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.

[ BEEPING, DISTORTED MUSIC ]

THE SEARCH FROM SPACE

FOR A NAZI TRAIN FILLED WITH GOLD.

Pavelec: THE TREASURE HUNTERS THAT ARE LOOKING FOR THIS

WILL BECOME FILTHY RICH AND INCREDIBLY FAMOUS.

Narrator: BATTLE OF THE DEAD -- SPY SATELLITES OVER TIMBUKTU.

WHY WOULD YOU DIG UP BODIES IN THE MIDDLE OF A HOT DESERT?

Narrator: THE RIVER FROM HELL THAT TURNS BLOOD RED.

YOU CROSS A RIVER OF BLOOD TO ENTER INTO THE AFTERLIFE --

TO GO INTO THE UNDERWORLD.

Narrator: AND DID NATIVE AMERICANS DISCOVER EUROPE

BEFORE COLUMBUS REACHED AMERICA?

WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO CHANGE OUR TEXTBOOKS ENTIRELY.

Narrator: BAFFLING PHENOMENA.

MYSTERIES FROM SPACE.

WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY?

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

[ BEEPING ] [ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING ]

[ WHIRRING ]

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

**

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ] [ WHIRRING ]

**

THE BIGGEST GOLD HORDE IN HISTORY,

AND THE TREASURE HUNTERS ARE GETTING CLOSER,

USING SATELLITES TO NARROW THE SEARCH.

THE NAZIS PLUNDERED AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF TREASURE.

YOU NAME IT, THEY NICKED IT.

Morgan: THIS WOULD BE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT STOCKPILE

OF STOLEN WEALTH IN THE WORLD.

Narrator: UNTIL NOW, TREASURE HUNTERS HAVE BEEN RELYING

ON HISTORICAL RESEARCH

AND OLD WARTIME RECONNAISSANCE MAPS.

Pavelec: IF YOU SPEND ENOUGH TIME LOOKING AT THESE MAPS

AND IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR,

THEN YOU MIGHT FIND CLUES

THAT COULD LEAD TO HIDDEN TREASURE.

Narrator: BUT ONE INVESTIGATOR HAS HIT UPON

A NEW TREASURE-HUNTING TECHNIQUE,

AND IT INVOLVES COMBINING WARTIME RECONNAISSANCE MAPS

WITH THE LATEST SATELLITE IMAGES.

Pepper: THIS IS THE CHALLENGE OF TRYING TO SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN TWO IMAGES.

YOU FIND A BUNCH OF ANOMALIES, AND IT MAKES YOU WONDER,

"DOES ONE OF THESE ANOMALIES HAVE A HIDDEN TREASURE?"

Narrator: MICHAEL DEMBINSKI'S FATHER FOUGHT IN THE WARSAW UPRISING,

THE HEROIC BUT DOOMED ATTEMPT BY POLISH RESISTANCE FIGHTERS

TO DRIVE THE NAZIS OUT OF POLAND.

HE KNOWS ONLY TOO WELL WHAT THE NAZIS DID HERE.

Walters: IN MANY WAYS, THE NAZIS BEHAVED

JUST LIKE KIND OF WARRING, MEDIEVAL KINGS.

THEY SIMPLY TOOK COUNTRIES,

PLUNDERED THEM OF ALL THEIR WEALTH,

AND SAT ON FAT PILES OF GOLD.

Narrator: AT THE END OF THE WAR, THE ALLIES DISCOVER

HORDES OF TREASURE STOLEN BY THE NAZIS

WORTH AROUND $20 BILLION.

THE NAZIS HAVE SPENT THE WAR

PLUNDERING THE ARTWORKS AND TREASURE OF OCCUPIED EUROPE.

THE GERMANS PACKED CRATES FULL OF GOLD AND TREASURE,

ARTWORKS, PUT THEM ON TO TRAINS.

THERE WAS A NAZI TRAIN THAT WAS SEIZED IN 1945

THAT WAS FILLED WITH PAINTINGS, ARTWORKS, GOLD, AND JEWELS.

