All language subtitles for Mysteries.from.Above.S03E09.1080p.WEB.h264-BAWD_track3_[eng]

- (tense music)

NARRATOR:
Drones spot a vast field

of perfectly pointed stones.

- It's like some kind of
weird lunar landscape.

NARRATOR: A massive monolith
looming over the surrounding land.

- And it looks totally out of place.

NARRATOR: Hundreds of desolate
and crumbing structures.

- What is this place?
And what happened here?

NARRATOR: And a vast tower of white
plunging off a hillside.

- This is such a strange shape,
and it's huge.

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?

Flying above the landscape,
our planet is a rich tapestry

of seemingly endless eternal stone.

From towering peaks,
to human handiwork,

rock and stone can hide surprising
science and shocking history,

uncovered from the skies.

One stone mystery lies
in the Andes mountains

that stretch
for thousands of kilometres

along the western coast
of South America.

Featuring the tallest peaks
in the Western hemisphere.

GEORGE: The Andes are
one of the most

mighty mountain chains
in the world.

It is the backbone of South America.

NARRATOR: And among
the high plateau in Southern Peru,

in the district of Pampachiri...

..drone footage reveals
something staggering from above.

- (mysterious music)

- I've never seen a landscape
like this.

It's like something
out of a fairytale.

- I'm seeing these tall,
pointed, rocky spires.

It's like some kind of
weird lunar landscape.

- It looks almost like a forest,
but the trees are the wrong colour.

How long has this been here?

- These must be some kind
of stone or rock,

but why on Earth
are they this weird shape?

PETER: How could this have formed?

Is this the work of humans?

Or could this be some strange
natural process?

CYLITA: Are there any other
strange formations

of rock or stone around the world
that could give us a clue?

NARRATOR: There may be a hint
just over 6,500 km away,

in New Mexico,

where another landscape
holds surprisingly similar shapes

to the forms in Pampachiri.

- These are called
the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks,

and it's easy to see why.

They are, in fact, tent shaped.

- And some of these spires can reach

up to 30m in height.

- But how are
these unusual shapes formed?

- The secret lies under
the nearby Valles Caldera,

in the Jemez Volcanic field.

TIM: A volcanic field is a place

where there's
a particular concentration

of eruptive features of some kind.

- (explosion booms)
GEORGE: These can form in the area

of a supervolcano.

- And Jemez is a 14-million-year-old
supervolcano

that has been shaping the landscape
for millennia.

- The supervolcano's
most recent eruption

around 1.2 million years ago

created the Valles Caldera...
- (explosion boom)

- ..this massive crater
in the Earth.

NARRATOR: But how did
this supervolcanic power

form the strange peaks
at the Tent Rocks?

- About six or seven million
years ago,

eruptions in the Jemez
volcanic field

spewed ash, pumice
and volcanic tuff for miles.

TIM: So, over several million years,

this tremendous thickness
of volcanic ash built up,

but it was inter-layered
with occasional lava flows...

..material that when it lands,

it can fuse together
and form a harder layer,

and those hard layers
tend to be thin

relative to the thicker ash.

- This left a layer of deposits
over 300m thick.

- Tectonic forces will crack
the thin, harder layers.

So they're filled with fractures.

And then as it rains,

water gets down
through those cracks

and it begins to erode
the softer ash.

But there's a cap
of this harder layer.

So you end up
with side by side towers,

each one with a little cap on it.

But at some point,
it's going to get undercut

and unbalanced,
and it will topple off,

and then the spire develops
a nice peak on it

so they turn into a nice
pointy tent-like shape.

- Rock formations like this
are often called

fairy chimneys, or hoodoos.

- So is this what has happened
in this area of Peru?

- (mysterious music)

NARRATOR: Could the strange
rock shapes in Pampachiri

be connected to an ancient
and powerful volcano?

- A look from above reveals
that Peru...

..is right on the Ring of Fire,

where the Nazca Plate hits
the South American plate.

- So it makes sense to think
that volcanic activity

helped create the materials
that could,

over millions of years,
create this landscape.

- And experts believe that
thanks to a volcanic eruption

around four million years ago,

the area became covered
in volcanic tuff.

Then over thousands
and millions of years,

rain washed away the softer rock,

just like at the Tent Rocks.

