All language subtitles for What.on.Earth.S04E02.1080p.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
THAT DEFY EXPLANATION.

A SEARCH FOR THE TEMPLE
OF THE SHARK...

WHY IS THERE A GIANT MOUND
SHAPED LIKE A BIG SHARK?

Narrator: ...THE MYSTERY
OF THE AIRPLANE

THAT LITERALLY DISAPPEARS...

ALL OF A SUDDEN,
IT JUST VANISHES FROM
THE RADAR ALTOGETHER.

Narrator: ...GIANT EGG SHAPES
ACROSS THE U.S.,

BUT HOW DID THEY GET THERE?

Howard: THEY'RE EVERYWHERE.
IT'S GOT TO BE

THE BIGGEST MYSTERY
IN ALL OF AMERICAN GEOLOGY.

Narrator: THE TERROR OF
THE DEVIL'S HURRICANE...

IT LOOKS JUST LIKE A SKULL.

Narrator:
...AND SOMETHING STRANGE

CARVED INTO THE ENGLISH
COUNTRYSIDE.

DID IT CRASH-LAND?
DID SOMEBODY DRAG IT?

Narrator: BAFFLING PHENOMENA,
MYSTERIES FROM SPACE.

WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY?

-- Captions by VITAC --
www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

**

THE TROPICAL ISLAND OF BIMINI
LIES IN THE NORTHWEST CORNER

OF THE BAHAMAS,
OFF THE COAST OF FLORIDA.

IN THE CENTER OF THE ISLAND,

THE WORLDVIEW-2 SATELLITE
CAPTURES THIS IMAGE.

Krueger: THIS IS A REALLY
STRANGE IMAGE

BECAUSE YOU HAVE THIS DARK GREEN
LUSH LANDSCAPE ALL AROUND,

BUT YOU HAVE THIS KIND OF LIKE
LIGHT-COLORED OUTLINE

OF WHAT ALMOST APPEARS
TO BE A SHARK.

WHY IS THERE A GIANT MOUND
SHAPED LIKE A BIG SHARK

RISING OUT OF THE SWAMPLAND
IN THE BAHAMAS?

Narrator: THE WATERS HERE ARE
AMONG THE MOST SHARK-INFESTED

ON THE PLANET.

THERE ARE AT LEAST 13 DIFFERENT
SPECIES OF SHARK

RECORDED HERE
IN TEEMING NUMBERS,

DRAWN TO THE ISLANDS
FROM FAR AND WIDE.

FROM CANNIBAL HAMMERHEADS

AND AGGRESSIVE,
VOLATILE BULL SHARKS

TO THE LETHAL BLACKTIPS
AND TIGER SHARKS,

AMONG THE LARGEST AND SECOND
ONLY TO THE GREAT WHITE

FOR RECORDED ATTACKS ON HUMANS.

THE LOCAL TIGER BEACH IS

ONE OF THE MOST SHARK-INFESTED
BEACHES IN THE WORLD.

WE DO KNOW THAT THE TAINO
PEOPLE WHO INHABITED

MANY OF THESE ISLANDS
IN THIS AREA

WOULD'VE BEEN
VERY FAMILIAR WITH SHARKS.

SOME INDIVIDUALS, IF THEY WERE
ABLE TO KILL OR CAPTURE A SHARK,

THEY WOULD TAKE THE TEETH
AND MAKE A NECKLACE OUT OF THEM

AS A WAY OF SHOWING

THAT THEY COULD CONQUER
THIS ANIMAL SPIRIT.

Narrator: IT'S NOT STRANGE THAT
THE NATIVES WHO ONCE LIVED HERE

SHOULD FEAR
AND RESPECT THE SHARK.

THE QUESTION IS,
DID THEY WORSHIP IT?

THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT
ANCIENT CULTURES ELEVATED

OR DEIFIED CERTAIN ANIMALS
IN THEIR CULTURE'S CREATURES

THAT THEY LOOKED UPON AS BEING
POWERFUL AND REPRESENTING

POSITIVE OR SPIRITUAL QUALITIES
THAT THEY ADMIRED.

Narrator: ANCIENT EGYPTIANS
WORSHIPPED CERTAIN ANIMALS

AS GODS --

HORUS THE HAWK,
ANUBIS THE JACKAL,

NEKHBET THE VULTURE.

THEIR PRIESTS WORSHIPPED THEM
WITH SPELLS,

MAGIC, AND SACRIFICE.

DID THE ANCIENT TAINO PEOPLE
WHO, FOR CENTURIES,

INHABITED THESE ISLANDS
DO THE SAME?

MOST RECORDS OF THIS
PRIMITIVE PEOPLE WERE LOST

WHEN THE SPANISH CONQUISTADORS
SLAUGHTERED AND ENSLAVED THEM.

YOU HAVE THIS INTRIGUING
IMAGE IN THE LANDSCAPE,

BUT YOU JUST DON'T HAVE
A WHOLE LOT OF ANSWERS

BECAUSE THE PEOPLE THAT MAY
HAVE BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR IT

ARE NO LONGER WITH US.

Narrator: THE ONLY WAY TO FIND
OUT MORE IS TO EXAMINE THE SITE.

EXPLORER GEORGE KOUROUNIS
HAS CARRIED OUT RESEARCH

INTO GREAT WHITE SHARKS.

HE'S COME TO THE BAHAMAS
TO INVESTIGATE THE IMAGE,

BUT BEFORE HE HEADS OUT
TO BIMINI ISLAND,

HE WANTS TO KNOW WHAT
THE LOCALS MAKE OF IT.

HE'S BEEN GIVEN A LEAD,

LOCAL AMATEUR HISTORIAN
ASHLEY SAUNDERS.

HI, I'M LOOKING FOR ASHLEY.

MY NAME IS GEORGE.

I UNDERSTAND THAT
YOU'RE THE HISTORIAN.

THE SHARK MOUND,
IS IT MAN-MADE

OR IS IT A NATURAL
OCCURRING THING?

**

PREHISTORIC.

ARE THERE OTHER SITES
IN THE AREA HERE IN BIMINI

THAT MIGHT SUGGEST THAT THERE
WAS AN ANCIENT CIVILIZATION

THAT MAY HAVE WORSHIPPED THE
SHARK OR MAY HAVE LIVED HERE?

WELL...

MM-HMM.

**

AND...

INTERESTING.

IS THERE ANYTHING
NEAR THE SHARK MOUND

THAT MAY BE OF SIGNIFICANCE?

THE HEALING HOLE?

Narrator: DISCOVERING
THE MYTHICAL FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

HAS LONG BEEN
THE DREAM OF EXPLORERS.

LOCAL LEGENDS SAY THAT
IT BECAME THE OBSESSION

OF SPANISH CONQUISTADOR
JUAN PONCE de LEóN.

**

SO YOU THINK THE HEALING HOLE
MAY HAVE BEEN

THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

THAT PONCE de LEóN
WAS LOOKING FOR?

INTERESTING.

Narrator: NOW GEORGE HAS
A NUMBER OF LEADS TO FOLLOW.

BIMINI'S SHARK MOUND LIES HIDDEN

IN THE NORTHWEST
CORNER OF THE ISLAND,

ON THE EDGE
OF THE COASTAL SHELF.

GEORGE MUST GET THERE BY BOAT.