Narrator: ALTHOUGH LARGE QUANTITIES

OF NAZI LOOT WAS FOUND,

THERE'S SO MUCH MORE THAT IS MISSING

STILL TO BE RETURNED TO ITS RIGHTFUL OWNERS.

AFTER THE WAR, THERE ARE REPORTS IN POLAND

OF A NAZI TRAIN LADEN WITH GOLD

SPOTTED BY LOCALS SHORTLY BEFORE THE ALLIED INVASION.

THE TRAIN IS ESTIMATED TO CONTAIN

300 TONS OF MISSING TREASURE, WORTH AROUND $10 BILLION.

THIS WOULD REPRESENT PROBABLY

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT STOCKPILE OF STOLEN WEALTH IN THE WORLD.

Narrator: THE KEY TO THE LOCATION OF THE TRAIN,

DEMBINSKI BELIEVES, IS IN THE LANDSCAPE.

OCCUPIED EUROPE IS DEVASTATED TOWARDS THE END OF THE WAR

BY ALLIED BOMBERS AND THE RETREATING GERMANS,

AND POSTWAR RECONSTRUCTION FURTHER ALTERS THE LANDSCAPE.

BETWEEN THE WARTIME ALLIED AND GERMAN MAPS

AND MODERN SATELLITE IMAGES,

THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENCES.

CERTAIN FEATURES LIKE RAILWAY LINES,

BRIDGES, AND TUNNEL ENTRANCES

ARE PRESENT IN THE MAPS,

BUT ARE GONE FROM THE SATELLITE IMAGES.

THERE ARE CLUES IN THE SATELLITE IMAGES,

BUT YOU REALLY HAVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR.

Narrator: BUT THE SATELLITE IMAGES ARE THROWING UP

TOO MANY POTENTIAL HIDING PLACES.

DEMBINSKI MUST NARROW DOWN THE SEARCH.

THIS IS A MASSIVE REGION.

IT'S CRISSCROSSED WITH THE RAILWAY LINES.

**

Narrator: ACCORDING TO REPORTS IN POLAND,

TOWARDS THE END OF THE WAR, A HEAVILY GUARDED NAZI TRAIN

WAS SEEN AT A RAILWAY JUNCTION IN WALBRZYCH,

AND THAT'S WHERE DEMBINSKI IS HEADED.

HE HAS A LEAD -- A LOCAL MAN.

[ CONVERSATION IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]

TADEUSZ SLOWIKOWSKI IS A RETIRED COAL MINER

WHO WAS JUST A BOY WHEN THE NAZIS OCCUPIED POLAND.

ACCORDING TO SLOWIKOWSKI, THE TRAIN SPOTTED HERE

IS RUMORED TO BE THE PRIVATE TRAIN OF HEINRICH HIMMLER.

HIMMLER'S HEAVILY ARMORED PRIVATE TRAIN

WAS AN UNBREAKABLE BEHEMOTH OVER 500 FEET LONG

WITH TWO CARGO CARRIAGES FITTED WITH ANTIAIRCRAFT GUNS.

IF SLOWIKOWSKI IS CORRECT,

THEN HIMMLER'S TRAIN WAS ON ITS WAY TO THE CITY OF WROCLAW,

FORMERLY BRESLAU --

A SMALL BUT WELL-GUARDED NAZI OUTPOST.

BY THE END OF THE WAR, THE SEEMINGLY INSIGNIFICANT CITY

IS BEING DEFENDED VERY, VERY HEAVILY

AT THE COST OF DEFENSE OF, SAY, BERLIN.

Narrator: IT IS THOUGHT THAT THE GERMANS USED WROCLAW

TO STORE STOLEN LOOT

AND TURN THE CITY INTO FORT KNOX.

BUT IN 1945, IT BECOMES CLEAR

THE CITY WILL FALL TO STALIN'S RUSSIAN TROOPS.

BUT BEFORE THAT, IT IS SAID

THAT A TRAIN LOADED WITH VALUABLES LEAVES THE CITY.

THIS TRAIN IS LOADED AND HEADED WEST

TO ESCAPE THE ADVANCING RED ARMY.

Narrator: BUT WHERE MIGHT YOU HIDE

A 5,000-TON TRAIN LOADED WITH GOLD?

