,

dusty environment that makes
the Rainbow Hills so fascinating.

It's said to resemble the landscape
on Mars more than anywhere

else on earth.

- In the early 2000's,
the Mars Desert Research Station was

built in Rainbow Hills
by The Mars Society.

- The station sends out small
teams in the Rainbow Hills

landscape to study what
life on Mars might be like,

and to train prospective
crews on simulated Mars missions.

- So, if you're just
looking for vibrant patterns

and stunning desert views, or if you
actually want to pretend you are on

Mars for a bit, the clay on Rainbow
Hills in Utah is where you wanna be.

- Just take good care of it.

Because like all the natural
wonders on planet earth that took

millions of years to form
nothing lasts forever.

NARRATOR: From iconic
landscapes to hidden secrets,

the view from above reveals strange
patterns across our planet.

And some of these
magical formations can be

found in the most supernatural
places on earth.

Hidden in the scorching
sands of the Sahara desert

east of the town of Ain Salah an
uncanny pattern of circles appears.

- I mean that's just bizarre.
- What is that thing?

I want to know who made this
and why?

- It looks like some kind of symbol,
but for what?

- Barring all alien theories,
this is obviously human made.

- Who put it here?
How long has it been here?

Why is something in the middle
of the desert with nothing

else around it?

NARRATOR: This bizarre formation
is in the middle of nowhere.

So, who or what could have made this
pattern of thirteen circles

that feel strangely familiar?

- To me, the 12 surrounding
circles look a lot like a clock.

Maybe each of them
represents an hour of time?

- It almost looks like one of those
modern watch

faces without numbers or hands,
apparently.

- Could it be an ancient sundial?

NARRATOR: Perhaps
an answer to this mystery can be

found over 7000 kilometres
east in Jaipur, India at one

of the largest
sundials in the world.

This is the Samrat Yantra, also
known as - 'Supreme Instrument.'

- The Samrat Yantra was built by the
Hindu king, Sawai Jai Singh II

in the 18th century,
and it's a feat of engineering.

NARRATOR: The gnomon is 27 metres
tall and was built

pointing to the north pole
and parallel to the earth's axis.

The two quadrants on either side are
on the same plane as the equator.

As the sun moves west to east, the
gnomon casts a shadow that moves at

2 inches per minute and can measure
time to an accuracy of two seconds.

- Is it possible
the circles in the sand are at least

part of an ancient sundial?

- The pattern in the Sahara Desert
looks like a clock face,

but that's not what
sundials look like.

- Plus this is literally
the least convenient possible

way to tell the time.

Instead of just looking at a sundial
wherever you are, you have to

walk to the middle of nowhere, look
at the time, and then go back home.

NARRATOR: If it's not for time
measurement,

what could this
enigmatic pattern be?

- Since the pattern is in such
an isolated location,

maybe it's a sacred place?

NARRATOR: A clue might be
found less than 150 km

southeast of the city
of Djanet, Algeria.

In the vast Saharan sands,

the view from above reveals other
mysterious circular formations.

Archaeologists believe they are
structures to venerate the dead.

- There are burial sites
known as the keyhole tombs,

named because of their similar
shape to a keyhole.

NARRATOR: Made entirely with stones,

some tombs are as long
as 300 metres.

They have a rock mound
in the centre, and lines of stones

that create a chamber
leading to an exterior circle.

- Experts believe they were
built by an unknown culture that

dates as far back as 6000 BCE.

Is it possible there is

a relationship between the keyhole
tombs and the circles in the sand?

Could it be a group of ancient
Algerian burial mounds?

- I'm not convinced
the circles are burial sites.

If we look
closer in the view from above,

there's no evidence of large
rocks or any kind of mounds.

These circles are just flat.

- To me, the pattern
we're considering doesn't seem

ancient, it
feels like something more recent.

- To me, it looks like maybe some
means of visual communication,

but if it is, who's it for?

For planes?

NARRATOR: We might find
an answer 11,000 kilometres

west at the Edwards Airforce base
in Kern County, California where

a giant shape sends
signals to the skies.

This is the Edwards Compass Rose.

- It's the largest known
compass symbol on earth,

with a massive
diameter of about 1200 metres.

It's used by aircraft to test
navigational equipment.

- I know compasses can have a
variety of markers on them

besides north, south, east,
and west,

but I've never seen 12 like the
pattern we're looking at.

