All language subtitles for What.on.Earth.S03E12.1080p.DSCP.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-BTN_track3_[eng]

Narrator: they're watching you.

More than 4,000 satellites
Circle the earth.

Every day, they uncover
New, mysterious phenomena.

Some defy explanation.

Bam, this sticks out
Like a sore thumb.

That is
The strangest thing going.

Narrator:
A satellite image hides a secret

At the u.S.-mexico border.

This is the war on drugs
Happening right here.

Narrator: a massive object
Emerges from the ocean

Off the coast of antarctica.

If this is a blue whale,

It's got to be
The biggest blue whale

That has ever been documented.

Narrator: a missile heads
Straight for a major u.S. City.

You have to ask,
"Is it one of ours?

Or is it on of theirs?"

Narrator: baffling phenomena,

Mysteries from space.

What on earth are they?

-- captions by vitac --
Www.Vitac.Com

Captions paid for by
Discovery communications

2011 --

A satellite image
Taken over western texas

Shows strange shapes
In the desert.

Moran: it's all basically
Straight lines, vast dessert.

And then, you see
An image like this.

Narrator:
It looks like the landscape

Has been warped
By an unknown force.

When I look at this, I say,
"What the heck is going on?"

Narrator: the satellite image
Shows the rio grande,

The river that forms
A natural border

Between the u.S. And mexico.

At this location,
60 miles south of el paso,

Flat fields on one side
Suddenly give way to bizarre,

Wavy contours on the other.

This one area looks
Completely different

From the surrounding terrain,

Which is very strange.

What's going on here?

Narrator: scientists
Examine the possibility

That a giant fissure
In the underlying rock

Could be responsible
For the shapes.

As a geologist looking
At this satellite image,

I'm really struck by these
Curving features in the ground.

You can get
Strange-looking patterns

From a whole range
Of geologic processes.

Narrator: waves like those
In the image can occur

When subterranean forces
Pull layers of rock apart,

Exposing the strata.

This region is a rift zone

Between a stable area
Of the earth's crust

And the colorado plateau,

Which has been gradually
Moving for millions of years.

The really striking thing
About this region is that,

If we look at satellite imagery

From a number of years ago,

We don't see the waves.

That suggests that the waves

In the earth have been produced,

From a geological
Standpoint, instantaneously.

There's really
No geologic process

That could form what we see
So quickly.

Narrator: the suspicious waves
Call the attention

Of security analyst
Patricia driscoll,

Who investigates
At ground level.

So this is what the majority
Of the border looks like,

Especially
In the southwest texas,

A lot of dunes,
A lot of wide-open area.

We are right about here.

As you can see,
The river is very straight.

Nothing on this map

Actually matches
What we see out here.

Narrator: there's no
Physical phenomena

To match the shape
In the satellite photograph.

The only conclusion is that

There's something wrong
With the image.

Could the wavy lines simply be
Some kind of glitch?

The way satellite images
Are processed,

They have a number
Of separate photos

That all have to be stitched
Together seamlessly.

Now, when satellite images
Are stitched together,

Sometimes, that stitching
Process doesn't go right.

So as an example
Of a processing error,

I have another photo here
That we can look at.

This is a photo of a bridge.

But if you look, this bridge
Doesn't look quite right.

It's all squiggly.

Narrator: a glitch could be
An accident.

But the sensitivity
Of this specific location

Raises alarming questions.

Why would a computer glitch
Just affect certain areas

Of the u.S.-mexico border?

That would be an
Incredible coincidence.

In my view...

I don't believe this is
Actually a computer glitch.

If we look here, you see that
This data's been stretched.

And we see this curvature.

It's almost like this was
Intentionally jumbled.

Narrator: that leaves
One possible explanation.

Moran: you have to wonder,
Is this deliberate?

Why would anyone want to obscure

What seems like an empty patch
Along the mexican border?

Narrator: superficially,
This area looks deserted.

But in fact, it's a highway

For the world's
Most violent drug smugglers.

Could the image manipulation
Be an attempt to stop them?