SLOWIKOWSKI CLAIMS TO HAVE HEARD AN ACCOUNT FROM AN EYEWITNESS.

TADEUSZ SAYS THAT HE MET A WITNESS,

SOMEONE WHO, TOWARDS THE END OF THE WAR,

CLAIMS THAT THEY STOOD UP

ONTO THE TENDER OF A STEAM LOCOMOTIVE,

AND THEY COULD SEE TWO WAGONS IN TRACKS

LEADING OFF INTO A TUNNEL.

Narrator: TOWARDS THE END OF THE WAR, THE NAZIS ARE KNOWN

TO HAVE BURIED VALUABLES IN CAVES

AND THEN BLOWN UP THE ENTRANCES.

DID THEY DO THE SAME TO THE TUNNEL?

Pavelec: COLLAPSE THE ENDS OF THE TUNNELS,

AND YOU HAVE A PERFECT TOMB, IF YOU WILL,

TO HIDE A WHOLE BUNCH OF LOOT.

Narrator: BUT THE NAZIS DIDN'T HAVE TIME

TO DIG NEW TUNNELS AS THE SOVIET ARMY APPROACHED.

THEY MUST HAVE USED AN EXISTING TUNNEL.

AS IT HAPPENS, THE NAZIS WERE ENGAGED

IN DIGGING OUT A LARGE TUNNEL COMPLEX

IN THE NEARBY OWL MOUNTAINS.

THERE WAS THIS GIGANTIC COMPLEX BUILT UNDERGROUND

CALLED PROJECT RIESE,

AND THE RAILWAY LINE PASSES FAIRLY CLOSE.

Narrator: THE LONG-ABANDONED NAZI TUNNELS IN THIS AREA STRETCH FOR MILES.

PRECISELY WHY THEY WERE BUILT IS NOT KNOWN.

THIS PROJECT IS SURROUNDED IN MYSTERY

BECAUSE THERE'S NO DOCUMENTATION TO SUGGEST

WHY THE NAZIS WOULD DIG ALL THESE TUNNELS.

**

Dembinski: TUNNELS ARE THE OBVIOUS PLACE TO HIDE TRAINS,

SO I WANT TO TRAVEL OUT TO THE RIESE PROJECT COMPLEX

AND HAVE A LOOK.

Narrator: ONLY PART OF THIS IMMENSE UNDERGROUND COMPLEX

HAS BEEN EXCAVATED.

THERE ARE MILES OF TUNNELS

STILL TO BE DISCOVERED AND PROPERLY EXPLORED.

MANY TUNNELS HAVE COLLAPSED OR BEEN BLOCKED OFF.

ABOVE THE COMPLEX, SATELLITE IMAGES SHOW

A PINE-COVERED HILLSIDE AND A NEARBY RAILWAY LINE.

COULD THEY BE CONNECTED?

COMING UP -- A NATURAL TIME BOMB,

THE BIGGEST ON PLANET EARTH.

THAT IS A LOT BIGGER THAN IT LOOKED FROM SATELLITE.

AND THIS CRATER HAS TO BE ABOUT A MILE ACROSS.

AND DEMBINSKI ENTERS THE NAZIS' UNDERGROUND LAIR.

THAT IS AMAZING.

THERE MUST BE A SPUR CONNECTING THE RAILWAY TO THIS.

**

Narrator: MICHAEL DEMBINSKI

IS USING SATELLITE IMAGES AND WARTIME RECONNAISSANCE MAPS

TO LOCATE A TRAIN FILLED WITH GOLD

ALLEGEDLY HIDDEN BY THE NAZIS

IN THE DYING DAYS OF WORLD WAR II.

HIS SEARCH BRINGS HIM TO A VAST UNDERGROUND NAZI COMPLEX

CALLED PROJECT RIESE.

"RIESE" IS THE GERMAN WORD FOR "GIANT."

EXTENDING AS FAR AS SIX SQUARE MILES,

THE ABANDONED COMPLEX IS ONE OF THE LARGEST

SUBTERRANEAN STRUCTURES ON THE PLANET.