ON HIS WAY, HE STOPS
TO INVESTIGATE

WHAT LOCALS BELIEVE TO BE
AN ANCIENT, UNDERWATER ROAD.

WE'RE ANCHORED RIGHT
ABOVE BIMINI ROAD,

A SERIES OF HUGE STONE BLOCKS

THAT RUN THE ENTIRE LENGTH
OF THE COASTLINE.

SOME SAY THAT IT'S A REMNANT
OF A LOST, ANCIENT CIVILIZATION

THAT'S NOW SUNKEN
UNDER THE WAVES.

I NEED TO CHECK IT OUT
FOR MYSELF

AND SEE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE.

Narrator:
IF THERE ARE, BENEATH THE WAVES,

THE RUINS OF SOME
ANCIENT CONSTRUCTION,

IT WOULD SUGGEST BIMINI'S
ANCIENT INHABITANTS

WERE EQUALLY CAPABLE
OF BUILDING A SHARK MOUND,

BUT IT'S DIFFICULT TO TELL.

Kourounis: AT FIRST GLANCE,

IT'S NOT REALLY OBVIOUS
WHAT IS GOING ON.

SEEM OUT OF PLACE.

BAHAMAS IS KNOWN FOR
ITS SANDY BOTTOMS,

BUT HERE, WE'VE GOT HUNDREDS
AND HUNDREDS OF THESE

HUGE STONE BLOCKS LINED

ALL THE WAY
ALONG THE COAST HERE.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A SERIES
OF WHAT APPEAR TO BE

MAN-MADE BLOCKS

LAID OUT RELATIVELY FLAT
THAT EXTEND FOR OVER 1/2 MILE

IN A LINEAR FEATURE

THAT ABSOLUTELY LOOKS
LIKE IT WAS CONSTRUCTED,

BUT IN FACT, I THINK
IT IS A NATURAL FEATURE,

AND A LOT OF PEOPLE
SAY THAT MOTHER NATURE

DOESN'T MAKE 90-DEGREE ANGLES
OR STRAIGHT LINES,

AND THAT'S ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE.

GEOLOGICALLY, WE SEE
THIS ALL THE TIME.

Narrator: EITHER WAY,
THE UNDERSEA BIMINI ROAD

LOOKS STRANGE.

IF IT'S NATURAL,
THEN IT'S UNUSUAL.

IF IT'S MAN-MADE,
THEN IT'S REMARKABLE.

GEORGE PUSHES ON TOWARDS
THE LARGE SHARK SHAPE

INDICATED IN
THE SATELLITE IMAGE,

WHICH SEEMS TO BE PERCHED
ON THE COASTAL SHELF

AT THE EDGE
OF THE BAHAMAS.

COMING UP, A MILITARY
SATELLITE CAPTURES

THE MOMENT AN AIRLINER VANISHES.

Mosher: DOES ISIS HAVE SOME
KIND OF SUPERWEAPON

THAT CAN SHOOT DOWN
AN AIRLINER 30,000 FEET

IN THE SKY FROM THE GROUND?

Narrator: AND BACK IN THE
BAHAMAS, GEORGE KOUROUNIS FINDS

WHAT MAY BE THE FABLED
FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH.

Kourounis: HOW ON EARTH WOULD
SOMEBODY FIND THIS PLACE

IF THEY DIDN'T KNOW IT EXISTED?

**

Narrator: EXPLORER GEORGE
KOUROUNIS HAS COME

TO SHARK-INFESTED BIMINI ISLAND

TO INVESTIGATE A STRANGE,
SHARK-SHAPED MOUND.

-YEAH.
-THIS LOOKS LIKE IT UP HERE.

Man: YEP. THAT'S IT.
RIGHT THERE.

Narrator: BUT IT'S PROTECTED BY
A SEEMINGLY IMPENETRABLE

MANGROVE SWAMP.

IT'S A FORBIDDING PLACE SWARMING
WITH BLOOD-SUCKING INSECTS,

MANGROVE THICKETS
LIKE BARBED WIRE,

THE WATERS TEEMING WITH SHARKS.

IT'S ONE THING TO SEE SOMETHING
LIKE THIS ON A SATELLITE IMAGE.

IT'S ANOTHER THING ENTIRELY
TO GET TO IT ON THE GROUND.

OBVIOUSLY, IT'S NOT SO EASY
TO GET TO THIS PLACE,

SO IF IT IS INDEED MAN-MADE,

IT CERTAINLY WAS NOT MADE
ANY TIME RECENTLY.

Narrator: THE WATER IS SHALLOW,
BUT NOT TOO SHALLOW FOR SHARKS.

SEE A LOT OF SHARKS
AROUND HERE?

-YEAH.
-YEAH? WHAT KINDS?

YOU GOT THE LEMON.
YOU HAVE THE NURSE SHARKS.

REEF SHARKS?

YOU HAVE THE REEF SHARKS,
THE BULL SHARKS,

THE TIGER SHARKS.

OH, WE HAVE A VARIETY.

Kourounis: IF I SEE A BABY
SHARK, DON'T GET EXCITED?

WHAT IF I SEE AN ADULT SHARK?

JUST LET HIM GO PAST.

THIS LANE IS ONLY WIDE ENOUGH
FOR EITHER ME OR THE SHARK.

[ LAUGHS ] I'M NOT OPENING
MY LEGS FOR ANY SHARK!

[ MAN LAUGHS ]

WHAT IS REALLY STRANGE IS THAT

THE ENVIRONMENT
IS REALLY INACCESSIBLE.

THIS WHOLE SWAMPLAND
IS NOT A PLACE

WHERE YOU WOULD NORMALLY
FIND SOMETHING LIKE THIS.

THE MANGROVES ARE
AROUND THE WATER,

BUT THERE'S
A CLEARING RIGHT HERE.

YOU CAN SORT OF SEE
IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY

WHERE THE MANGROVES
BASICALLY STOP.

SO THE SHARK MOUND HAS GOT
TO BE VERY CLOSE NOW.

I SEE DRY LAND.

YEP.
THAT'S THE SHARK MOUND.

BINGO.
PHEW.

Narrator:
GEORGE IS IMMEDIATELY STRUCK

BY THE SCALE AND DIFFICULTY
OF THIS TERRAIN.

Kourounis: THIS LABYRINTH OF
MANGROVES, IT'S SO CONFUSING.

I'M JUST TRYING TO GET
MY BEARINGS,

COMPARING WHAT I CAN SEE
ON THE GROUND

WITH THIS OLD SATELLITE IMAGE,

AND IT'S NOT EASY.

WHAT I FIND INTERESTING
IS BUILDING SOMETHING

THAT YOU CAN'T SEE
MUST BE REALLY DIFFICULT.

I MEAN, THESE GUYS CAN'T LOOK
AT THE THINGS

FROM ABOVE LIKE WE CAN TODAY.

Narrator: WITHOUT A PROPER
ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION,

IT'S HARD TO TELL MORE
ABOUT THE SHARK MOUND.

BUT THERE'S ONE MORE LEAD
FOR GEORGE TO FOLLOW.

COULD THE HEALING HOLE
DESCRIBED BY LOCALS

BE THE SAME FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

DESCRIBED TO CONQUISTADORS
IN THE 16th CENTURY?

AND DOES THE NOSE
OF THE SHARK MOUND

INDICATE ITS LOCATION?

WE BELIEVE THAT THIS IS THE NOSE
OF THE SHARK POINTING THIS WAY,

I THINK.