- And they're almost
always near airports

but the closest airport is
almost 200 km away.

- I guess that kills my next
theory of an airplane drop zone for

parachuters, because this would be
an awesome place to parachute into.

- So long as you have a
lot of water to drink

and are willing to take a very
long walk through the desert

to find the nearest
sign of civilization.

- Good luck with that!

- Okay, so what
if we go up higher than airplanes?

Maybe this weird pattern is a type
of calibration tool for satellites?

NARRATOR: Satellite
calibration compares

objects on the ground with stored
data to make sure

the satellite's sensors
are capturing accurate information.

- And a great place to calibrate
optical satellite sensors

is in deserts because they have
consistent atmospheric conditions

and honestly, there's just not
a lot of people getting in the way.

- A good example
is over 10,000 kilometres

away in Fort Huachuca, Arizona
where you can find a weird

collection of lines known as Tri-Bar
Satellite Calibration Targets.

- And experts believe that the
weird pattern of squiggly

lines in China's Gobi Desert is
there for spy satellites.

It looks like art, but it's really
undercover engineering!

- Satellite cross-calibration sites
come in all shapes and sizes.

- So, this simple desert pattern
could be meant to calibrate

satellites.

NARRATOR: But a wider view from
above offers another startling clue.

- There isn't just one
pattern of circles in the sand,

there are over twenty in a perfectly
straight line across the Sahara.

- It almost looks like the pattern
has been skidded over the landscape.

NARRATOR: They're
spaced about 420 metres apart,

with only the desert
sands between them.

- What are they?

- To get at the answer,

we should think about what we can
find in a desert, and what we can't.

Deserts lack water,

so humans have to come up with some
ingenious way of collecting it.

NARRATOR: The nearest town,

Ain Salah, could not
exist without a source of water.

- It's part of an oasis
region in Algeria, and the only

way to build an oasis in a desert is
with a well-designed water system.

- Are the patterns in the Algerian
desert a system to transport water?

Could that be what we're looking at?

NARRATOR: A possible clue
is over 5000 kilometres away in Iran

where another strange line
of circles creeps across the desert.

These holes make up part
of what are known as 'Qanats'.

- Qanats or 'channels' for water
were built over 2500 years ago.

- They allow
water to travel over long distances

without evaporating and they start
by building a series of holes.

NARRATOR: The construction
of a qanat begins by digging

a well at the top of a slope.

Multiple shafts are dug to create
air flow.

Those shafts are what form
the line of holes across the sand.

- A long underground channel is
dug to link the shafts together

and force the water to move down.

This can provide reliable
water to crops

and livestock in nearby
desert communities.

- In Algeria, these water
systems are called foggaras.

- They stretch from Southern Algeria
to Tunisia and Libya.

Could what we're
looking at be a foggara?

- But the holes for foggaras don't
look anything like

the circle patterns.

- This is truly mystifying.

NARRATOR: To uncover the truth
researchers brave the desert

sands to take a closer
look at these mystifying patterns.

These are the circles in the sand.

- The circles are actually
very faint.

They're just a subtle
change in the quality of the sand.

NARRATOR: And what was found
with them is just as perplexing,

thin wires.

- If we look at the wires,
they go into the ground,

which likely means
there are explosives down there.

- But why would someone bury
sticks of dynamite in a circle

in the middle of the Sahara Desert?

- Oil. Or more specifically,
petroleum.

Could these circles
be from a seismic survey?

- In seismic surveys,
reflected sound waves are used

to produce a 'cat scan' of what
exists below the earth's surface.

NARRATOR: In modern times,

a mechanical device creates
vibrations, or seismic waves that

are received by geophone sensors
at different offsets and locations.

Using mathematics, they can discover
deep layering and oil deposits.

- But history tells us that in many
countries, dynamite was an early

method of creating the vibration
needed for a seismic survey.

NARRATOR: This was the technique
used in the Algerian desert.

The dynamite was
buried in the sand in specific

locations to create maximum
vibration.

- When it exploded, it created
the circular pattern we see now.

- Is there a way to figure out
who buried this dynamite?

NARRATOR: A clue has been
left nearby.

Old tin cans discarded as garbage.

- They were for sardines and tuna -

likely lunch containers from the
workers who buried the dynamite.