**

THE SCALE OF THESE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

IS ABSOLUTELY UNIMAGINABLE.

THE GERMANS BUILT MILES AND MILES

OF UNDERGROUND COMPLEXES FOR HIDING THINGS.

**

Narrator: THE COMPLEX HAS ONLY BEEN

PARTLY EXCAVATED AND EXPLORED.

A LARGE PART OF THIS LABYRINTH WAS SEALED OFF

AFTER THE NAZIS ABANDONED IT IN 1945.

IT TOOK 23,000 SLAVE LABORERS

DRAGGED FROM NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMPS

TO DIG THIS EXTRAORDINARY TUNNEL COMPLEX.

THEY WERE ALMOST ALL WORKED TO DEATH

FROM EXHAUSTION AND STARVATION.

Dembinski: CONDITIONS DOWN HERE MUST HAVE BEEN UTTERLY AWFUL.

**

Narrator: IT IS KNOWN THAT THE NAZIS USED TUNNELS

TO HOUSE SECRET ARMAMENT PROJECTS

LIKE THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE V-2.

BUT WHAT THESE TUNNELS WERE FOR REMAINS A MYSTERY.

YOU CAN SEE BORE HOLES

WHERE THE DYNAMITE WOULD HAVE BEEN PLACED.

Narrator: DEMBINSKI IS LOOKING FOR CLUES

FOR TUNNELS TALL ENOUGH TO ACCOMMODATE A TRAIN,

FOR SIGNS OF TRAIN TRACKS,

FOR INDICATIONS THAT TUNNEL ENTRANCES

HAVE BEEN BLOCKED OR SEALED.

WOW. THAT -- THAT IS SOMETHING.

Narrator: NEARLY A MILE INTO THE HILLSIDE,

AND DEMBINSKI ENCOUNTERS A PROBLEM.

Dembinski: OH, WOW.

WHOO!

Narrator: THE TUNNELS ARE FLOODED.

TO GO ANY FURTHER, DEMBINSKI MUST CONTINUE BY BOAT.

**

WOW. WOW.

THAT IS AMAZING.

WHY ON EARTH WERE THE GERMANS BUILDING THIS?

WHAT WAS THIS ALL ABOUT?

Narrator: THE TUNNELS HERE ARE BIG ENOUGH TO HIDE A TRAIN,

BUT IT'S HARD TO TELL IF THERE ARE REMNANTS

OF RAILWAY TRACKS BENEATH THE WATER.

DEMBINSKI NEEDS TO REVIEW THE SATELLITE IMAGES.

THERE MUST BE A SPUR CONNECTING THE RAILWAY TO THIS.

AND THE QUESTION IS "WHERE?"

Narrator: DEMBINSKI WILL MAP THE COMPLEX AS BEST HE CAN,

LOOKING FOR A SECTION OF TUNNEL

WHICH MIGHT LEAD FROM THE NEAREST RAILWAY OUTSIDE.

**

THIS IS AN EXTREMELY EXCITING MOMENT --

COMPARING THESE TWO IMAGES.

Narrator: DEMBINSKI IS COMPARING

WARTIME MAPS OF THE OWL MOUNTAIN FOOTHILLS

WITH MODERN SATELLITE IMAGES.

NOW, I'M LOOKING FOR HOUSES

THAT HAVE BEEN KNOCKED DOWN DURING THE WAR.

AND I'M ALSO LOOKING TO SEE WHETHER THERE'S ANY EVIDENCE

OF SUBSIDING LAND OVER A POSSIBLE TUNNEL.

Narrator: A TRAIN THIS VALUABLE

WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY HEAVILY GUARDED AND PROTECTED.

WHEREVER IT ENDED UP,

THERE SHOULD BE SIGNS OF OTHER ACTIVITY AROUND.

I'M LOOKING FOR EVIDENCE OF MILITARY ACTIVITY.

Narrator: DEMBINSKI MAKES A SHORT LIST

OF POTENTIAL SIGHTS.

THIS LOCATION IS STRONGER THAN ALL THE REST

BECAUSE IT IS THE CLOSET TO THE RIESE COMPLEX.

THE TUNNEL IS THE RIGHT LENGTH.