SO IT LOOKS LIKE THE BODY
OF THE SHARK IS ORIENTED,

MORE OR LESS, NORTH, SOUTH,

EAST, WEST.

PRETTY CLOSE, ACTUALLY.

COULD BE A COINCIDENCE
OR MAYBE SOMEONE

INTENDED IT TO BE THAT WAY.

Narrator:
FOLLOWING THE NOSE OF THE SHARK,

GEORGE AND HIS GUIDE
STRIKE OUT INTO THE SWAMP.

AS THEY CUT THEIR WAY
THROUGH THE MANGROVES,

A PATH BEGINS TO FORM
IN FRONT OF THEM,

A KIND OF WATERWAY,

A NATURAL, PASSABLE ROUTE
THROUGH THE MANGROVES.

HOW ON EARTH WOULD SOMEBODY
FIND THIS PLACE

IF THEY DIDN'T KNOW IT EXISTED?

Narrator: FINALLY, THE NARROW
PATH THROUGH THE MANGROVES

OPENS INTO A SHELTERED POOL.

HERE, THE WATER FEELS
AND SMELLS DIFFERENT.

-IT'S COLD!
-YEAH. IT'S COLD.

HERE WE GO.

THE WATER HERE, ACTUALLY,

IT'S QUITE DIFFERENT
FROM THE SURROUNDING WATER.

IT DEFINITELY HAS A SMELL
OF ROTTEN EGGS,

JUST A LITTLE BIT,
THE HYDROGEN SULFIDE SMELL.

THAT SULFUROUS [SNIFFS] SMELL
IS DEFINITELY PRESENT HERE.

Narrator: WHY THE DIFFERENCE
IN TEMPERATURE

AND THE STRANGE SMELL?

COULD THIS WATER
BE NATURALLY RICH

IN SOME PARTICULAR
COMBINATION OF MINERALS?

Wolter: SO, THE FOUNTAIN
OF YOUTH, WE THINK,

IS ACTUALLY A NATURAL
GEOLOGIC FORMATION

WHERE, AS THE TIDE GOES OUT,
WE HAVE A NATURAL POOL OF ROCK

THAT ACTUALLY PULLS
IN FRESH MINERAL-LADEN WATER

AS THE TIDE GOES OUT.

Krueger: THE STONE FORMATIONS
AROUND THIS POOL

ARE OF LIMESTONE,

AND WE KNOW THAT THERE
ARE CERTAIN MINERALS

LIKE CALCIUM AND MAGNESIUM

THAT COULD BE EXTRACTED
AND PRESENT IN THE WATER.

SO CONSUMING THE WATER MAY NOT
LENGTHEN YOUR LIFE, SO TO SPEAK,

BUT IT CERTAINLY WOULD CONTAIN
MANY HEALTHFUL QUALITIES.

**

A MASSIVE SHARK MOUND,
THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH,

AND A WEIRD
UNDERWATER STRUCTURE --

THERE'S DEFINITELY
SOMETHING STRANGE

ABOUT THE WATERS
AROUND THIS ISLAND.

THE PEOPLE THAT ONCE RESIDED
THERE ARE NO LONGER THERE.

THERE ARE MANY OPEN QUESTIONS,

AND WE MAY JUST
NEVER KNOW THE ANSWER.

Narrator: COMING UP,
TERROR IN THE SKIES

REVEALED ON A U.S.
MILITARY SATELLITE.

Mosher: ALL OF A SUDDEN,

IT JUST VANISHES FROM
THE RADAR ALTOGETHER.

Narrator: AN AIRLINER IS BEING
ROUTINELY TRACKED

BY A U.S. MILITARY SATELLITE

WHEN IT SUDDENLY
AND INEXPLICABLY DISAPPEARS.

THIS IMAGERY
IS AMAZINGLY DETAILED.

Narrator: THE RUSSIAN AIRLINER
VANISHES

OVER AN ACTIVE ISIS DANGER ZONE.

DOES ISIS HAVE SOME KIND OF
SUPERWEAPON THAT CAN SHOOT DOWN

AN AIRLINER 30,000 FEET
IN THE SKY FROM THE GROUND?

Narrator: TO INVESTIGATE
THE MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE

AND SHOCKING LOSS
OF THIS PASSENGER AIRCRAFT,

THE TWO OLD COLD WAR RIVALS
COMBINE FORCES.

THE MISSING PLANE HAD TAKEN OFF
AT 3:50 A.M.

ON OCTOBER 31, 2015,

A RUSSIAN METROJET FLIGHT
DEPARTING FROM

SHARM EL SHEIKH, EGYPT,

HEADING TOWARDS
SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA.

217 PASSENGERS
AND SEVEN CREW ARE ON BOARD.

THEY ARE FLYING ABOVE ONE OF
THE MOST DANGEROUS REGIONS

IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

THEY'RE FLYING OVER DISPUTED
TERRAIN, WAR-TORN TERRAIN

THAT'S HOME TO SEVERAL
INSURGENT GROUPS.

LURKING DOWN THERE
COULD BE WEAPONS

THAT ARE TARGETING THE AIRCRAFT.

Narrator: 23 MINUTES INTO THE
FLIGHT, AIR-TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS

ON THE MEDITERRANEAN
ISLAND OF CYPRUS

RAISE THE ALARM.

[ BEEPING ]

FLIGHT TRACKERS NOTICE THAT
ITS SPEED DROPS FROM 400 KNOTS

TO 100 KNOTS
IN A MATTER OF SECONDS.

THAT'S ABOUT AS SUDDEN OF A STOP

AS YOU'RE EVER GOING
TO GET IN FLIGHT.

Narrator: AT THAT SPEED,
AIR-TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS

KNOW THE PLANE CANNOT
MAINTAIN ALTITUDE.

THEN, THE UNTHINKABLE HAPPENS.

Mosher: ALL OF A SUDDEN,
IT JUST VANISHES

FROM THE RADAR ALTOGETHER.

Moran: FLIGHT TRACKERS HAVE NO
IDEA WHAT'S HAPPENED,

BUT EVERYBODY IS
IMAGINING THE WORST.

Narrator: THEY DON'T KNOW IT,
BUT THIS WILL BE

THE WORST DISASTER
IN RUSSIAN AVIATION HISTORY.

EVERY SOUL ON BOARD PERISHES.

I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE THE HORROR.

I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THOSE
FAMILIES EVEN HAD A MOMENT

TO REALIZE WHAT WAS
HAPPENING TO THEM.

Narrator:
INVESTIGATORS GO TO THE PLACE

WHERE THE AIRCRAFT DISAPPEARED
FROM SATELLITE VIEW.

THE WRECKAGE IS SPREAD OUT
ALL OVER THE SINAI DESERT.

Carter: IT WAS JUST MANGLED
PIECES OF METAL LITERALLY LAID

ACROSS 7.7 SQUARE MILES
OF THE DESERT EARTH.

WHICH MEANS THAT THE PLANE
BROKE UP IN MIDAIR

AND THAT A PILOT COULD NOT
HAVE CAUSED THE CRASH.

Narrator: THE EVIDENCE POINTS
TO A MIDAIR EXPLOSION,

RIPPING THE FUSELAGE TO PIECES.

THE QUESTION IS,
WHAT CAUSED IT TO EXPLODE?