- The markings on them
trace back to the late 1950's.

What oil companies
were in Algeria at that time?

- Back then,
the Sahara Petroleum Research

and Exploitation Company, also
known as CREPS, was working in the

area with the Shell corporation and
the French government to find oil.

NARRATOR: CREPS was the first
to strike oil in Algeria in 1956,

marking the beginning of the oil
industry in the country.

- So, now we know who created
these strange circle patterns,

and why they were made.

NARRATOR: These desert circles
will likely remain for many

decades to come.

Evidence of an almost
seventy-year-old mystery

uncovered from above.

On the western coast of Peru,
beyond serene beaches,

lush rainforests, and Andean
mountains a hypnotic pattern

appears upon a rocky,
barren hillside.

- Well, that's odd.

- It looks like someone
scribbled across the hill.

- This is a seriously weird
collection of shapes.

Are they forming some
sort of pattern?

NARRATOR: The strange sight
is near a small town called

Casa Blanca in the majestic
Casma Valley.

One of over 50 Peruvian
river valleys that

flow into the Pacific Ocean.

- That pattern is almost
labyrinth-like.

- It's quite a bizarre arrangement,
you know, with the kind

of squared off circles and
they rounded squares if you like.

- What are they? Are they
intentional? Who did these, and why?

- The surface looks very dry,
but there's vegetation not far away.

Could this pattern be
related to farming?

NARRATOR: Perhaps a clue
can be found

just over 8,000 kilometres
away on the Canary Islands of Spain

where another perplexing pattern
is etched in the earth.

- La Geria has an incredibly unique
volcanic landscape created

by the eruption of the nearby 'Fire
Mountains' in the 18th century.

NARRATOR: But what are these
crater-like indentations?

- Surprisingly, it's a vineyard.

The black,
circular pits known as zoco,

are 1 meter hand-dug holes
planted with luscious grapevines.

- The many layers of ash
on the ground retain moisture from

small amounts of rainfall, dew, and
the trade winds from the Atlantic.

That's enough to give these vines
complete nourishment.

NARRATOR: Could crops be behind the
circle patterns on the arid

hill near Casa Blanca?

- Maybe food crops can
grow in the rocky, barren terrain.

- It's possible. Peru can
suffer from severe droughts.

Over a thousand years ago,
there was a particularly harsh dry

spell that
lasted about a hundred years.

- So, what the local people
had to do is get seriously

creative with their farming.

- It's said that circular planting
techniques can produce more

food using less space
and less water.

- So maybe the patterns at
Casa Blanca are related to ancient

agricultural experiments?

- The problem I see here is that the
pattern just isn't very consistent.

- Even ancient farming
practices had some uniformity,

some logic,
in the way crops were planted.

NARRATOR: So, if these strange
patterns aren't signs of

farming during drought - could they
be related to the opposite problem?

- Along with drought,
Peru can suffer punishing rain.

- For centuries, people in the area
have struggled to survive

through the weather phenomenon
known as El Nino - which can

result in torrential rains and
devastating floods every 2 years.

- It happens when the temperature
of the eastern Pacific Ocean rises,

and the winds weaken or
change direction.

This sends warm surface water
eastwards, and means that more heat

is released into the atmosphere,
creating wetter, warmer air.

- Coastal regions of Peru can be
heavily impacted by relentless

rains, drastic flash floodings,
and devastating mudslides.

- And the destruction is so severe
that they're believed to be

connected to the collapse of entire
ancient cultures.

- As recently as 2023,
almost 800,000 people were

affected by the storm,
with over 40,000 homes destroyed.

Is it possible the Casa Blanca
patterns are related

to extreme rain?

NARRATOR: Could
we be staring at ruins?

The ancient
aftermath of a devastating El Nino?

Perhaps the answer can be
found in other ancient

structures in Peru built
to protect from extreme weather.

- The area has been victim to plenty
of peril thanks to the El Nino

phenomenon.

- So, is it possible this
pattern could be settlement

structures that fell
victim to El Nino climate events?

- It's not an outrageous idea.

I mean, could these shapes have
actually been buildings?

NARRATOR: All across Peru
signs of ancient civilizations stand

out on the landscape.

- The Sacred Peruvian City
of Caral-Supe is the oldest

centre of civilization
in the Americas at 5,000 years old.