So this is the front line
Of the mexican border.

This is the war on drugs
Happening right here.

This area is vitally important
To the drug cartels.

They access the transit routes
Through these areas.

These kingpins,
They fight over it.

They kill each other over it.

Narrator: cartels from
Juarez and el porvenir are

Constantly looking for new
Secret routes into the states.

But the image could also relate

To another covert activity
That takes place here.

Another huge issue
With the border

Is illegal immigration.

Narrator: it's estimated
That in 2015,

There were over
700,000 illegal attempts

To cross the border from mexico
Into the united states.

Many migrants avoid
Official checkpoints,

Risking their lives
Looking for routes

Where they won't run
Into patrols.

At night, this is a wonderful
Place to try and get across.

It's very easy, as you can see,
How wide open it is

To just quickly run across
And jump over that fence.

Yes, that was a foot sign

Right there that somebody
Actually came through here.

Narrator: fresh evidence
Of illegal immigration

Could be linked to
The distortion along the border.

I know that that print happened,
You know, in the last 2 days.

Narrator: traffickers could be
Using satellite images

To help them choose
Their routes into texas.

You can learn a lot
From satellite images.

You can look at the area

And kind of gauge
Where the blind spots are.

Is there something
Geographic in the way

That won't let us move
Our contraband through?

Narrator: the controversial
Steel fence

That secures some of
The border is a problem.

It isn't complete.

Along the rio grande,

There are 18 sections
And several gaps.

The blurring of
The satellite image

Could be an attempt
By the us government

To stop people from locating
These vulnerable openings.

I think distorting maps,

As far as a border is concerned,

Is really important
Because why give people

A resource to help them
Get across easier?

Narrator: but the
Border-defense explanation

Doesn't satisfy everyone.

Carter: most of the coyotes,

The people that move people
In and out

Through this border region
Know their terrain.

They've known it
For a long time.

So they know
What areas to access.

So the mystery to me is,

If we were just
Trying to distort

The geographical position
Just for them,

That wouldn't make
Complete sense to me.

Narrator: if there is something
Just over the border

The u.S. Government
Wants to hide,

It's offering no explanation.

U.S. Authorities have neither
Confirmed nor denied

That this is a distorted image.

So essentially,
It will remain a mystery.

Narrator: something huge
Appears to be leaping out

Of the water
Off the coast of antarctica.

Kourounis: I've seen
A lot of weird stuff.

And this is weird.

Narrator: the image sparks
A frenzy of online speculation.

Release the kraken!

Narrator: june, 2016 --

A satellite image showing
A mysterious anomaly

Off the coast of antarctica

Becomes a global news story.

This image went viral.

It was all over the internet.

People were sharing it
On social media.

Whatever this is,
It's making one hell

Of a disturbance in the water.

Narrator:
The strange object emerging
From the depths is enormous.

And it appears to be alive.

The location
Of the peculiar shape

Could provide a clue.

It's right next
To the curiously-named

Deception island.

This photograph was taken
Not far from deception island,

Which 100 years ago was
One of the most profitable

Whaling stations in the world.

Moran: the whaling station
Was wiped out

By a series
Of volcanic eruptions.

So it's a pretty
Spooky place today.

But the water
Surrounding this island

Are still a major feeding ground

For a number
Of species of whales.

Narrator: whatever this
Mysterious thing is,

It surfaces right in the middle
Of a whale migration route.

Seeing whales in this
Part of the world

Is certainly
A common occurrence.

There's a tremendous
Amount of krill,

Which are these tiny, little
Shrimp-like creatures.

And whales feed on these
By the millions.

And they'll breach the surface
With their mouths agape

And just swallow
Thousands of krill at a time.

Narrator: a vast, open mouth
Might explain the strange shape

Visible on the left side
Of the feature.

But could a whale
Be large enough

To cause such a disturbance?

Blue whales are massive.

To put things in perspective,
They can be 100-feet long,

Weigh 300,000 pounds.

And their tongue can weigh

As much as an adult elephant.