YOU'D THINK, "MECHANICAL ERROR.

DID SOMETHING HAPPEN ONBOARD
THAT MADE THE PLANE CRASH?"

THERE WAS NO SUCH RADIO
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COCKPIT,

SO SOMETHING CATASTROPHIC
HAPPENED THAT WASN'T MECHANICAL.

[ MAN SPEAKING RUSSIAN
ON RADIO ]

Narrator: WHEN THE COCKPIT'S
FLIGHT RECORDER IS RECOVERED,

ANALYSTS DETECT STRANGE NOISES.

UNCHARACTERISTIC SOUNDS
JUST BEFORE THE PLANE

DISAPPEARS FROM RADAR SCREENS

CAUSES INVESTIGATORS TO CONSIDER
MUCH DARKER POSSIBILITIES.

COULD THIS HAVE BEEN SOME
SORT OF TERRORIST ATTACK?

Narrator: THE MIDDLE EAST IS
RIDDLED WITH TERRORIST GROUPS,

INCLUDING ISIS.

IF THEY BROUGHT DOWN THE JET,

THERE ARE ONLY TWO WAYS
THEY COULD DO IT --

A BOMB ON BOARD OR A MISSILE
FROM THE GROUND.

WHEN ISIS TAKES TO SOCIAL MEDIA,

IT CLAIMS ITS EGYPTIAN BRANCH
HAS SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILES.

IT'S REALLY TROUBLING TO THINK
THAT THE HANDS OF A ROGUE ENEMY

COULD POSSESS
THESE SORT OF WEAPONS.

IF IT IS TRUE THAT A MISSILE
FROM THE GROUND

SHOT DOWN THIS AIRPLANE,

THEN IT CHANGES
THE ENTIRE SECURITY POSTURE

IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

Narrator: IN A RARE MOMENT OF
U.S.-RUSSIAN COOPERATION,

AMERICAN INTELLIGENCE
AGREES TO HELP FIND OUT

WHAT HAPPENED TO
THE DOOMED PASSENGER PLANE,

AND THEY DO IT USING
SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY

DEVELOPED DURING THE COLD WAR.

DURING THE COLD WAR, OBVIOUSLY,
THERE WAS A PRESSING NEED

TO DETECT LAUNCHES

OF INTERCONTINENTAL
BALLISTIC MISSILES.

THE BEST WAY TO DETECT
AN INTERCONTINENTAL

BALLISTIC MISSILE
LAUNCH IS FROM SPACE.

INFRARED SENSORS ON SATELLITES

CAN DETECT THE HEAT PLUME
OF A LAUNCHING MISSILE.

FOLLOWING THE COLD WAR,

THESE SENSORS POINTED THEIR EYES
TOWARD THE MIDDLE EAST,

WHERE THE THREAT WAS HIGHEST.

Pappalardo: THE MODERN
SATELLITES THAT ARE UP THERE NOW

HAVE INFRARED DETECTORS
THAT CAN SEE THINGS

LIKE SMALL MISSILE LAUNCHES.

Narrator:
U.S. INTELLIGENCE ANALYSTS

CHECK THE INFRARED
SATELLITE IMAGES

CAPTURED OVER
THE SINAI DESERT

ON THE NIGHT OF THE DISASTER.

Carter:
IF A SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILE

DID GO FROM THE GROUND
UP TO THAT PLANE,

IT WOULD LEAVE A HEAT SIGNATURE,

AND THAT HEAT SIGNATURE
IS VITALLY IMPORTANT

BECAUSE THOSE U.S. SATELLITES
WOULD BE ABLE TO SEE.

THE THING THEY'RE LOOKING FOR
IS A FLASH OF INFRARED LIGHT

RIGHT WHEN THE ROCKET TAKES OFF.

Narrator: ANALYSTS INTERROGATE
THE SATELLITE IMAGERY

FOR PROOF OF A MISSILE LAUNCH,

BUT THEIR SEARCH TURNS UP
SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT.

THERE IS NO HEAT TRAIL.

WE JUST SEE A BLAST.

TYPICALLY, WITH
A SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILE,

YOU'RE GOING TO BE ABLE
TO SEE THE TRAJECTORY

OF THAT THROUGH THE HEAT TRAIL.

IT WAS NOT
A SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILE

THAT TOOK OUT THE AIRCRAFT.

Narrator: INSTEAD, THEY SEE
SOMETHING EVEN MORE HORRIFYING.

Munoz: INTELLIGENCE
AND MILITARY FOLKS

LOOK AT THE SATELLITE IMAGES
FOR THE FIRST TIME

AND THINK, "MY GOD."

INCREDIBLY,
THESE SATELLITES CAPTURE

THE LAST MOMENT
OF THIS FLIGHT.

THE VERY MOMENT THAT
THE AIRPLANE DISAPPEARED

FROM RADAR SCREENS
AND COMMUNICATIONS CEASE,

THERE IS A DEFINITE
HEAT FLASH THAT APPEARS.

THAT INDICATES THAT THERE WAS
AN EXPLOSION OF SOME SORT,

AND THAT'S WHAT
DESTROYED THIS AIRCRAFT.

THE QUESTION NOW, OF COURSE, IS,
"WHAT CAUSED THAT EXPLOSION?"

Narrator: WITHIN WEEKS, ISIS
CLAIMS TO REVEAL THE TRUTH

AND EXPLAINS EXACTLY HOW
THE JET WAS BROUGHT DOWN.

Munoz: ISLAMIC STATE ENDED UP
ACTUALLY SHOWING

THE DEVICE THEY USED,
SMUGGLED ONTO THE PLANE,

TO BLOW IT UP.

IT WAS AN EXPLOSIVE
HIDDEN IN A CAN OF JUICE,

WHICH IS KIND OF DISHEARTENING
TO NATIONAL SECURITY

BECAUSE THERE WAS A BAN ON
BRINGING LIQUIDS INTO THE PLANE

FOR THIS VERY PARTICULAR REASON.

Pappalardo: THIS IS THE CLASSIC
GOOD-NEWS-BAD-NEWS SCENARIO.

THE GOOD NEWS IS, THEY DON'T
HAVE THESE ADVANCED

SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILES
THAT CAN REACH THIS HIGH.

THE BAD NEWS IS
SOMEONE LOADED A BOMB ON BOARD.

THE IDEA THAT INFILTRATORS
ARE WORKING IN AIRPORTS

IS A WHOLE OTHER NIGHTMARE
IN TERMS OF SECURITY.

Carter:
BUT THAT ONE LITTLE JUICE DRINK,

THAT BOMB WAS
DETECTABLE FROM SPACE,

SO WE ARE GOING TO HAVE ANSWERS,
EVEN IN THE WORST TRAGEDIES,

IF WE'RE ABLE TO ACCESS
THOSE KIND OF IMAGES,

AND I THINK THAT THAT'S
WHAT THE STORY REVEALED.

[ EXPLOSION ]

Narrator: COMING UP,

UNEXPLAINED SHAPES
IN THE AMERICAN LANDSCAPE...

Grush: PEOPLE THINK
THAT THERE MIGHT BE

HALF A MILLION
TO 2 MILLION OF THEM.

Narrator: ...AND THE HORROR
HEADING FOR AMERICA'S COAST.

IT LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING STRAIGHT
OUT OF THE DAY OF THE DEAD.