IF I WERE A GERMAN GENERAL, I WOULD HIDE THE TRAIN HERE.

**

Narrator: DEMBINSKI SETS OUT TO SEARCH THE AREA.

HE BELIEVES THE INTERIOR LAYOUT OF THE RIESE COMPLEX

SUGGESTS THERE MAY BE BLOCKED-OFF TUNNELS

WHICH EXTEND BENEATH THESE HILLS.

THIS HAS THE LOOK AND FEEL OF MILITARY INSTALLATION.

THIS IS RIGHT BY THE TUNNEL,

SO THIS COULD BE RELATED TO THE RAILWAY LINE.

**

Narrator: THERE IS A MODERN TRAIN LINE

BUILT ON THE GROUND OF AN OLDER TRAIN LINE

AND A RAILWAY TUNNEL STILL IN USE.

[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING ]

**

BUT DEMBINSKI WON'T BE EXPLORING IT TODAY.

[ SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]

Dembinski: YEAH, I'VE JUST BEEN TOLD I CAN'T GO DOWN THERE

BECAUSE IT'S AN ACTIVE RAILWAY, WHICH IS FAIR ENOUGH,

BUT IT DOES MEAN THAT I WON'T BE ABLE

TO INVESTIGATE INSIDE THE TUNNEL.

Narrator: THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT THE VAST QUANTITIES

OF MISSING GOLD PLUNDERED BY THE NAZIS ENDED UP HERE.

BUT IF IT DID, AND IF LOCAL REPORTS ARE CORRECT,

DEMBINSKI IS CONVINCED

THAT AN ARMORED TRAIN BUILT FOR HEINRICH HIMMLER

CONTAINING AROUND $10 BILLION OF STOLEN GOLDEN GOLD

MAY WELL BE SITTING RIGHT AT HIS FEET,

AND HE WON'T STOP LOOKING UNTIL HE'S FOUND IT.

**

COMING UP -- A BLOOD-RED RIVER

AND THE KILLING FIELDS OF SIBERIA.

THIS IMAGE IS LIKE A CRIME-SCENE PHOTO FROM SPACE.

**

Narrator: JUNE 26, 2016 --

A SATELLITE PHOTOGRAPHS WHAT LOOKS LIKE A RIVER OF BLOOD

RUNNING THROUGH THE BARREN LANDSCAPE OF SIBERIA.

THE COLOR IS SO RICH, IT'S CREEPY.

Williams: THIS IS THE ENTIRE RIVER --

IT'S NOT JUST A TINY PIECE OF IT.

**

Narrator: THE DALDYKAN RIVER IS SO FAR NORTH,

IT'S LOCATED IN THE ARCTIC CIRCLE.

SATELLITES CAPTURE MORE IMAGES

CONFIRMING THAT THE RIVER HAS TURNED RED.

JUST TWO DAYS EARLIER, IT LOOKED TOTALLY NORMAL.

SO, THE QUESTION IS, "WHAT HAPPENED?"

WHAT CAUSED THIS RIVER TO TURN RED?

Narrator: RIVERS CAN DISCOLOR NATURALLY --

RAIN CAN WASH CLAY FROM A MOUNTAIN TO STAIN THE WATER,

BUT IT DOESN'T LOOK ANYTHING LIKE THIS.

CLAY IS NOT GONNA TURN A RIVER SUCH A BLOOD-RED COLOR.

I MEAN, YOU MIGHT GET A MUDDY-BROWN SORT OF COLOR.

Argyilan: THIS COLOR IS A VIVID, BRIGHT RED,

AND IT POINTS TO SOMETHING COMPLETELY UNNATURAL.

CLEARLY, THERE'S SOMETHING BAD OR TRAGIC

THAT HAS HAPPENED TO THIS RIVER.

Narrator: RUSSIAN COMMUNISTS TRIED TO EXPUNGE

THE TRADITIONAL BELIEFS OF THE NOMADIC TRIBES HERE,

BUT WITH LIMITED SUCCESS.

THE LOCALS HERE TALK OF A RIVER OF BLOOD,

AND THAT'S ACTUALLY WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE,

WHICH IS KIND OF SPOOKY.