NARRATOR: Its complex architecture
features monumental stone

and earthen platforms,
circular courts, and large pyramids.

These structures form similar
shapes to the Peruvian patterns

and were built in a valley
to withstand heavy rains.

Similar ancient
settlements like Kuelap

and Machu Picchu were
built on hilltops because the height

offered protection from mudslides
and floods.

But the patterns
at Casa Blanca are on a steep

angle at the base of a hill.

- If there was something built here,
it would have absolutely been

vulnerable to destruction
from flooding and mudslides.

NARRATOR: So if these patterns
are not the footprint of ancient

architecture, what could they be?

Perhaps the answer
lies in another part of Peru.

Almost 700 kilometres
away from Casa Blanca,

familiar dramatic shapes
are etched into the landscape.

These are the Nazca lines.

- There are over 350 geometric
figures, around 800 lines,

plus circles, trapezoids,
and even spirals.

- And about 70 animal silhouettes

and plant designs
known as biomorphs.

- These were scratched
on the surface of the ground

more than 2,000 years ago.

NARRATOR: The Nazca lines are what
is known as geoglyphs.

- Geoglyphs are large-scale works
of land or rock art formed by earth

and stone.

NARRATOR: They are often believed
to be for religious purposes -

offerings to the Gods -

and can be found around the world
- with hundreds just in Peru.

Could this be what
we are seeing on the scrubby

hillside in the Casma Valley?

- These patterns in the Casma Valley
feel different to the lines,

motifs, and figures currently
documented across Peru.

- What is it that makes those Casa
Blanca geoglyphs just so distinct?

NARRATOR: The difference
is in the patterns.

The geoglyphs are mostly circular,
aligned one behind the other.

- This is special characteristics in
this specific place, in this area.

In this case,
we have a circle made of stones.

All this surface is
covered by rocks,

rocks that are dark colourations.

So, they pick up the rocks
and concentrate them

in some places
and clean the surroundings.

- The Casa Blanca geoglyphs
share a similar construction

technique to the Nazca
lines - the 'positive

technique' of the stacking
and forming of rows of stones

around the figures, as well
as the 'negative technique' which

consists of selective
scraping of the desert surface.

- Which culture out of the many who
lived here actually created

the geoglyphs?

- Is there anything
nearby to explore that could help us

to at least speculate?

NARRATOR: Shards of ancient pottery
found by archaeologists give

a clue to whom might be responsible.

- Very close in this area, we have
pottery from ancient cultures.

This is a piece of jar of the Casma
culture.

And based on this kind of pottery,

we can talk about the antiquity
of the geoglyphs in this place.

NARRATOR: The Casma culture lived
in the valleys around Casma River

over 1000 years ago

and took great pride in their
spiritual planting practices.

- It's possible that these
geoglyphs were associated with this

culture, the Casma culture.

- Assuming the pattern was created
by the Casma culture over 1000

years ago, can we make a guess as to
why they created the geoglyphs?

NARRATOR: The archaeologists have a
theory.

The geoglyph may be asking
the Gods for rain in the mountains,

so there would be plenty of water
in the valley below where

the people lived and farmed.

It's a good guess because of where
the geoglyph is located

but it's not the only
pattern in Casma Valley.

There's also this.

NARRATOR: What could it mean?

In the hopes of solving
this ancient mystery,

the team turn to a high-tech
view from above.

NARRATOR: With a thermal drone
flying above can

they solve a thousand-year-old
mystery?

- The use of thermal drones allow
researchers to filter out

the modern,
linear features such as roads,

and focus on a complete
visualization of the geoglyphs.

NARRATOR: And they're also
documenting evidence of these

geoglyphs before they are lost
forever.

NARRATOR: Using a thermal
drone at night provides

the chance to record the most
detailed image possible.

NARRATOR: The recorded
views from above may be the only

way to protect these mysteries.

- There's an urgency to discover
and document any

and all other geoglyphs that
might exist in the valleys.

Especially before rapidly
developing modern agriculture

destroys them forever.

- It's pretty incredible what
we can discover

when we combine new technologies
like drones and thermal imaging.

It's kind of like having a sixth
sense in the sky that can

detect things that we just can't see
with our own senses at ground level.

How cool is that?

- We hope these new 'views
from above' will allow for many

more like them to be discovered,
studied, and ultimately understood.