Narrator: SATELLITE IMAGES OF
THE NORTH CAROLINA COASTLINE

REVEAL FEATURES IN THE LANDSCAPE
SCIENTISTS CANNOT EXPLAIN.

THE SHAPES ARE LARGE AND OVAL,
OR EGG-SHAPED,

AND STRETCH FOR MILES AND MILES.

THEY'RE EVERYWHERE,
ONE AFTER ANOTHER AFTER ANOTHER.

IT'S GOT TO BE
THE BIGGEST MYSTERY

IN ALL OF AMERICAN GEOLOGY.

Narrator: GEORGE HOWARD
IS INVESTIGATING

THE MYSTERIOUS STRUCTURES,
NICKNAMED THE CAROLINA BAYS.

Howard:
THESE ARE AMAZING FEATURES.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE.

THEY'RE LOW AND FLAT AND CIRCLED
WITH A WHITE BAY RIM.

IT'S ABSOLUTELY AMAZING.

Narrator: RECENT
SATELLITE IMAGES

HAVE ONLY ADDED TO THE MYSTERY.

THESE THINGS ARE PRESENT
IN HUGE NUMBERS.

PEOPLE THINK THAT THERE
MIGHT BE HALF A MILLION

TO 2 MILLION OF THEM.

Narrator:
DESPITE THEIR NICKNAME,

THE BAYS ARE NOT CONFINED
TO NORTH CAROLINA.

STRANGE ENOUGH TO SEE THEM
IN ONE LOCATION,

BUT WHAT'S CRAZY IS,
WHEN YOU ZOOM OUT,

YOU CAN SEE THAT THEY
EXTEND FROM FLORIDA

ALL THE WAY UP THE EASTERN
SEABOARD TO DELAWARE.

YOU CAN LIVE ON THEM, PEOPLE'S
HOUSES ARE ALL OVER THEM.

HIGHWAYS GO THROUGH THEM.

THERE'S SHOPPING
CENTERS AROUND THEM.

Narrator: GEORGE HOWARD IS OUT
SEARCHING FOR ONE OF THE SHAPES.

IT'S MORE DIFFICULT
THAN IT LOOKS.

THIS APPEARS TO BE A WHITE SANDY
RIM HERE OF A BAY.

IT CURVES BOTH SIDES,
TO THE LEFT AND TO THE RIGHT.

Grush: YOU CAN ONLY SEE THEM
WHEN YOU'RE FLYING OVERHEAD,

AND THAT'S WHEN YOU GET
A REAL GOOD LOOK

AT THE STRANGE PATTERN
ON THE GROUND.

Narrator: GEORGE IS USING
A DRONE TO ANALYZE

THE STRUCTURE
OF THE ELLIPTICAL SHAPES.

TO BE ABLE TO GET OUT HERE
AND ACTUALLY USE

SOME OF THIS AMAZING TECHNOLOGY

TO FLY BASICALLY
ROBOTIC AERIAL CAMERAS

ABOVE CAROLINA BAYS
IS REALLY SPECIAL.

Narrator: ONCE AIRBORNE,
THE DRONE'S CAMERA

HELPS TO LOCATE HIS POSITION

IN THE EGG-SHAPED BAY.

Howard: WOW.

WE ARE DEFINITELY
WHERE WE THOUGHT WE'D BE.

LOOKING AT THE PHOTOGRAPHY,

I THINK WE'RE RIGHT
ON IT RIGHT NOW.

WE CAN SEE THE INTERIOR
CHOKED WITH VEGETATION IN HERE

AND JUST A BEAUTIFUL,
BRILLIANT WHITE SAND

DEFINING THE WESTERN
EDGE OF THE BAY.

Narrator: IT'S NOT JUST THE
EXISTENCE OF THESE EGG SHAPES

THAT BAFFLES SCIENTISTS.

IT'S ALSO THE STRANGE ALIGNMENT.

Grush:
WHAT'S SO CRAZY ABOUT THIS

IS THAT THEY ARE ALL
STRETCHED IN THE SAME WAY,

SO IT LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE
TOOK ALL THESE CIRCLES

AND JUST KIND OF DRAGGED THEM

SO THAT THEY'RE ALL SLANTED
IN ONE PARTICULAR WAY.

Brand: WHAT'S ODD ABOUT THIS,
WHAT'S REALLY BIZARRE IS,

HOW DO YOU GET OVALS
IN THE SAME SHAPE

AND IN THE SAME ORIENTATION?

THAT'S REALLY STRANGE.

Narrator:
SOME EXPERTS THINK A CLUE

MAY LIE IN THE AGE OF THE BAYS.

THESE SHAPES WERE CREATED
DURING THE LAST ICE AGE

THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO.

IT'S A TIME WHEN NORTH AMERICA
WAS A VERY DIFFERENT PLACE.

IT'S A TIME WHEN ICE SHEETS WERE
CREEPING DOWN FROM THE NORTH,

UPWARDS OF 10,000 FEET THICK,

ICE SHEETS THAT ARE EQUIVALENT

TO WHAT WE WOULD FIND
TODAY IN ANTARCTICA.

Narrator: IN THIS STRANGE WORLD
OF ICE,

PREHISTORIC HUMANS
LIVED ALONGSIDE

MANY CREATURES THAT HAVE LONG

SINCE DISAPPEARED
FROM THE EARTH.

Howard: RIGHT BEFORE THE END
OF THE ICE AGE,

THERE WERE AMAZING MAMMALS THAT
WALKED THROUGH THIS VERY AREA --

MASTODONS, MAMMOTHS,
SABER-TOOTHED TIGERS,

BEAVERS THE SIZE OF VW BUGS.

Narrator: SOME SCIENTISTS
SPECULATE

IF THESE ENORMOUS EGG SHAPES

ARE THE WORK OF GIANT BEAVERS.

THESE BEAVERS WERE LIKE
NO BEAVERS WE HAVE TODAY.

THEY WERE MASSIVE, PROBABLY HAD
INCISORS 6 TO 12 INCHES LONG,

JUST A WHOLE 'NOTHER
SCALE OF BEAVER

AND NOT SOMETHING YOU WOULD WANT
TO RUN INTO OUT HERE TODAY.

Narrator: BUT EVEN GIANT BEAVERS
WOULD HAVE DIFFICULTY

BUILDING DAMS
ON THIS SCALE.

Lester: I'M KIND OF AMAZED THAT
THE ANIMALS ARE CAPABLE

OF BUILDING SUCH
UNIFORM STRUCTURES

ALL IN THE SAME ORIENTATION.

ARE THEY ALL TALKING
TO EACH OTHER?

IT WOULD TAKE A LOT
OF GIANT BEAVERS

TO MAKE THIS MANY STRUCTURES.

WHERE ARE ALL THEIR BONES?

Narrator: INSTEAD OF BEAVERS,

SOME SCIENTISTS
HAVE LINKED THE EGG SHAPES

TO A TERRIFYING
ICE AGE APOCALYPSE.

ONE THEORY ABOUT
THE CAROLINA BAYS

IS THAT SOME KIND OF
AN IMPACT HIT THE ICE SHEET

AND ACTUALLY BLEW CHUNKS OF ICE
DOWN INTO LOWER LATITUDES.

Narrator: GIANT ICE BOMBS
THE SIZE OF MASSIVE ICEBERGS

CRASHING DOWN
FROM THE SKIES.