THERE'S SOME COLORFUL FOLKLORE FROM THIS AREA

AMONG SIBERIAN NOMADS

THAT YOU CROSS A RIVER OF BLOOD

TO ENTER INTO THE AFTERLIFE, TO GO INTO THE UNDERWORLD.

**

Narrator: SATELLITE IMAGERY DOES SUGGEST

THAT THIS RIVER IS SURROUNDED BY DEATH.

WITHIN MILES OF ITS BANKS,

THERE ARE LITTLE OR NO SIGNS OF LIFE.

IT'S JUST A DEATH ZONE -- NO PLANTS OR ANIMALS.

WHAT IS KILLING ALL THIS STUFF?

**

Narrator: IMAGE ANALYST BRONWYN AGRIOS

STUDIES THE SATELLITE PICTURES.

Agrios: THE RIVER FORKS,

AND ONE FORK OF THE RIVER IS ITS NATURAL BLUE COLOR,

THE OTHER IS THIS BRIGHT RED,

SO IF WE FOLLOW THAT BRIGHT RED FORK OF THE RIVER DOWN,

IT DOES LEAD US TO A TOWN.

Narrator: THIS IS THE TOWN OF NORILSK.

**

THIS STRANGE CITY IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST PRODUCER

OF NICKEL AND PALLADIUM.

WHAT'S HAPPENED HERE HAS CAUSED A CRISIS

WHICH COULD AFFECT THE WHOLE PLANET.

Williams: NORILSK IS ONE OF THE MOST POLLUTED CITIES IN THE WORLD,

MAYBE THE MOST POLLUTED.

COMMUNIST-ERA MANUFACTURING PLANTS

ARE JUST, LIKE, FALLING INTO DISREPAIR,

AND THEY ARE JUST PUMPING OUT

ALL SORTS OF NOXIOUS GASES AND FUMES

THAT PEOPLE IN THE CITY ARE BREATHING IN.

Narrator: THIS ONE TOWN PUMPS OUT

GIANT QUANTITIES OF SULFUR DIOXIDE,

MORE THAN THE WHOLE OF INDUSTRIAL FRANCE.

IT'S A CITY SO POLLUTED THAT THE SNOW IS BLACK,

AND THE AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY FOR RESIDENTS

IS 10 YEARS LOWER THAN THE REST OF RUSSIA.

PEOPLE IN THIS CITY SAY

THEY KNOW WHICH WAY THE WIND IS BLOWING

BASED ON WHICH CHEMICAL THEY'RE TASTING.

Narrator: AND YET, THIS POLLUTION CANNOT HAVE TURNED THE RIVER BLOOD RED.

TOXINS FROM NORILSK TURN THE WATER BLACK, NOT RED.

ANALYSTS LOOK AGAIN

AT SATELLITE IMAGES OF THE REGION.

UPSTREAM FROM THIS PLACE WHERE THE RIVER TURNS SO RED,

THERE WAS A POND THAT ALREADY HAD THAT RED.

**

THE POND IS MANMADE, A SO-CALLED TAILINGS POND

RUNNING FROM A NICKEL MINE AND A PROCESSING PLANT.

THE NICKEL ORE IS TREATED WITH CHEMICALS TO EXTRACT THE METAL.

THE CHEMICAL SLURRY, OR TAILINGS,

HAVE RUN OFF INTO THE POND.

THE IMAGE IS LIKE A CRIME-SCENE PHOTO FROM SPACE.

YOU CAN SEE ALL OF THE TOXIC WASTE

COMING OUT OF THIS TAILINGS POND.

Williams: THIS POND IS FULL OF AN IRON COMPOSITE,

AND NORMALLY WHAT HAPPENS IS IT GOES THROUGH A FILTER,

AND THEN THE WATER COMES OUT OF THE PIPE.

YOU CAN SEE FROM THESE IMAGES THAT IT'S NOT WORKING.

Narrator: THE EFFECT

OF THIS TOXIC MATERIAL FLOODING THE ENVIRONMENT

IS CATASTROPHIC.