NARRATOR: Some experts believe
nearby extinct volcanoes

as the likely source of the layers
that evolved into the stone forest.

- (in Spanish)

NARRATOR: (in English) So the stone
shapes in Pampachiri were formed

in the same way,
in an ancient volcanic landscape

shaped by wind and rain.

- And it's a little bit
of a goldilocks situation.

These pillars tend to form

in relatively arid regions.

If there's too much rainfall,

everything is carried away
and there's no opportunity

for the pillars to form.

But where there's just
the right amount of rainfall,

that water gets down
through the cracks

in the cap rock and very slowly
carries away the fine material

so these pillars develop.

NARRATOR: And incredibly,

this isn't the only one
in this region.

- There's actually a volcanic chain

that runs down the spine
of Peru in the Andes.

And along this chain,

there are a number
of these stone forests.

- And all of these stone forests
developed in the same way.

NARRATOR: But there's
another shocking mystery here...

..revealed by a closer look...
from above.

TORRI: What is happening here?

It looks like something
out of Lord of the Rings.

CYLITA: Wait. Are those doors?

I see doors, windows and bricks

at the bottom
of these pointed rocks.

PETER: These are houses.

This is something
clearly made by people.

- Who could have built these here?
And why?

NARRATOR:
Perhaps there's an answer

on the other side of the world,
in Turkey...

..where another volcanic landscape
holds signs of human hands.

TORRI: This is Cappadocia,
and it's home

to some of the most stunning fairy
chimneys in the world.

PETER: Made of ancient
volcanic rock, just like in Peru,

these stones have been integrated
into the towns here.

KAREN: Homes are actually built
into the rock,

many of them dating back
hundreds of years.

NARRATOR: But the rockface hides
more than these homes.

- Below the surface are networks
of human-made caves,

tunnels,
and entire underground cities.

ANTHEA: Some may even date
as far back as 1200 BCE,

and it's thought
that in the 4th century,

these caves could have been used
by Christians fleeing Roman attacks.

KAREN: And these remained in use
for centuries -

a haven for locals
during raids that spanned

the 600s to the 900s CE.

TORRI:
Could these structures in Peru

be some ancient form
of protection or defence,

like the Cappadocia caves in Turkey?

GEORGE: Are there any clues
as to who could have built

a fortification
in this part of Peru?

NARDI: Humans have lived
at least periodically in this area

for hundreds,
perhaps thousands of years.

And there are signs of historic
civilisations nearby.

NARRATOR: 20km to the northeast,

an ancient walled city
may offer a clue.

Pikillaqta.

- This ancient city dates
from around the late 6th century.

- From above, we can see
the city's clear grid pattern.

NARRATOR: This is the trademark sign
of an ancient people

known as the Wari.

KAREN: Renowned for their
engineering and masonry skills,

the Wari flourished in
this region for hundreds of years.

NARRATOR:
But could the strange stone village

be connected to the ancient
Wari people?

KAREN: The Wari did introduce
farming and herding

into this area around 700 CE,

but this village lacks
the hallmark grid of Wari planning.

- So who else might be behind
these strange houses?

NARRATOR: Even closer,
a mere 75km to the north

is the village known as Sondor.

TORRI: This was built
around 1080 CE,

by a civilisation known
as the Chanka.

ANTHEA: The Chanka are considered
a formidable people,

known for their reputation
as warriors,

and defensive structures
on the high ground of hilltops.

KAREN: Sondor would've been home
to several thousand people,

and its fortifications, ramparts,
walls, ditches, lookouts,

are formidable.

ANTHEA: Though the Chanka homes
in the village

would have been circular stone
structures, topped with thatch.

GEORGE: So could these homes in Peru
be a similar,

nearly thousand-year-old site,
crafted by the Chanka?

CYLITA: It's an interesting idea.

The homes here are definitely round,

but there aren't
any of those classic

defensive structures you'd expect.

NARRATOR: So if these
aren't ancient fortifications,

what are they?

- Peru is filled with ruins
of ancient civilizations,

but could this be a sign
of something more modern?

To investigate further,
we need to take a closer look.

- It's incredible to find
that people actually live here.

It's no abandoned ruin.

