Original subtitles

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.