THIS WILL JUST SMOTHER ANY LIFE

THAT'S LIVING INSIDE OF THESE RIVERS.

**

Narrator: HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF THE SATELLITE DATA REVEALS

THAT THE Day-Glo RED NICKEL POND HAS OVERFLOWED BEFORE

IN 1997, 1998, 2013, AND 2014.

AND WHO KNOWS HOW BAD THINGS WERE BACK IN THE COMMUNIST ERA?

WE KEEP SEEING IT AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN FROM SPACE.

WHO IS ENFORCING THIS?

WHY AREN'T WE SOLVING THIS PROBLEM?

WHY ISN'T THIS PLACE GETTING FIXED?

**

Narrator: COMING UP -- TERROR IN THE TOMBS OF TIMBUKTU.

Man: IT'S NOT A TREASURE TROVE.

IT'S A PLACE WHERE THE DEAD HAVE BEEN BURIED.

Narrator: AND APOCALYPSE, USA -- WARNING SIGNS IN OREGON.

THESE ARE SOME OF THE MOST VIOLENT ERUPTIONS

THAT CAN TAKE PLACE ON OUR PLANET.

**

**

DOES THE DEFENSE...

Narrator: 2016 --

AN ISLAMIC SCHOLAR TURNED JIHADIST, AHMAD al-MAHDI,

A MEMBER OF TERRORIST GROUP ANSAR DINE,

STANDS TRIAL AT THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT.

HIS CRIMES ARE COMMITTED IN THE AFRICAN COUNTRY OF MALI

IN THE CITY OF TIMBUKTU

AMONG THE SACRED TOMBS OF AN ANCIENT MOSQUE

WHICH LOCAL PEOPLE LINK TO THE LAST JUDGMENT.

MAHDI CLAIMS TO HAVE BEEN OVERTAKEN BY EVIL SPIRTS.

THE FATE OF THIS MAN WILL BE DECIDED

BY ANALYSIS OF SATELLITE IMAGES.

LOOKING IN THE CENTER, WE SEE LOTS OF DEBRIS.

SO IT LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING RATHER VIOLENT TOOK PLACE HERE.

Narrator: THE QUESTION IS,

WHAT ARE THE TERRORISTS DOING IN THIS SQUARE?

SOMETHING IN HERE IS WORTH PROTECTING.

SOMEONE WANTS TO GET THEIR HANDS ON SOMETHING INSIDE HERE.

ALLAHU AKBAR!

Narrator: THE FUNDAMENTALIST GROUP ANSAR DINE

RULE WITH EXTREME FEROCITY.

ADULTERERS ARE STONED TO DEATH,

AND THIEVES HAVE LIMBS HACKED OFF --

ALL TAKING PLACE IN FRONT OF CROWDS

FORCED TO WATCH THE BARBARIC SPECTACLE

IN SQUARES LIKE THIS.

Moran: IT ALSO LOOKS AS IF

THE WALLS HAVE BEEN KNOCKED DOWN IN SOME AREAS.

WHAT HAPPENED HERE?

Narrator: FORMER CIA CASE OFFICER LINDSAY MORAN INVESTIGATES.

LINDSAY SEES HOLES IN THE GROUND

CAUSED NOT BY STONING OR FIGHTING.

**

IT REMINDS ME OF PLACES IN THE MIDDLE EAST

LIKE PALMYRA AND DURA WHERE LOOTING HAS TAKEN PLACE.

Narrator: WE KNOW THERE WAS A CASH GRAB IN DURA

FOR ANCIENT ARTIFACTS.

BUT WHY WOULD THIS MILITANT GROUP

TARGET TIMBUKTU, A POOR, WAR-RAVAGED CITY?

TIMBUKTU WAS A HUB OF GOLD TRADE AND IVORY,

SO A LOT OF THOSE ARTIFACTS AND TREASURES

MAY STILL BE BURIED THERE.

**

Narrator: IN THE 14th CENTURY,

2/3s OF THE WORLD'S GOLD CAME FROM WEST AFRICA,

MUCH OF IT PASSING THROUGH TIMBUKTU.