Narrator:
Blue whales are the largest

Known animals
Ever to have lived,

Dwarfing even the dinosaurs.

If one surfaced here,

It could be captured
By satellite.

If this is a blue whale,

It's got to be
The biggest blue whale

That has ever been documented.

This thing's massive.

But the size of the shape
In the image

Could be misleading.

Miller: I actually have seen
Whales from an airplane

That, when they leap out
Of the water together --

And they do that sometimes,

One, two, three happen
At the same time --

It looks like a much larger
Creature than it actually is.

Narrator: the theory
That makes this image

A viral sensation
Is altogether stranger.

It looks like
The legendary kraken.

Release the kraken!

People are looking at this image
And talking about the kraken,

Which doesn't exist, right?

But this legend must've
Come from something.

Narrator: ancient myths speak
Of a massive creature

That attacked passing ships
With gigantic tentacles.

The greeks called it "Cetus."

The vikings called it
"The kraken."

Early sailors
Describe the kraken

As a giant squid-like monster

That could take down ships.

From its norse beginnings,

This story spreads
Throughout western europe.

And then, it spreads
Around the world,

This idea of huge sea beasts
Attacking ships

And dragging them
Down to the depths.

Narrator: like most legends,
The myth of the kraken

May have started with sightings
Of a real sea creature.

The idea of there
Being sea monsters

Is actually based in reality

As much as it is in fantasy.

Krueger: sailors
In the north atlantic

Had an encounter
With some type of sea creature

That they simply
Could not identify.

So the question remains,

Where did this mythological
Sea creature come from?

Narrator: the kraken myth
Could be far closer to reality

Than anyone would've imaged.

Tantalizing evidence has
Recently come to light

Of aggressive, colossal squid
Lurking in the depths.

Colossal squid are
One of the most

Mysterious animals of the ocean.

There's only a couple specimens
That have been caught.

So we know very little
About this animal.

Narrator: these real-life
Sea monsters have suckers

Lined with teeth
On their enormous tentacles.

When stretched out,

They can be as long
As five regular cars.

Throughout history,
These creatures

Have terrified sailors.

Something with 50-foot
Tentacle...

You can see why they would
Find that quite terrifying.

Narrator: the problem
With the colossal-squid theory

Is that these incredibly
Rare creatures live

At depths of over 7,000 feet.

Miller: they don't tend
To come to the surface.

So it'd be extremely unlikely

That that would
Actually be a giant squid

Coming out of the water.

Narrator: some experts think
There could be

A simpler solution.

We've got to consider
The obvious.

Are we just looking
At a rock in the ocean?

Narrator: this thing
Looks like it's moving.

But that could just be
An illusion created

By the surrounding waves.

Kourounis: this should be
Pretty easy to investigate.

We know exactly the gps
Coordinates of this image.

Let's zoom in on it
And see what's there.

Here's where things start
To take a turn for the weird.

Narrator: consultation
Of online maps reveals no sign

Of the mysterious object.

Rocks in the ocean
Don't just suddenly appears

For one snapshot
And then disappear again.

That's just an implausible
Explanation.

Kourounis: if it's not an island
Or a permanent feature,

Then the camera
Picked up something

That was moving through
That area at that time.

But what could it possibly be?

Narrator: the apparent length
Of the object

Points investigators
In a different direction.

Perhaps they're looking
At a submarine.

Depending upon the design,

A partially surfaced sub,

When viewed from space,

Could look like exactly
What we're seeing in this image.

Well, when I look at that image,

I think that there's a very good
Possibility it is a submarine.

I know it's not
A surface vessel.

I'm confident
It's not the kraken.

And so I have to believe

That it must be some type
Of sub-surface vessel

Coming up for air.

Narrator: this patch of sea
Is a former war zone,

Bitterly contested
By britain and argentina.

This area is near
The falkland islands.

There are
Several types of vessels

In this area, really,
At any given time.

The area we're talking about

Is the very center
Of that conflict

Between argentina and the u.K.

It's still very,
Very hotly disputed

And very important
To both countries.