ANTHEA: One of the best ways
to discover the history

of a place like this is to ask
the people who live there.

- (speaking Spanish)

KAREN: (in English)
The local family that lives here

reveals that their grandparents
created these shelters

to be used for a few
months at a time.

- (in Spanish)

NARRATOR: (in English) By carving
out these volcanic stone peaks,

and adding stone and mud walls,

these unique dwellings were created.

- (in Spanish)

- (in English)
Later, the farming family decided

to live here permanently.

- (in Spanish)

- (grand instrumental music)

GEORGE: It's really amazing how
this incredible geological landscape

can form over thousands
or millions of years,

and then continue to evolve
in a totally new way

as humans discover and explore.

- Who knows what the next
100 years will bring

for this incredible stone forest,

and the village it holds.

NARRATOR: Over 7,00km to the north

in the badlands
of Northeastern Wyoming

stands the dramatic landscape
of the Black Hills.

- This area was named
by the Lakota

for the pine forests that cover
its ancient mountain range,

making the hills appear
black from a distance.

NARRATOR:
But among the trees and hills,

an incredible form
reaches into the sky.

- Oh, wow. This is...
This is massive.

It really just keeps going, huh?

GEORGE: It's 264 metres
from the base to the peak,

and the top covers over
6,000 square metres.

That's a pretty sizable
chunk of rock.

- (thunder cracking)
NARRATOR: This iconic stone behemoth

is famous for appearing
in sci-fi films

and has been a powerful landmark
for countless centuries.

KAREN: Many ancestral
Native Americans in this area

consider it a sacred place,

known by names such as
Bears Lodge,

Tree Rock and Ghost Mountain.

- Today it's commonly known
as the Devils Tower,

probably due to a mistranslation
of one of those original names.

PETER: It's also a popular site
for rock climbers,

with about 5,000 climbers
visiting every year.

And no wonder, it's an amazing view.

NARRATOR:
Mighty towers of rock like this

are signs of colossal
volcanic powers

lurking deep in the Earth.

But there's something strange
at Devils Tower.

DAN: You'd expect when there's
a big rock formation like this,

that you would see other similar
ones all around it,

but there's nothing like it.
So, how did this thing form?

ROMA: And why is it
so incredibly different

than all the surrounding topography
that you can see?

NARRATOR: What clues can we find
in the view from above,

to solve a mystery
hidden deep in the past,

and far below the Earth's surface?

One hint may lie to the south.

The desert plains of New Mexico...

..where another stand-alone
jagged peak

rises high above the sands.

- This incredible rock formation
is known as Shiprock.

- Just like Devils Tower,
this thing stands alone.

It's unique in its landscape
and it's even taller.

It's over 400m high.

- So how did this enormous
pillar of rock form?

CYLITA: Hard as it is to believe,

experts think this was
shaped underground...

..deep inside a volcano.

- Millions of years ago,
the ground level here

was something like 900m
higher than it is today.

- And far below,
there was a plume of magma

heading toward the surface.

Experts believe that
that rising magma

hit a cool groundwater source,

and that combination caused
a massive explosion.

CYLITA: That explosion would've
created a big crater at the surface.

But not all of the magma escaped.

The magma that became Shiprock

solidified while it was still deep
in the neck of the volcano.

- The ash will erode away,
but the neck stays,

and that's what Shiprock is.

PETER: And when you look from above,

surrounding Shiprock,
you can see these lines

of darker rock radiating out.

- Those are the tops
of vertical sheets or dikes

where lava that was in the pipe

broke out into cracks in the rock.

NARRATOR: And the same erosion
that revealed Shiprock itself...

..uncovered the dikes once hidden
below the surface.

TIM: The combination
of those two things

makes this kind of unique,
geologically.

I've never seen another formation
like this in the world.

NARRATOR: Could that be
what happened in Wyoming?

Could the Devils Tower
be the remains

of a huge plume of magma

from the neck of an ancient volcano?

CYLITA: It's a possibility.

But there isn't much evidence
of a surface

volcanic explosion nearby.

DAN: But there are
other magma events

that can create
rock formations like this.

NARRATOR: A range of phenomena
known as volcanic intrusions.