NARRATOR: But for now, many of these
newly discovered geoglyphs

will remain elusive messages to the
Gods meant to be seen from above.

On the west coast of Canada,
near Osoyoos, British Columbia

there exists a strange,
otherworldly sight.

- Huh.
- It looks almost extra-terrestrial.

What is that thing?

- This looks like something a few
rounds of penicillin could

clean right up.

- It's kind of a little bit creepy.

I think that's a lake,
but with spots?

NARRATOR: Despite its strange
appearance,

this is a lake
known as 'Spotted Lake'.

A site sacred
to the Syilx Okanagan people,

in who's tribal lands it lies.

- That is beyond cool.

- This is so spectacular that
I can't believe it's real.

What are these spots
and why are they there?

- What in the world has
created that weird,

organic-shaped polka dot pattern?

NARRATOR: A clue might be
found about 850 kilometres southeast

in Wyoming and another collection
of round, colourful pools.

These are the hot springs
in Yellowstone National Park.

- I remember they've all been
given very excellent names,

like the morning glory pool,
and the sapphire pool.

NARRATOR: Yellowstone houses
the world's greatest

concentration of geysers, mud pots,
and steam vents formed over time

by hydrothermal systems and scalding
magma deep below the surface.

But it's the hot springs that
draw the biggest crowds.

- The Grand Prismatic is the largest
and the most stupidly beautiful.

It's got bands of orange, yellow,

and green all around these
deep blue waters.

And this thing is the third
largest hot spring in the world.

It's got a diameter
of 113 meters across.

That is
bigger than a football field!

- Is it possible that there's
a connection between the pools

in Yellowstone and Spotted Lake
in British Columbia?

- Could something extremely hot be
happening under the spots

in Spotted Lake?

- It's a very good guess.

I mean, British Columbia has
a multitude of hot springs

and volcanoes in the province, even
some in the Okanagan Valley, but

there are none in that specific area
that could be feeding Spotted Lake.

- I'd like to know if this pattern
stays as it is, or does it change?

- Visual records show that the lake
can have over 300 distinct

multi-coloured pools that
are several meters in diameter,

and the configuration of those
pools changes every year.

NARRATOR: So if it's not thermal
activity, what is it?

- As pretty as it is, the lake
just looks weird.

- Since the water
colour in Spotted Lake isn't normal,

could the pattern be
the result of a lack of nutrients?

NARRATOR: Almost 7000 km away,

there's a river in Columbia that
might offer a clue.

- Known as Cano Cristales it
suffers from a lack of nutrients,

and the water runs totally clear
because of it.

NARRATOR: But why? What is
hiding in the Cano Cristales water?

- A rare plant called 'macarenia
clavigera' grows in that

nutrient deficient water, and during
the rainy season it starts to bloom.

- It creates a rainbow effect -

and that's why the river is also
known as the 'Liquid Rainbow.'

- Maybe something similar is
happening in Spotted Lake?

I mean, could plant life be
causing the strange patterns?

- If we take
a closer look at the view

from above Spotted Lake, I don't
detect a lot of plant life.

- The lake looks kind of dead.
- But it might not be.

What if the strange pattern is
the result of too many

micro-organisms in the water?

I mean, we've all seen
bodies of water that have been taken

over by blue and green algae blooms
- they can look pretty funky.

- It's true that
microorganisms can make it

look like the colour of the water
has changed at the surface.

But really what it is, is
a microbial mat.

That's a whole community
of microorganisms all stuck

together by a slime that they
secrete. I love it!

- The bacteria can form
these flat tangled webs,

or stubby pillars called
stromatolites,

and these are among some of the
earliest forms of life on earth.

- How is that even possible?

How can something so tiny change
the colour of something so large?

NARRATOR: An example can
be found on the other

side of the world 200 kilometres
southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,

where a trio of lakes look
like shades on an artists' palette.

- Lakes Shalla, Langano and
Abijatta were once connected by an

ancient inland sea, and one enormous
body of water known as Lake Galla.

- About 10,000 years ago, Lake Galla
shrunk back and created these

three lakes that have
taken on three different colours.

- The largest - Lake Shala, is deep
blue; Lake Langano is the colour

of sand, and the smallest - Lake
Abijatta - is bright green in
colour.

- Their colour differences
are partly

because of the different depths -
Lake Shala is the deepest,

but it also contains a large
number of microorganisms.