Narrator: the swirling water
And bubbles around the object

Resemble the trail
Of a surfacing submarine.

But the image is not
Clear enough to be certain.

It would be pretty cool
If a satellite was able

To actually catch a submarine
Reaching the surface.

But we just don't have
Enough information to know

If that was the case.

Narrator: for the time being,
The ocean keeps its secrets.

There must be things
Living in these waters

That no human being
Has ever seen.

We're so ignorant when it comes

To what's going on
Inside the ocean.

There's a lot
That we don't know.

Narrator: a satellite spots
An unidentified object

Streaking across the sky

Heading towards
A major american city.

This could have huge
Implications

For national security.

Narrator: it looks
Like a missile.

You have to ask,
"Is it one of ours?

Or is it one of theirs?"

Narrator:
The quickbird-2 satellite
Passes over southern utah

And photographs
An unidentified object

Tearing through the sky.

It's heading directly
Towards salt lake city,

Home to almost 200,000 people.

The idea of where this thing is,
Not just what it is,

Makes it a very alarming image.

It really looks like
A cruise missile.

Is this evidence of some sort
Of secret military operation

Or some rogue
Nation's activity?

What is going on here?

Narrator: a rogue missile
Could do untold damage,

Driving people from their homes
And causing mass panic.

And within firing range
Of where the image was taken,

There are two high-security
Military bases known

To conduct top-secret
Weapons testing.

The basic features
Of this unidentified craft

Make it look very much
Like a missile.

It's got a very sleek design.

It appears to have
Very stubby wings,

Which are used to steer.

It's got a very powerful engine.

It appears
To be moving very fast.

Narrator:
The object in the image

Bears some resemblance
To known missile designs.

A tomahawk cruise missile flies

At over 500 miles per hour

And can carry a 1,000-pound
Explosive warhead,

Or even a small nuke.

It's not surprising at all
That this image went viral,

Especially when you think
About the profile

Of what the image is.

If you look at
The tomahawk missile,

The shape seems pretty correct.

Narrator: but one detail
In the image

Makes the missile theory
Look less likely.

Whatever this object is,

Its engines are leaving
Two condensation trails.

Pappalardo: so an engine
Tells you a lot

About the aircraft
That it's powering.

You look at
The contrails of this,

It looks like there are
Two contrails,

Which means there
Are two engines

That are set up
Alongside of each other.

That, to me, says
It's not a missile.

Narrator: as a rule,
Contrails only occur

At high altitudes
Where the air is very cold.

Cruise missiles are designed
To fly low.

But a radical, new,
Experimental missile

Designed to fly high
In the stratosphere

Could offer an explanation

For what's happening
In the image.

One of the contenders
That it could be

Is a very, very fast,

Hypersonic vehicle called
The x-51 waverider.

Narrator: once perfected,
The x-51 waverider

Will be capable
Of releasing a warhead

Anywhere in the world
Within 1 hour.

Pappalardo: the idea
That there's a test

Of one of these things
Over the united states

Is not outlandish because
There has been many tests

Of the waverider in the past.

Narrator: but the local military
Facilities are surrounded

By thousands of square-miles
Of restricted airspace.

The mystery object
Is well outside those areas.

Testing always takes place
On a military range.

It doesn't stray
Into civilian airspace.

It shouldn't be
In this airspace.

Narrator:
Only a major malfunction

Or perhaps terrorists
Could be responsible.

This could have
Huge implications

For national security.

Narrator: unless this is
A different kind

Of aircraft altogether.

Image analyst marc d'antonio
Studies the options.

There's the object.

And if I go into this setting
In this program

And I change a few
Of the parameters...

...Now we see something that's
A little bit more interesting.

We actually see
A very dark line

Here and here, symmetric line.

These are wings.

It's been suggested
That this might actually be one

Of the regional bombardier jets.

Well, let's take a look
At that jet.

If we take a look
At a side-by-side comparison...

If we look, this is the image.

And this is the bombardier.

These are a fairly
Close match.

Narrator: it might be
A civilian plane.

But something about it
Still doesn't add up.