TIM: Volcanic intrusions are
all pretty much the same thing -

they're magma that never
made it to the Earth's surface.

DAN: Basically, a bunch of magma

shoves its way up
into a layer of rock,

and then hardens
while it's still underground.

CYLITA: Over time,
those original layers will erode,

and that former magma
will stick around longer

because it's harder and stronger.

TIM: If magma is extruded out
into a horizontal crack

and cools and hardens,

that's called a sill.

So if you're in New York City
and look across to New Jersey

and see those big black cliffs
on the other side of the Hudson,

that's the Palisade Sill.

If you get a blister of magma,

so it goes out sideways,
but there's enough pressure

that it raises the sediments
above it and makes a blister,

we call that a laccolith.

- And over time,
those layers on top wear away,

exposing the igneous rock -

rocks that are made by magma.

- So you could picture
the Devils Tower forming this way.

NARRATOR:
Is a long hidden magma bubble

trapped deep below the Earth
the secret behind Devils Tower?

It's one theory,
but the view from above

reveals something crucial
is missing.

- What's missing at Devils Tower
is the sediments

that were bent upwards
around the magma,

a ring of upturned
sedimentary rocks.

We just don't see that
at Devils Tower.

- So what's going on?

NARRATOR: Can a closer look
from above offer a clue?

- The rock is all shaped into
these massive hexagonal columns.

They look like giant
church organ pipes,

or a colossal honeycomb.

- Where else can we find rocks
with this unusual geometric pattern?

And what can that reveal
about the Devils Tower?

NARRATOR: Over 1,400km
to the southwest,

satellites spot a clue
in the mountains of California.

This is the Devils Postpile.

PETER: There's a wall
of these geometric columns

that stretch from about
12 to 18 metres tall.

GEORGE:
And they're polygonal shapes...

..mostly hexagons,

much like the columns
at the Devils Tower.

So how was this formed?

TIM: Devils Postpile was
an actual lava flow,

basaltic lava that made it out
to the surface of the Earth

and flowed sideways,

making a big pond
or a lake of lava.

- Around 82,000 years ago,

a volcanic event from
the nearby Mammoth Mountain

filled a valley, making a pool

around 120 or so metres deep.

- As this basalt cooled,
it contracted.

And because this is basalt,

it really likes to form these
hexagonal shapes when it cools.

- And if the lava cools
at just the right rate,

cracks will propagate downward
through the cooling lava body.

DAN: It can form these shapes
in long, even pillars

because it cooled slowly and evenly,

probably over several decades.

CYLITA:
Then, thousands of years later,

glaciers travelled
through this area.

This carved away
one side of the columns,

leaving an exposed wall
around 18m high.

DAN: And since we see the same kinds
of shapes at Devils Tower,

it makes sense to think that this
must have been formed the same way.

Some kind of pool of magma or lava

that cooled evenly and slowly.

GEORGE: But there's a problem.

The Devils Tower
isn't made of basalt.

It's actually formed of something
called phonolite porphyry.

- (hawk screeches)

CYLITA: The good news is that
phonolite is a kind of igneous rock,

meaning it was formed
by cooling magma or lava.

- So the question is,

what conditions can make
the phonolite make columns

just like basalt
at the Devils Postpile?

- Actually, columnar jointing can
happen in any igneous rock

if it cools at the perfect rate.

- So can these phonolite columns

tell us exactly
how the Devils Tower formed?

- Not exactly.
Under the right conditions,

columns could form wherever an
intrusion of magma happened to cool.

CYLITA: But there is
one more amazing location

that might provide an explanation
of what happened here.

NARRATOR: On the other side of
the Atlantic in the Czech Republic,

the view from above
reveals a massive rock

breaking out from the rolling
green hills.

- This is known as Boren
It's a rock formation

that has some key similarities
with the Devils Tower.

- It's made of phonolite, too.

And it has some notable
columnar jointing.

- So how did this form?

PETER: It's actually thought to be
similar to the event

that created the Shiprock
in New Mexico.

A massive volcanic event
with magma that exploded

as it interacted with groundwater.

- But instead of the remaining
pinnacle being deep in the volcano,

it formed part of the lava

that rose into the debris-filled
crater at the top.

CYLITA: The magma cooled
and hardened under the debris,

then over millions of years,
that debris wore away,

leaving this tower of rock behind.