THE THOUGHT IS AS TERRIFYING
AS IT IS BIZARRE.

WE COULD ONLY IMAGINE

IF ICEBERGS WERE LAUNCHED
HUNDREDS OF MILES

FROM THE GLACIAL ICE SHEET
AT HYPERSONIC SPEEDS,

THEY WOULD'VE LANDED
IN THIS LANDSCAPE

AND EXPLODED WITH THE FORCE
OF MANY, MANY ATOMIC BOMBS.

Narrator: BUT HOW COULD
SUPERMASSIVE ICE BOMBS

HAVE CREATED THE PATTERN
WE SEE TODAY?

MAYBE THIS
IS WHAT HAPPENED.

IF YOU WERE STANDING HERE
DURING THIS EVENT,

THERE WOULD'VE BEEN ABSOLUTELY
NOTHING YOU COULD'VE DONE.

YOU COULD RUN A MILE
IN ANY DIRECTION,

AND YOU'D BE STILL WALKING
YOUR WAY INTO APOCALYPSE.

ANIMALS WOULD'VE BEEN WIPED OUT.

Narrator:
BUT NOT EVERYONE ACCEPTS

THE GIANT-ICE-BOMB THEORY.

THERE'S NOTHING THAT BIG THAT'S
GOING TO HIT A SHEET OF ICE

AND SEND GIANT ICE CUBES
SOARING THROUGH THE SKY

TO LAND ON THE GROUND
HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY

TO FORM AN IMPACT CRATER,
IT JUST DOESN'T WORK.

Narrator:
SCIENTISTS ARE STILL UNABLE
TO EXPLAIN THESE IMAGES.

WE DON'T KNOW WHY
THESE SHAPES ARE HERE,

WHY THEY'RE THIS SHAPE, WHY THEY
ARE ALIGNED IN THIS STRANGE WAY.

WE DON'T KNOW WHAT
OR WHO MADE THEM.

IT'S JUST SO FASCINATING THAT
THERE ARE STILL THINGS ON EARTH,

EVEN SOMETHING AS ABUNDANT
AND WIDESPREAD AS THIS,

THAT WE JUST DON'T
HAVE AN ANSWER TO.

COMING UP, THE DEVIL'S SKULL

HEADING TOWARDS
THE U.S. COASTLINE.

IT'S LIKE A FREIGHT TRAIN,

AND IT IS HEADED
STRAIGHT FOR FLORIDA.

Narrator:
AND SOMETHING HAS LANDED

IN A WILD ENGLISH LANDSCAPE.

THE SATELLITE IMAGES WOULD LEAD
ME TO BELIEVE IT'S NOT NATURAL.

Narrator:
A WEATHER SATELLITE CAPTURES

AN IMAGE OF A DEADLY HURRICANE

HEADING STRAIGHT FOR
THE U.S. COASTLINE.

IT'S LIKE A FREIGHT TRAIN
THAT'S PLOWING THROUGH HAITI,

AND IT IS HEADED
STRAIGHT FOR FLORIDA.

Narrator: BUT THERE'S SOMETHING
ESPECIALLY WEIRD AND SCARY

ABOUT THIS STORM.

THE FIRST TIME I SAW THIS IMAGE,
I THOUGHT IT WAS PHOTOSHOPPED.

SOMEBODY WAS MAKING A JOKE.

Narrator: OCTOBER 4, 2016 --
HURRICANE MATTHEW

BATTERS THE CARIBBEAN
ISLAND OF HAITI.

IT STARTS GETTING OVER
WARMER AND WARMER WATER

AND GATHERING MORE
AND MORE ENERGY,

DOING MASSIVE AMOUNTS
OF DESTRUCTION.

**

IT WAS THE STRONGEST STORM
IN 50 YEARS TO HIT THE COUNTRY.

THE DAMAGE AND DESTRUCTION
AND LOSS OF LIFE

IS ALMOST UNCOMPREHENDABLE.

Narrator: WHEN IT'S POINTED
AT THE HELL STORM,

THE GOES 13 SATELLITE CAPTURES
THIS DISTURBING IMAGE.

Kourounis:
IT LOOKS JUST LIKE A SKULL,

THIS DEMONIC-LOOKING, EVIL FACE,

WITH THE EYE OF THE STORM
JUST AS IT'S HITTING THE SHORE.

IT LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING
STRAIGHT OUT OF

THE DAY OF THE DEAD CELEBRATION.

Narrator: THE SKULL IS CAPTURED
BY AN INFRARED CAMERA

THAT ALLOWS EXPERTS TO ANALYZE

AND TRACK THE INTENSITY
OF THE STORM'S RAGING WINDS.

AS IT TURNS OUT, THIS IS REALLY
HOW THE STORM LOOKED

AS IT WAS MAKING
LANDFALL IN HAITI.

Narrator: BUT THE SKULL ISN'T
STOPPING AT HAITI.

IT'S HEADING STRAIGHT
FOR THE UNITED STATES.

WEATHER EXPERTS ARE CLOSELY
MONITORING THE STORM

AS IT APPROACHES.

Zeitler: YOU'RE ALMOST LOOKING
IMAGE BY IMAGE,

EVERY 10 OR 15 MINUTES
AS THE IMAGES UPDATE,

TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON.

Narrator:
THEY SPOT SOMETHING WEIRD.

WE'RE GETTING UNUSUAL
RADAR REFLECTIONS

FROM THE CALM EYE OF THE STORM.

Zeitler: WE SEE SOME KIND OF
RADAR SIGNATURE.

SOMETHING IS INSIDE OF THAT EYE
THAT SHOULDN'T BE THERE.

Narrator:
EACH COLOR IN THE IMAGE

REPRESENTS THE DENSITY OF
THE MATERIAL INSIDE THE STORM.

DARKER SHADES INDICATE CALMNESS,

WHILE VIOLENT ACTIVITY
IS RED OR ORANGE.

YOU'RE EXPECTING
JUST TO SEE DARKNESS

IN THE CENTER OF THE HURRICANE.

THERE SHOULDN'T BE
ANYTHING THERE.

BUT IT'S GLOWING GREEN.

Narrator: THIS GIVES THE EXPERTS
MONITORING THE STORM

A VITAL CLUE.

WHEN WE WATCH A RADAR
IMAGE LIKE THIS

AND WE SEE THIS KIND OF READING,

WE THEN CAN CONCLUDE THAT
IT HAS TO BE SOMETHING ALIVE.

Narrator:
WHATEVER IS INSIDE THE EYE

IS A LIVING, BREATHING CREATURE.

AS IF A HURRICANE WEREN'T
SCARY ENOUGH, RIGHT,

WE'VE GOT SOMETHING
THAT MIGHT BE ALIVE

AND IS REALLY BIG INSIDE OF IT.

IT BLOWS MY MIND
THAT THIS IS POSSIBLE.

Narrator: WHAT HUGE CREATURE
COULD BE DRAGGED ALONG BY

THE MAMMOTH HURRICANE,

AND HOW DID IT GET THERE?

MAYBE THE HURRICANE HAS WHIPPED
UP THE WATER SO MUCH

THAT IT'S ACTUALLY SUCKED THINGS
OUT OF IT AND INTO THE SKY.

Narrator: THERE IS A RARE
METEOROLOGICAL PHENOMENON

THAT DOES VACUUM UP
CREATURES FROM THE OCEAN.