Porges: you have to ask,
"Why are the wings so dark?

Why are they black?"

That would be extremely unusual
For a commercial plane

To just have black
Painted wings.

Narrator: black wings are
A strange look

For a passenger airline.

But up until 2005,

One company flying out
Of salt lake city

Used a highly unusual
Color scheme --

The dark wings
For america west express planes

Certainly stood out
From the crowd.

It also meant their planes

Sometimes got mistaken
For missiles.

An aerial camera flying
Over utah reveals

Extraordinary rock carvings

That shock
The archaeological world.

Krueger: this site could be
The key to understanding

Ancient secrets.

Gough: they look like
Ancient cave paintings.

But how come nobody has
Seen these symbols before?

Narrator: march, 2014 --

The san juan river
Near bluff, utah.

A hiker flies a drone
High over the canyons.

What it sees gives
An extraordinary new insight

Into a high-tech world

Of archaeological
Exploration from the air.

The drone spots a series
Of strange figures

Etched into the ancient rock,

Which may never have been seen
Before by modern man.

You can only really see
These things from the air.

Narrator: the strange figures
Are barely visible

From ground level.

Several have no arms
And no legs.

But some also have horns
And what appear to be antennae.

The question is,
Who or what made it and when?

Narrator: one suggestion is that
The carvings might be the work

Of one of the first
Prehistoric tribes

To settle in utah.

They look like ancient
Cave paintings.

But how come nobody has seen
These symbols before?

Narrator: their concealed
Position does not explain

How the carvings
Could remain undiscovered

For thousands of years.

Could they simply be
An elaborate hoax?

Perhaps the simplest explanation

As to why these images
Have never been seen before

Is that they weren't there.

Unfortunately,
It is not uncommon

To come across carvings
That have been falsified.

Narrator: one of the world's
Most famous fakes

Is britain's cerne abbas giant,

A pagan fertility god
Originally thought

To have been made
Thousands of years ago.

The cerne abbas giant
Was actually believed by many

To be a hoax created some time
In the 17th century.

The cerne abbas giant was
So convincing

That it took over 300 years
For it to raise suspicions.

Narrator: but the location
Of the bluff figures

Makes it hard
To believe they're fake

And designed to draw attention.

Most hoaxes, most things
Like crop circles,

You're gonna put someplace
Where people can see them.

This is a really remote
And hard-to-get-to site.

Why would a hoaxer put it there?

Narrator: the key
To unlocking the secrets

Of the figure's creation
Is their age.

To help her work out
How old they are,

Local archaeologist
Sally cole hikes

About 20 miles north of bluff

To compare them
With another set of carvings.

This panel of
Petroglyphs behind me

Is one of the most spectacular

On the san juan river

And in this country.

Narrator: scientists believe
These shapes were created

By a mysterious, ancient tribe
Known only as the basketmakers.

The basketmaker culture begins
About 1000 b.C.

And lasts till about 500 a.D.

Watkins: we call them
Basketmakers

Because they're more
Closely associated

With the
Prepottery-producing people

Who lived in
The american southwest.

They are perceived to be

One of the first populations
Of the area

That ultimately gave rise
To the contemporary pueblos.

Narrator: there are
Striking similarities

Between these figures
And the ones found near bluff.

This sparked speculations
The mysterious creators

Could be one and the same.

The definitive thing is
The broad-shouldered figures.

The figures can be
Trapezoidal in shape.

They can be
Triangular in shape.

But traditionally,
The arms hang out.

It is easy to see
How there could be a link

Between the basketmakers

And the petroglyphs
On this bluff.

Narrator: if the link
Is correct,

The bluff figures
Could've been made

By the very first settlers
In the region.

But there's
One particular creature

Carved into the bluff rock

That stops that theory
In its tracks...

The horse.

There were no horses here
Until the spanish

Brought them over in the 1500s.

Cole: we have horses
All along here.

We have other motifs
That go with horses.

Narrator: whoever carved these
Figures must've done it

After the spanish arrived
In north america.

The mysterious creators cannot
Be the basketmaker people.