NARRATOR: Could this be the secret?

Is the Devils Tower all that remains

of an ancient volcanic crater?

TIM: With this kind of eruption,

you end up with a lot of ejecta,

stuff gets thrown everywhere.

We don't see that at Devils Tower.

NARRATOR: But could signs
of a massive ancient eruption

simply... disappear?

GEORGE: It's possible.

The dating that's been done
on the Devils Tower

identifies it as being
around 50 million years old.

That's plenty of time
for even the huge amounts of land

we're talking about to change.

- It's awesome to imagine
how the land might've looked

with this massive monolith
sitting in a huge crater

filled with volcanic debris
and lava.

And then over millions of years,

wind and rain erode
everything else away

until all you're left with
is this epic tower.

NARRATOR: So what's the truth behind
this ancient natural monument?

- This is a really hard problem.

TIM: I'm convinced
that it's a volcanic neck,

but that leaves
a lot of things wide open.

- In all of these theories,
erosion is key

to revealing the Devils Tower...

but that same process

has erased much of the evidence
that we need

to determine
what actually happened here.

TIM: We could probably learn more

if we sampled the heck out
of Devils Tower,

but nobody wants to destroy
this thing of beauty

to figure out exactly what it is.

So, let's leave it a mystery.

NARRATOR: Along the Mediterranean
coast of Turkey...

just outside the city of Fethiye...

..the view from above
reveals something strange

in the hills.

ANTHEA: What happened here?

This is a really eerie,
sad-looking site.

- Locals know this place
as Kayakoy,

or Rock Village,
and you can see why.

NARRATOR: These ruins cover
around 33 hectares,

about three times the size
of Ellis Island.

- What is this place?
And what happened here?

- Who built these structures?
And why did they leave them behind?

GUY: Is this some
kind of ancient ruin

or the site
of some kind of disaster?

KAREN: And even stranger,

this is on the outskirts
of the tourist hotspot of Fethiye

- Plenty of people live
and travel right around here.

GUY: So, the big mystery is this,

why is this area
completely abandoned?

NARRATOR: A hint may lie almost
2,000km to the northwest...

in Switzerland.

When a crisis hits the tiny village
of Brienz/Brinzauls.

- In May of 2023,
this tiny Swiss village

was warned that a disaster
was imminent.

- A huge mountain of unstable rock
sits next to the village,

and for decades,
was the site of movement

and occasional falling rocks.

- Scientists had been watching
that spot for a long time.

There was all kinds
of monitoring going on.

So they could see that that piece
of mountain was moving.

- In the spring,
movement began to accelerate.

Emergency plans sprang into motion
and the residents were evacuated.

- Only a few weeks later,

on the night of June
the 15th to 16th,

that this landslide
was just unleashed.

Over one million cubic metres
of rock

just hurtling, plummeting
towards the village.

- The following morning,
footage from above revealed

the dramatic landslide,

and the incredible realisation

that the village had been spared.

- (dramatic music)

- Could something similar
have happened here in Turkey?

Was this village abandoned
during a sudden natural disaster?

NARRATOR: Is this the site
of a crisis so devastating

the inhabitants could never return?

Turkey is known for one particular
kind of catastrophe.

- That would be earthquakes.

- Turkey has thousands
of earthquakes every year,

and that's because of what
lies under the surface.

TORRI: Turkey is absolutely covered
in active fault lines,

because it sits at the intersection

of five different tectonic plates,

all pushing in different directions.

TIM: Turkey is being squeezed.

The stresses build up,
and then they pop.

So virtually all of Turkey
is earthquake prone.

- And when we look
at an earthquake hazard map,

we can see that Kayakoy
is in something of a hot zone.

- So you have to ask,
was Kayakoy actually abandoned

during some historic earthquake?

I mean, is that going to explain
all this destruction?

NARRATOR: A clue lies
in the nearby town of Fethiye.

And only a few decades
in the past...

..when disaster strikes.

NATASHA: In April of 1957,

the area is struck
with a double whammy.

Two powerful earthquakes
rock the region mere hours apart.

ANTHEA: Photos from the time
show the utter devastation.

It was so severe that the city
essentially had to be rebuilt.