IT'S KNOWN AS A WATERSPOUT.

WATERSPOUTS ARE BASICALLY
TORNADOES OVER THE WATER.

Narrator: AND SURE ENOUGH, THERE
SEEMS TO BE A RARE WATERSPOUT

ATTACHED TO THE SKULL.

HURRICANE MATTHEW IS PASSING
THE COAST OF JAMAICA,

AND THERE ARE SURFERS ON
THE BEACH AS IT'S GOING BY.

THEY TAKE PHOTOS,
AND THEY FIND A WATERSPOUT

THAT'S SUCKING THINGS UP
RIGHT INTO THE HURRICANE.

THOSE TORNADOES OR WATERSPOUTS

COULD ACTUALLY LIFT FROGS
OR FISH UP INTO THE AIR,

AND THOSE COULD SHOW UP
ON WEATHER RADAR.

Narrator: THOUGH IT'S RARE,
THERE ARE RECORDED CASES

WHERE OCEAN CREATURES HAVE BEEN
PLUCKED FROM THE SEAS

AND DUMPED ON DRY LAND
AFTER A STORM.

ON AUGUST 6, 2000, THE TOWN OF
GREAT YARMOUTH IN THE U.K.

WAS SHOWERED BY A HAIL
OF LIVING CRITTERS.

YOU COULD IMAGINE
SITTING DOWN TO DINNER.

THERE'S A STORM GOING ON
OUTSIDE, NORMAL SOUND OF RAIN,

BUT SUDDENLY,
THE PATTER GETS HEAVY.

THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE,
SOMETHING THAT'S NOT RAIN,

FALLING FROM THE SKY.

THEN YOU LOOK OUTSIDE,
AND IT'S FISH.

THAT WOULD BE SO CRAZY.

Narrator:
AS THE SKULL NEARS FLORIDA,

ANALYSTS CAN SEE THAT ITS
MALEVOLENT EYE IS STILL GREEN.

IT HAS TRAVELED MORE THAN 300
MILES SINCE IT WAS FIRST SEEN.

Kourounis: IT'S PERSISTENT.

WHATEVER IS THERE
IS STAYING THERE

AND TRAVELING ALONG
WITH THE HURRICANE.

Narrator: MAYBE WHATEVER
IS INSIDE THE EYE

IS ACTUALLY FLYING
OF ITS OWN ACCORD.

SOMETHING IS ABLE TO
CONTINUE INDEPENDENTLY

MOVING ON ITS OWN
AS THE STORM MOVES.

Narrator: ANALYSTS BEGIN TO
THINK THAT A MASSIVE FLOCK

OF BIRDS COULD BE IMPRISONED
INSIDE THE EYE OF THE SKULL,

TRAPPED BY 160-MILE-PER-HOUR
SWIRLING WALLS OF WIND.

THE BIRDS ARE COMING
FROM NORTH AMERICA,

AND THEY'RE FLYING
SOUTH FOR THE WINTER,

AND THEY'VE TAKEN
A NICE OCEAN ROUTE

FOR THEIR HOLIDAY VACATION,

AND THEN THEY'RE TRAPPED
IN THE EYE OF THE STORM,

AND THEY'RE FIGHTING
FOR THEIR LIVES.

Narrator: DATA COLLECTED BY
PILOTS WHO FLY INTO HURRICANES

SHOWS THAT THE WALL
OF WIND AROUND THE EYE

IS TERRIFYINGLY VIOLENT.

IT JUST SHAKES VIOLENTLY, LIKE,
THE WORST TURBULENCE

YOU COULD POSSIBLY
IMAGINE ON AN AIRLINER.

AND IT JUST GETS STRONGER
AND STRONGER AND STRONGER

UNTIL YOU EVENTUALLY BREAK FREE.

Narrator:
THE BIRDS WOULD HAVE NO CHOICE

BUT TO KEEP ON FLYING
TO KEEP THEMSELVES ALIVE.

SO YOU'RE TRAPPED IN THAT CALM
PART LIKE A PRISONER.

Narrator: WHEN IT
EVENTUALLY HITS,

THE SKULL WREAKS HAVOC ALONG
THE U.S. COASTLINE,

BUT THERE'S A NARROW
ESCAPE FOR FLORIDA.

THE SKULL COMES
AND TAKES A GOOD LOOK

BUT THEN MOVES
ON BACK TO THE SEA.

BUT IT MEANS NO ONE
WILL EVER KNOW

FOR SURE WHAT WAS LURKING
WITHIN ITS EVIL EYE.

COMING UP, SACRED OR PROFANE?

THE WEIRD SHAPE
IN THE LAND OF LEGEND.

IT LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING
CRASHED HERE

AND DRAGGED ACROSS THIS PASTURE.

**

**

Narrator: SEPTEMBER, 2015.

A COMMERCIAL SATELLITE CAPTURES
A STRANGE SHAPE IN CUMBRIA,

A REGION OF ENGLAND
STEEPED IN MYSTERY.

IT LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING
CRASHED HERE

AND DRAGGED ACROSS THIS PASTURE.

THAT'S A GIGANTIC OBJECT.

DID IT SLIDE ACROSS?
DID SOMEBODY DRAG IT?

Narrator: THE MYSTERIOUS IMAGE
COMES TO THE ATTENTION

OF INVESTIGATOR ANDREW GOUGH.

I'M REALLY ANXIOUS
TO GET MY HEAD AROUND

WHAT THIS PECULIAR
STRUCTURE IS ALL ABOUT.

THERE'S BEEN PEOPLE COLONIZED
HERE FOR OVER 12,000 YEARS.

THE ROMANS CAME HERE.
THE VIKINGS CAME HERE.

IN THE MIDDLE AGES,
IT WAS A PLACE OF LEGENDS.

Narrator: THE ORIGINS
OF THOSE LEGENDS

GO FAR, FAR BACK IN TIME.

CLOSE TO THE SITE, ANDREW SPOTS
A NEOLITHIC MONOLITH

STANDING ON THE LAND.

THIS EXTRAORDINARY STONE
APPEARED ON THE LANDSCAPE

THOUSANDS OF YEARS
BEFORE CHRIST.

TO EARLY MAN, IT HAD MAGICAL
SIGNIFICANCE.

Gough: ALL THESE STANDING STONES
WERE SELECTED

BECAUSE THEY WERE
BELIEVED TO BE SPECIAL,

HAVE FEATURES THAT LOOKED
HUMAN OR MARKINGS

THAT COULD BE USED FOR RITUALS,

AND MANY OF THE MOST FAMOUS
ROWS OF STONES IN THE WORLD

ALL HAVE FACES

OR WHAT APPEARS TO BE FACES,

AND I BELIEVE
THIS IS ONE OF THEM.

Narrator: ANDREW SUSPECTS THE
STONES MAY HAVE SOME CONNECTION

TO THE IMAGE
CAPTURED ON SATELLITE.

Gough: I JUST WONDER.

LET ME TAKE A LOOK
AT THE COMPASS.

HA!
ABSOLUTELY.

THIS IS POINTING DUE NORTH.

AND YOU KNOW WHAT'S DUE NORTH?

OUR STRUCTURE.

LOOK AT THAT. HA!

THERE'S STONES
ALL OVER THE PLACE HERE.

I GUARANTEE YOU THAT
IS ALIGNED WITH THIS,

AND I FIND THAT REALLY EXCITING.