So who were they?

You're able to see
A two-legged being.

But it's not really human.

Some people will say,
"Well, I look at this rock art.

And I see something that seems
Like an ancient astronaut."

And maybe that's really what
The ancients were depicting,

Visitors from space.

Narrator: what some would view
As an ancient astronaut

Could've been an attempt
To depict the beings

They believed lived in the sky.

The whole idea
Of extraterrestrials

Is a modern idea.

But the idea of the heavens
Being populated by gods

Has been around
Since the dawn of humanity.

Narrator: almost
Every culture on earth

Has visualized
Sky deities in some form.

And the tribes
Of the american southwest

Are no exception.

We know that several
American civilizations

Tried to communicate
With beings in the sky.

Narrator: while not ancient,
The bluff carvings

Could be an attempt
To preserve stories

Of events handed down
Through generations.

Krueger: it appears
That the bluff figures

Could've been a copy or homage

To the older
Basketmaker figures.

Cole: you have to be really
Careful in archaeology

Because anybody
Could copy a style.

Narrator: to modern observers,

The meaning of
The mysterious symbols

Remains unclear.

But without aerial imaging,
They could've remained

Undiscovered
For generations to come.

Only future discoveries
And more advanced

Analysis techniques
Can give us the answers.

Narrator: satellites over china
Identify what could be evidence

Of a catastrophic space
Program disaster.

These could be something
Like scorch marks

From some sort
Of secret mission.

There's a large amount
Of potential material

Or damage spread
Over a large area.

Narrator:
China, october 5, 2014.

Nasa's landsat 8 orbits above

One of the most
Extreme deserts on earth.

Its multi-spectral
Camera captures

An image of something strange.

We're looking down on a very
Remote part of the world.

Narrator: a series of
Irregular-shaped dark patches

Marks the landscape.

There's sand for hundreds
And hundreds of miles

And yet, there are
These dark patches.

I've never really seen
Anything like this before.

This is weird.

Narrator: the picture shows
The vast sand dunes

Of china's forbidding
Badain jaran desert.

This is a region barely
Touched by humans.

But mankind can sometimes
Leave its mark.

Just 130 miles away
From this site,

There's a complex of buildings

That could provide
A clue to the shapes.

Orwoll: on the edge
Of the desert is

The jiquan missile test center,

Which china's been
Utilizing for many years.

Fletcher: this is where china
Launched its first satellite

And its first manned
Space mission.

Narrator: could the
Tar-colored marks

Be the result
Of a serious rocket malfunction?

Some china space activities
Are heavily publicized.

But a lot of it
Is kept under wrap.

So it's not crazy to ask whether

These could be something
Like scorch marks

From some sort
Of secret mission.

Orwoll: there is always
The possibility

That it could be
From rocket debris

From a failed launch.

If what we're seeing is actually
Debris from rocket testing,

From missile testing,
That could be quite significant.

There's a large amount
Of potential material

Or damage spread
Over a large area.

That would be
Potentially concerning.

Narrator: detailed examination
Of the image reveals

That the pattern of dark marks

Doesn't match up
With the fallout

Of a typical large
Projectile explosion.

Orwoll: if there were to be
A disaster during a rocket test,

The debris trail really depends
On the direction

That the rocket's flying,
Speed, et cetera.

But in general, it kind of
Fans out from a central point.

We don't see that in this image.

We see these object,
These dark spots,

Spread out all over
In a randomized pattern

In all directions,

Not emanating, really,
From a single point

Like you'd see if it'd come
From a rocket explosion.

You would think
That an explosion of that size

Would be noticed
Or make news in some way.

So I'm not so sure
About this idea.

Narrator: there seems to be
No human activity

That can account
For the presence

Of the dark spots in the image.

You have to ask, "Is there some
Natural source for these spots?"

Narrator: there is a
Little-known, poorly-understood

Natural phenomenon
Believed to blacken

The surface of rocks
In the hottest,

Most arid regions
Of our planet.

Lorenz: in some desert areas
Of the earth,

We find rocks covered
In a mysterious dark material.