Lake Langano's yellow colour
actually comes from sediment

that flows from nearby mountains.

But the green in Lake Abijatta
is likely

due to an abundance
of phytoplankton on its surface.

- We're talking
billions of phytoplankton.

Like you could practically
float in the stuff.

Phytoplankton contain chlorophyll.

That reflects green wavelengths
which is why it

looks green to the human eye.

- But these spots don't look
enough like a microbial matt or

stromatolites to convince me.

Could there be something
else in the water that's

responsible for its bizarre
appearance?

NARRATOR: A final clue can be
found in the history of Spotted Lake

and the people who have
lived by its waters for centuries.

- Research into the lakes' history
tells us that it has been

used by the Syilx Okanagan people
for centuries as a healing lake.

- Well, if it's not microbial life,

there's definitely something in that
lake that makes it extraordinary.

- Could it contain something larger
than life? Some kind of elixir?

NARRATOR: Are the waters of Spotted
Lake hiding an ancient secret?

- What were they using from this
weird-looking lake, and why?

- Legends tell of great
tribes at war, who would allow the

wounded to bathe their injured limbs
in the lake's restorative waters.

- Whatever medicinal offering
Spotted Lake has,

it's clearly powerful to them.

Is there any scientific
evidence to support it?

NARRATOR: Spotted Lake contains
large amounts of magnesium

sulphate, calcium,
and other minerals that are helpful

in healing human bodies
and building healthy ecosystems.

- The lake, formed by rainwater
and groundwater,

is a 'saline endorheic alkali' lake.

- The only way the level
of a 'saline endorheic alkali'

lake can rise
is through precipitation - rain,

and the only way it
can lower is through evaporation.

NARRATOR: A similar lake exists
roughly 1000 kilometres

southeast in Northern Utah.

This is the Great Salt Lake.

- Known as 'America's dead sea',
The Great Salt Lake is

the largest saltwater
lake in the Western Hemisphere.

- The shores can look almost like a
build-up of cracked ice or snow

when the salt levels are high.

And depending on the amount
of salinity in the water,

it changes between shades of pinks,
blues, golds and white.

NARRATOR: But
because of rising temperatures,

the lake is evaporating more
and more every year

- which creates
a kaleidoscope of colour.

- So, is precipitation

and evaporation behind the colourful
pattern in Spotted Lake?

- Could all the lumpy circles
in Spotted Lake be made of salt?

- The spots are formed
by a precipitation of sulphate salt,

mainly in the form of Gypsum
and Epsom salts.

NARRATOR: But the lake doesn't
always have these strange,

white, and multi-coloured spots.

- Throughout most of the year,
Spotted Lake looks

almost like a normal lake,
but as the summer sun grows hotter,

the water evaporates, and the lake
becomes almost completely white.

- Some of the minerals dry up,

creating these natural
walkways around pools that

look like pale polka dots with hues
of blue and yellow and green,

and the specific colour depends on
the mineral composition

of each pool.

NARRATOR: Those salt walkways allow
access to all of the lake's

minerals.

- The Okanagan people have
been using the healing

salts from this ancient
lake for centuries.

NARRATOR: But there was a time
when they lost access to their land

and the lake.

- Records show that during World War
I, hired labourers mined as much

as a ton of salt every day, to be
used for ammunition and explosives.

NARRATOR: And in 1979,
there were plans to transform

Spotted Lake into a huge
entertainment complex and spa.

- But in 2001, after 20 years
of protest and negotiation,

the Syilx Okanagan people were
able to buy back 56 acres of land,

including their sacred Spotted Lake.

Today, Spotted Lake is
fenced off for its own protection,

but visitors can still view it
from a distance.

Near a sign reminding them
that it's culturally

and ecologically a sensitive area.

NARRATOR: But the best
way to see the rare beauty

and natural wonder of Spotted Lake
is from above.

- This place is so unique,
and so sacred,

that if you ever find yourself
in southern British Columbia,

take the trip to Osoyoos and get
a look at Spotted Lake for yourself.

You won't even believe it.

NARRATOR: Perplexing patterns can be
found everywhere - volcanic

clay stripes, circles in the sand,
ancient etchings, and a lake

of spots but it takes the view from
above to understand their mysteries.

Subtitles by Sky Access Services