KAREN: That rebuilding
was actually what led

to Fethiye embracing the tourism
industry which thrives today.

NARRATOR: But was nearby
Kayakoy abandoned

during this devastating earthquake?

GUY: So that earthquake in 1957,

that destroys most
of Kayakoy's buildings,

but it doesn't find that it enjoys

the same revamp that Fethiye gets.

So why is Kayakoy left
in complete shambles?

- Archive images reveal
it's because this village

had already been abandoned.

SHEILA: But why?
What could have happened

before this devastation
that was so serious

that the people never returned,
and it was never rebuilt?

NARRATOR: There may be a clue
just off the coast of Kayakoy,

where a modest island
holds an astonishing history.

KAREN: This is Gemiler Island

and it's pretty tiny -

only around 1km long and 400m wide.

NATASHA: But while all you can see
today are some stone ruins,

these actually hold
a pretty amazing history.

ANTHEA: Many of these buildings
are actually religious structures.

Chapels, basilicas, and tombs.

Some date back
to around the 4th century.

KAREN: Evidence suggests that
this was an important religious

pilgrimage site for Christians,

possibly because
it was a saint's shrine.

But which saint?

NATASHA: Some researchers think
this was actually

the resting place of Saint Nicholas
- Santa Claus.

NARRATOR: Ravaged by time,

there is one possible clue
to this holy mystery.

- There is a fresco in one
of the churches that reads

‘Hossios Nikolaos'.

And if nothing else it was likely
built to honour Saint Nick.

- It's thought that
this holy site was abandoned

following attacks by Arab forces
around 650 CE.

ANTHEA: This makes sense,

as the 7th century saw
the beginnings of the Arab conquest

that would eventually
spread throughout

the Middle East and North Africa.

- But what happened to the people
who lived on this holy island?

NATASHA: It's believed
that they actually fled

to what is now known as Kayakoy.

TORRI: So could these two events
be connected?

Were the people of
Kayakoy fleeing raiders?

SHEILA: Or is there
some religious connection?

Can we find any clues in
the abandoned village itself?

NARRATOR: A closer look from
above reveals two crucial clues.

- There are two churches here,
both Greek Orthodox.

ANTHEA: But this is Turkey.

Something like 99%
of the country is Muslim.

So why are there two churches
for an area

with some three
to four hundred houses?

NATASHA: There must have been
a pretty decent sized

Christian population...

but when?
And where did they go?

NARRATOR: For centuries,
Christians and Muslims

lived in this village side by side,

under the powerful Ottoman empire.

- With a Christian settlement
on the hillside,

and a Muslim settlement
in the valley below.

- So when did the Christian area
become the abandoned Kayakoy?

- It's all tied to a terrifying
chapter in this region's history.

- (explosions booming)

TORRI: The Ottoman Empire
was facing serious pressure,

fresh from the Balkan Wars
against Serbia,

Montenegro, Bulgaria
and crucially Greece

when World War I began.

- Facing external pressure
and internal revolts,

the Ottomans joined World War I

on the side
of the Central Powers,

hoping in part to keep
their Empire from total collapse.

- Whether from suspicion
of collusion or revenge,

Greek Christians living in
the Ottoman Empire were targeted,

and in 1914, what became known
as the Greek Genocide began.

SHEILA: Greeks were forced
from their homes, attacked,

deported, raped and killed.

This continued throughout
the World War.

Hundreds of thousands
were killed or displaced.

NARRATOR: But the Ottomans
were on the losing side,

so what happened when
the Allies won the war?

- After that conflict ended,

Greece then attacks
the Ottoman Empire.

Now, this war leads
to the collapse of the empire

and the creation of Turkey under
the military leader Kemal Ataturk,

and he successfully routed
the Greek invasion.

NARRATOR: But what did this
victorious new leader have in store

for the surviving Greeks in Turkey?

- That war ended with something
called the Treaty of Lausanne,

which, among other things,
dictated a massive population swap.

NARRATOR: At least 1.5 million
people were moved.

SHEILA: Turks from Greece were sent
to the new country of Turkey,

and remaining Greeks in Turkey
were sent to Greece.

NARRATOR: So how did these tragedies

change the shape
of this quiet seaside village?