We call it desert varnish.

Brand:
Exactly how desert varnish forms
On the surface of rocks

Isn't terribly clear.

It's still actually
Quite debated by geologists.

It's clear that it's a coating.

It's not something that's
Weathered away from the rock.

Narrator: the source
Of desert varnish

Has been a mystery
For over 100 years.

Some speculate that
It's caused by a lifeform

Previously unknown to science.

Its found at only a few of
The driest locations on earth.

But more recently,

An astonishingly similar
Mysterious black substance

Was found somewhere
Nobody expected --

Mars.

Certain minerals
Will precipitate

On the surface of the rock.

And that precipitation

Is typically aided
By microbial action.

Brand: if you look at desert
Varnish under a microscope,

You'll see that it's made up
Of very fine layers

Of clay, iron, manganese
And microorganisms.

Narrator:
If desert varnish is caused
By a strange new lifeform,

Scientists have yet
To identify it.

And the terrain visible
In the image

Is unlike any of
The other locations

Where the black coating
Has formed on earth.

Desert varnish doesn't
Quite add up here.

Desert varnish is not something

That forms on loose,
Unconsolidated sand.

Desert varnish usually forms

On individual rocks
Or cliff faces.

Lester: these dunes are
Kind of alive.

They're moving as
The wind pushes them around.

If it's not desert varnish,
Then what else could they be?

Narrator: ralph lorenz
Is one of the few scientists

To have braved badain jaran's
Harsh terrain

And investigated the phenomenon
At ground level.

What he discovers
Is quite extraordinary.

Lorenz: it's hard work.

These are some of
The tallest dunes on earth.

And what's amazing is,
When you climb up to the top,

You look out and you see lakes.

It's just absurd.
You're in this desert area.

And yet, there are
Beautiful lakes in between.

It's a spectacular place.

Lakes in the middle
Of the desert?

How is that even possible?

It's just kind of
A strange location

To see this many lake spread
Out in that area.

They're not fed by rivers
On the surface.

They're not fed
By rainfall locally.

Narrator: any body of water
In such a hot environment

Should completely evaporate.

This desert gets maybe
2 to 3 inches

Of precipitation per year.

And in a desert like this,

You can probably evaporate

Maybe 40 to 50 times
As much water in a year.

And so it's not the place
Water should hang out.

Narrator: the very existence
Of the lakes

Is not the only mystery.

Something very strange
About these lakes

Is that some are salty,

Some are fresh.

And that's sort of puzzling.

Narrator:
But the presence of salt

Could be a clue to the source
For all this water.

It means water's coming
From somewhere else.

And the only place for it
To come from is underground.

Narrator: research into this
Weird landscape is ongoing.

But for now,
The mysterious desert lakes

Still pose questions.

A satellite photographs
A potentially lethal runway.

Pappalardo: when I look
At a runway

And I see markings
That are out of place,

It just immediately says,
"Something's not right here."

Is this just paint
Or actual physical objects?

Narrator: 25 miles northeast
Of atlanta, georgia,

A satellite passing over
A small local airport detects

Something alarming.

There's something in the middle
Of an aircraft runway

That is really unusual.

Whenever you see
Anything on a runway

That isn't an airplane,

It's usually a problem.

Narrator: whatever these
Unconventional markings are,

They could cause
Potentially deadly confusion

For an incoming pilot.

When I look at a runway
And I see markings

That are out of place,

It just immediately says,
"Something's not right here."

So at a glance, this just looks
Like a totally normal runway.

But then, there are these
Sort of slanted white lines.

Narrator:
What are they doing there?

Regular runway markings
Are part of a system

That helps insure the safety

Of almost 700 million passengers

Who fly in the u.S. Every year.

Pappalardo: the markings
And paintings on runways are

Incredibly useful to a pilot.

They tell the pilot
Exactly the plane's

Wheel should touch down.

Narrator:
At the start of the runway
Is the threshold zone,

Which contains a number
Of thick, long lines

Used to indicate
The width of the runway.