I'M GOING TO CHECK IT OUT.

Narrator: WHEN ANDREW ARRIVES,

HIS FIRST IMPRESSION IS
IT'S CLEARLY

AN OLD SITE AND POSSIBLY SACRED.

THIS ALIGNS DUE EAST
TOWARDS THE RISING SUN.

IT'S GOT THIS PROCESSIONAL PATH
WITH STANDING STONES

ON EITHER SIDE.

LOOKS CEREMONIAL TO ME.

Narrator: THE SITE MAY BE
PREHISTORIC,

BUT THE STRUCTURE IS NOT.

HUNDREDS OF YEARS OLD PERHAPS,

BUT IT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN
SEALED WITH CONCRETE SLABS.

Gough: SO HERE IT IS.

HERE IS OUR CUBE.

THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN LOOKING
AT FROM THE SATELLITE

NOW FOR WEEKS.

THIS IS IT.

WHAT IS IT DOING HERE
IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE?

Narrator: ANDREW LOOKS
FOR FURTHER CLUES

IN THE SATELLITE IMAGES.

THERE ARE A NUMBER
OF HOLY SITES IN THE AREA.

HALF A MILE AWAY LIE THE RUINS
OF AN ANCIENT ABBEY,

LAST REFUGE OF A SECRETIVE
12th CENTURY CHRISTIAN SECT

KNOWN AS THE WHITE CANONS.

IN THE SHADOW OF SHAP ABBEY,
ANDREW FINDS TWO CRAFTSMEN.

-GENTLEMAN, HI.
-HOW ARE YOU?

Narrator: THEY'RE USING HISTORIC
BUILDING TECHNIQUES

TO PATCH UP BUILDINGS THAT GO
BACK TO THE 13th CENTURY.

LIMESTONE, THEY GET BROKEN UP
INTO SMALL BITS.

YEAH.

AND WE MAKE A LIME KILN
AND BUILD A FIRE...

-RIGHT.
-...AND BURN THE STONE.

Narrator: LIME KILNS EXISTED

IN THE EARLIEST HUMAN
CIVILIZATIONS.

MASONS USED THEM TO PERFORM
A KIND OF ALCHEMY

IN WHICH INTENSE HEAT
TURNED LIMESTONE

INTO A SUBSTANCE
KNOWN AS QUICKLIME,

USED FOR CONSTRUCTION
AND ALSO AS A WEAPON OF WAR.

THE HEAT OF THE FIRE WOULD GO
AT ABOUT 900 DEGREES...

-RIGHT.
-...FOR ABOUT 36 HOURS.

WHEN IT COMES OUT OF THERE,
IT'S KNOWN AS QUICKLIME.

WHEN YOU ADD
A LITTLE WATER TO IT,

YOU'LL SEE
A VERY QUICK REACTION.

-PRETTY INSTANT?
-YES.

Narrator: THE CRAFTSMEN HAVE
PROVIDED THE CLUE.

THE LIKELY PURPOSE OF
THE STRUCTURE BECOMES CLEAR.

Gough: I CAN'T BELIEVE IT.

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S NOT
AN ANCIENT SACRED SITE.

IT'S A LIME KILN.

Narrator: THE CRASH-LIKE SCAR
IN FRONT OF THE KILN

WAS PROBABLY A RAMP
FOR MOVING HEAVY LIMESTONE.

THE MASONS WHO BUILT
AND OPERATED KILNS

LIKE THIS BELONGED TO GUILDS

THAT GUARDED
THEIR SECRETS CLOSELY

AND CLAIMED SECRET KNOWLEDGE
FROM EGYPT AND BIBLICAL TIMES.

WHEN IT COMES TO ACTUALLY
MAKING QUICKLIME,

NOT EVERYONE WOULD HAVE
KNOWN HOW TO DO THIS.

THERE WOULD'VE BEEN KEEPERS
OF THE CHEMISTRY,

ALCHEMISTS WHO WERE IN CHARGE.

Bruce: QUICKLIME WAS USED
IN THE CONSTRUCTION

OF LARGE MONUMENTAL BUILDINGS,

AND IT'S NO COINCIDENCE
THAT VERY CLOSE TO THIS SITE

IS A LARGE ABBEY CHURCH.

Narrator: THE SECRET KNOWLEDGE
OF THE MASONS,

CONSIDERED MAGIC AT THE TIME,

WAS BASED ON CENTURIES
OF EXPERIENCE.

THEIR QUICKLIME
WAS SO EFFECTIVE,

IT ALLOWED SOME OF THE GREATEST

ARCHITECTURAL WONDERS
OF THE WORLD

TO REMAIN STANDING
FOR CENTURIES.

BUILDINGS LIKE SHAP ABBEY
ARE SOME OF THE BEST EXAMPLES.

LOOK HOW SOLID.

LOOK HOW SECURE THIS WALL
IS 800 YEARS LATER.

WHAT'S REALLY SAD IS THE REST
OF THE PLACE IS IN RUINS.

Narrator: THE ABBEY IS RUINED,
NOT BECAUSE IT WAS BADLY BUILT,

BUT BECAUSE OF THE HISTORIC
ASSAULT ON THE MONASTERIES

BY ENGLAND'S FIRST
PROTESTANT KING, HENRY VIII.

BUT QUICKLIME ALSO HAD
A DARKER USE.

QUICKLIME WAS ALSO INCREDIBLY
USEFUL IN TIMES OF PLAGUE

BECAUSE IT AIDED IN THE
DECOMPOSITION OF THE CORPSES.

Narrator: THE BLACK DEATH

WAS THE GREAT
APOCALYPSE OF THE MIDDLE AGES,

WHEN BLACK RATS SPREAD THE WORST
PLAGUE IN HUMAN HISTORY,

A TIME OF TRUE TERROR WHEN CARTS
WENT THROUGH VILLAGES

COLLECTING CORPSES.

DEAD BODIES WERE STACKED
IN GREAT, STINKING HEAPS.

THE POPULATION OF
THE WORLD PLUMMETED

AND WOULD NOT RECOVER
FOR ANOTHER 300 YEARS.

TO SAVE HUMANITY, THE DISEASED,
INFECTIOUS CORPSES

NEEDED TO BE DISPOSED
OF AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

BECAUSE IT BURNS ON CONTACT
WITH ANYTHING MOIST,

QUICKLIME WAS USED
TO DISSOLVE THE BODIES.

Bruce: IT ACTUALLY SERVED
AS A KIND OF BLEACH.

MEDIEVAL PEOPLE WOULD BURY
PLAGUE VICTIMS WITH QUICKLIME

TO ACCELERATE
THE DECOMPOSITION OF THE BODY

AND THEREBY PREVENT
SPREAD OF THE PLAGUE.

Narrator: AT SHAP ABBEY TODAY,

WHAT REMAINS STANDING
IS HELD TOGETHER

WITH QUICKLIME COOKED UP
IN ANCIENT MASONS' OVENS

LIKE THE ONE CAPTURED
IN OUR SATELLITE IMAGE.

Gough: IT'S THE PROCESS
THAT ALLOWED BRITAIN

AND ACROSS EUROPE

TO BUILD STRUCTURES THAT
ARE STILL STANDING TODAY.

THEY CAN STILL BE SEEN
FROM SPACE,

AND I THINK THAT MAKES IT
PRETTY SPECIAL.