- Just like the rest of the country,
the Greek population of Kayakoy

was subject to abuse
and deportation.

TORRI: In September of 1922,

Ottoman authorities ordered
the evacuation of Kayakoy,

the village that
was then called Livissi.

And in 1923, Muslims were
brought from northern Greece

to the now-abandoned village.

NARRATOR: But why did
these homes remain empty?

GUY: So when you have
these Muslim Turks

who had been exchanged from Greece,

when they arrive,
they don't want to live

in the abandoned houses in Kayakoy.

ANTHEA: These new inhabitants
were farmers,

and there wasn't enough suitable
land around Livissi for cultivation.

- So the area actually never
recovered from the exodus.

NARRATOR: And the village of Livissi
remained abandoned

and became the Rock Village
of Kayakoy.

- And the crumbling homes
now stand as monuments

of the tragic and brutal past.

SHEILA: Whenever I'm looking
at ruins and abandoned sites,

I think of them as scars
on the landscape.

And scars always tell a story,
don't they?

KAREN: Sites such as these,
sad as they are,

are so important.

By investigating their history,

we remember and honour
important parts of our past,

and hopefully learn
how to never repeat them.

NARRATOR: Looking down
at the mountains of southern Mexico,

around 50km outside Oaxaca...

..in the surrounding
mountain cliffs,

the view from above reveals
a staggering feature

thrusting off one peak.

- Oh wow, this looks so dramatic.

- This is just beautiful.

- It looks like a massive waterfall

cascading off these deep red cliffs.

NARRATOR: Waterfalls are some
of the most stunning

natural features in the world.

And many are beloved landmarks.

But there's something unique
about this site.

This waterfall is made of stone.

- (mysterious music)

- It looks like a waterfall
that's frozen in time.

What an incredible illusion, though.

How does stone appear
to ripple down the cliff-side

without actually moving?

- What's it made of exactly?

- And how was it formed?

GEORGE: Are there any clues
to be found

around this unusual rock formation?

NARRATOR: A closer look from above
reveals a hint.

- It may not be a waterfall,
but there is water here.

ROMA: There's a series of shallow
pools at the top of this plateau.

And some of them are
some really interesting colours.

GEORGE: Locals call this place
Hierve el Agua.

It means "boil the water"
in Spanish.

PETER: And if we take a closer look,
you can see why.

The water here is bubbling.

So what could be going on here?

NARRATOR: Perhaps a clue can be
found over 12,000km away...

..in the canyons
of southern Armenia...

..where a serene mountain spa

holds the Jermuk Hot Springs.

- There are over 40 hot
and cold springs at Jermuk,

ranging in temperature and size.

PETER: The geysers are full
of carbon hydro-sulphate-sodium

and minerals like potassium
and magnesium.

SHEILA: But can these mineral-rich
natural hot tubs

give us any clues about
the waters at Hierve el Agua?

- Just like in Jermuk,
these are natural hot springs.

NARRATOR: Could that mean there
is something hiding in the water?

- Warm waters are always
going to have minerals in them

because the warmer the water is,

the more likely
it's going to dissolve

whatever it comes in contact with.

- And the colours here can provide
clues as to what's in the water.

TIM: The colour of the water
is not so much affected

by the dissolved material in it,

but by very fine suspended material.

It would be the same thing
as putting cocoa powder into milk.

The cocoa doesn't actually dissolve,

but that powder,
those tiny, tiny grains,

stay suspended
and turn the milk brown.

ROMA: What stands out to me
is there's a few larger springs

that appear a turquoise colour.

And this is an important clue.

NARRATOR: What could make this water
turn this striking shade?

- This colour of water
usually indicates

a form of limestone leaching
into the water.

PETER: And that is a sign
of the dominant mineral here,

calcium carbonate.

That's a chemical compound
that commonly appears in rocks

and is also the main component
in seashells,

pearls, eggshells
and heartburn tablets.

- But what can that tell us
about the creation

of this weird stone
waterfall formation?

Can similar rock shapes
anywhere offer a clue?

NARRATOR:
Almost 2,000km northwards...

..in New Mexico,

the rugged Chihuahuan Desert
hides a hint below the surface.