Beyond that is
The touchdown zone,

A series of parallel lines
To indicate exactly

Where planes should touch down

Depending on their size
And the weather conditions.

It's a language
All pilots understand.

When you look at these
Lines painted on this runway,

The first thing that you notice

Is that they're not
Parallel to the runway.

They're not perpendicular
To the runway.

Narrator: airplane landings are
The single most dangerous part

Of any flight.

49% of all fatal plane crashes
Occur during this period.

So it's vital the markings
Are positioned correctly.

One thing you'll notice
About the markings on runways is

That they're very horizontal.

Anything that's off-skew
Is really gonna confuse a pilot.

Narrator: curiously, this isn't
The only runway in georgia

Where these kinds
Of shapes appear.

Just 220 miles away at
Savannah international airport,

Two almost identical
Runway marks can be found.

You can see similar objects.

And we know what they are.
They're gravestones.

Narrator: the reason these
Gravestones are located here

Is that they predate the runway.

Fletcher: a lot of prime real
Estate is tied up in cemeteries.

But federal law
Prohibits moving graves

Without the permission
Of the next of kin.

Savannah airport is
The resting place

Of richard and catherine dotson,

Who died in the late 1800s.

When the land owners
Built an air field

Over the burial site,

Instead of negotiating
With family descendants

To move the gravestones,

They simply incorporated
Them into the runway.

Gravestones
In the middle of a runway?

That's very far
From resting in peace.

Narrator: could the savannah
Markings give us a clue

About what's happening
At mathis airport?

Careful study of a
High-resolution satellite image

Confirms that these shapes are,
Indeed, also gravestones.

But a more recent
Satellite photograph

Shows that they've disappeared.

These markings on the runway
Are suddenly gone, vanished.

What's happened?

Narrator: if the law states
That gravestones

Shouldn't be moved,
Why have they suddenly vanished?

And where are they now?

Jimmy and martha mcconnell

Of forsyth county
Historical society

Begin their own investigation.

They start by searching
Local records.

When I first heard
About the gravestones missing,

I was concerned.

We didn't know where they were.

They had just vanished.

Martha: they were gone.

Possibly, they had been
Taken to a landfill

Or buried somewhere.

Narrator: they find out
That the gravestones

Belonged to an old family

Who were among the area's
First settlers, the anglins.

Descendants of the anglin family

Provided us with a picture
Of this house

That belonged to the anglins.

And you can see on this picture

On the bottom
Where the runway is

And where the houses were.

Narrator:
Descendants of the anglin family
Still live in the area.

No one had consulted them.

The news their ancestors graves'

Have been desecrated
Comes as a shock.

It's this emotion come all over.

It's like my heart
Dropped out of my body,

Made me feel awful.

Narrator: the historians dig
Deeper into the mystery

And uncover a troubling reason
For the disappearance.

We became aware that
The owner of the airport

Had a contract with developers
To sell the property

And that it was gonna be
A residential area.

Narrator:
If the deal goes ahead,
The current owner stands

To make a cool $1.4 million.

Martha and jimmy study
The planning documents.

What they find
Is a series of lies

Designed to inflate
The property's value.

In the document itself,
And I quote on page 19,

It says, "Cemeteries:

There are no cemeteries,

Graves or burial grounds

Or historical artifacts

Within the property to the best
Of the seller's knowledge."

Narrator: jimmy and martha have
Stumbled across evidence

Of a huge million-dollar scam.

The owner of mathis airport

Has no told the developer
About the gravestones

Or the cemetery located
Actually in the runway itself.

By releasing that information
To the developer,

It could possibly have
Made his deal go south.

Narrator:
With the documents as proof,
Jimmy and martha contact

The forsyth county
Police department.

The owner of the airport
Is charged,

And the gravestones
Are eventually found

In a nearby garage.

I'm happy to have them back,

Even though they're
Broken up and all.

It's a piece of history
From the 1800s.

Narrator: the detective work

Of the forsyth
Historical society

Saved a piece of local history
From destruction.

And the evidence can still
Be seen from space.