- From above, you can see the
entrance to the Carlsbad Caverns,

a labyrinth of over
300 limestone caves

sitting in the desert here.

- Formed over
250 million years ago,

these grottos are brimming
with magnificent natural features.

- The wet, mineral-rich environment
makes it easy

for a range of rock formations,

known as speleothems,
to flourish.

- They're all related to rainwater

picking up ions in the rock

and then redepositing them
when they emerge in the cave.

- Some of the most famous
are stalactites and stalagmites.

- Stalactites form
when the groundwater

that's saturated in calcite
from the limestone

drips down through the cave ceiling,

then the water evaporates off

and leaves the minerals behind.

CYLITA: he calcite then deposits
in different places,

and builds up over time,

forming stalactites
that hang from the ceiling.

- And then, similarly,
stalagmites are formed basically

the same way, except the water
drips to the floor of the cave.

And then you get these
jagged mounds that grow upwards.

- Often, where there's a drip
from the ceiling,

there's a stalactite growing
down from the ceiling,

and a stalagmite growing up
from the floor,

and they can meet and form a column.

- And these speleothems at Carlsbad

look pretty similar
to the cliff-side at Hierve el Agua.

- But can this happen outside,
on a cliff-top?

NARRATOR: The answer may be found
almost 11,000km away...

..in southwestern Turkey...

..where the view from above reveals

the rolling white hills
of Pamukkale.

- Pamukkale means, "cotton castle"
or "cotton palace"

and you can see
how it gets the name.

DAN: The area features around
12 square kilometres

of terraced basins
nestled in thick white limestone.

NARRATOR: And a closer look
at these cloudlike rocks

reveals some similar shapes.

- It looks like an outdoor cave,

a mineral forest laden
with stalactites and stalagmites.

- But how do these form outside
of a cave environment?

DAN: It's pretty much the same way
they form inside.

It's the combination
of water and limestone.

The water carries away the calcite
from the dissolving limestone

and deposits it somewhere else.

NARRATOR: And here in Pamukkale,

the view from above reveals
a smoking gun.

- The calcite deposits
can just naturally form

in a way that resembles
cascading water.

DAN: The blindingly white facade
is created

by the continuous fresh deposits
of calcite-laden water

from the surrounding hot springs.

NARRATOR: As the spring water
emerges from the ground,

it evaporates,
leaving the mineral behind.

TIM: And that builds up
a little bit of a dam.

So the water begins
to pool behind that,

and where it spills over the dam,

the dam grows higher
and higher and higher.

NARRATOR: As the water continues
to flow downwards,

more dams form.

- So they develop a series of steps.

ROMA: Creating these
petrified waterfalls

we can see here at Pamukkale.

So could this geological process

explain the striking cliff-side
features in rural Oaxaca?

- (birds chirping)

TIM: The difference between
the frozen waterfall in Mexico

and Pamukkale is the slope

of the hillside or the mountain
that they're coming down.

In Mexico,
it's on a very steep hillside.

- This amazing site in Mexico

is created by the same kind
of really unusual

geological processes.

NARRATOR: Deep in the Earth,

spring water travels
through limestone terrain.

- If this flow path
goes deep enough,

it's going to make that water warm,

because the deeper you go
in the Earth,

the warmer it gets.

NARRATOR: This warm water dissolves
some of the limestone,

and carries it along its path,
until it reaches the surface.

- As the water emerges
at the surface,

it reacts with the air,

and those dissolved minerals
drop out of the water.

- So over thousands of years,

layers and layers of calcite
from the spring water

settles into its new home
on the cliff face,

in the shapes dictated
by the movement of the water.

- It's really just nature
rearranging the furniture.

CYLITA: The power of water
is spectacular.

What it can build and create,
how it can destroy,

and how it can change the landscape,
like what we see here.

TIM: It looks impossible that
nature made something like this,

but it's all perfectly natural,
but looks like art.

DAN: These unique and picturesque
petrified waterfalls

are a perfect reminder
of how geological processes

continue to churn away
on our planet every single day.

NARRATOR: From ancient formations
shaped through thousands of years,

to handmade work within stone,

ageless rock can hold human stories

and the secrets
of the Earth's own history,

all ready to be uncovered

in the view from above.

Subtitles by Sky Access Services