BY THE MIDDLE AGES,

TIMBUKTU HAD BECOME THIS PLACE OF UNIMAGINABLE WEALTH.

WE HEARD TALES OF STREETS PAVED WITH GOLD.

Narrator: IN SEARCH OF ITS MYTHICAL RICHES,

COUNTLESS TREASURE HUNTERS RISK IT ALL IN AN ANCIENT GOLD RUSH.

Kourounis: WHAT A TEMPTING THING --

TO TRY AND VISIT,

AND MAYBE STEAL SOME OF THOSE RICHES.

Narrator: BUT THE SATELLITE IMAGE SHOWS

THIS LEGENDARY CITY IS GUARDED

BY ONE OF THE BEST NATURAL DEFENSES IN THE WORLD --

FOUR MILLION SQUARE MILES OF THE SAHARA DESERT.

TIMBUKTU'S TRADING PARTNERS NAVIGATE THE SANDS,

BUT IT'S A DEATH TRAP FOR ANYONE ELSE TRYING THEIR LUCK.

HERE, TEMPERATURES CAN EXCEED 120 FAHRENHEIT.

EVEN TODAY, SCORES OF PEOPLE DIE EVERY YEAR

TRYING TO CROSS THE DESERT.

BUT CROSS-REFERENCING THE SATELLITE IMAGE

WITH LOCAL MAPS

REVEALS THE SQUARE ISN'T USED FOR GOLD STORAGE.

THIS SITE IS SACRED.

IT'S NOT A TREASURE TROVE.

IT'S A PLACE WHERE THE DEAD HAVE BEEN BURIED.

**

Narrator: COMPARISONS WITH EARLIER IMAGES OF THE SITE

REVEAL THE GRAVES HAVE BEEN TAMPERED WITH.

SO, ASSUMING THE DEAD AREN'T RISING,

WHY IS THE MILITANT GROUP ANSAR DINE

DIGGING IN THE GRAVEYARD?

PERHAPS THEY WERE LOOTING BODIES.

WHY WOULD YOU DIG UP BODIES

IN THE MIDDLE OF A -- OF A HOT DESERT?

Narrator: LOOTED BODIES ARE WORTH A GREAT DEAL OF CASH.

SELLING TEETH CAN RAISE $1,200,

AND AN ENTIRE SKELETON

CAN FETCH NEARLY $7,000 ON THE BLACK MARKET.

DO THIS ON A BIG ENOUGH SCALE,

AND ANSAR DINE CAN RAISE CASH

TO FUND THEIR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.

BUT IT'S NOT THE GRAVES THAT ANSAR DINE WANT.

WHEN INVESTIGATORS DIG DEEPER,

THEY FIND THIS CEMETERY HAS A SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE.

THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST HOLY SITES IN MALI.

PEOPLE COME FROM ALL OVER AFRICA

TO PAY HOMAGE TO THE SAINT THAT IS BURIED IN THIS SHINE.

Narrator: THE MILITANT GROUP ANSAR DINE AREN'T DIGGING UP BODIES.

THEY'VE TARGETED THIS CEMETERY

AS A BRUTAL WARNING TO ALL THE PEOPLE OF MALI --

THE HOLES ARE THE REMAINS OF RELIGIOUS ICONS

THAT DIDN'T FIT THEIR EXTREME VIEW OF ISLAM.

[ MEN SHOUTING, GUNSHOTS ]

Moran: THIS GROUP REALLY TERRORIZED THE AREA

IN THEIR DRIVE TO ERADICATE ANYTHING

THAT DIDN'T FIT INTO THEIR RELIGIOUS IDEALS.

[ MEN SHOUTING ]

Narrator: BUT THE TERRORIST GROUP DOESN'T JUST FIGHT LOCAL PEOPLE,

THEY TARGET THEIR SHRINES.

THEY BULLDOZED INTO THE WALLS,

AND USING A VARIETY OF TOOLS,

WREAKED HAVOC AND DESTRUCTION ON THE SITE.

Narrator: SATELLITE IMAGES SHOW

THEIR PRIME TARGET IS A MAUSOLEUM

BELONGING TO A REVERED SUFI SHEIKH.

Moran: THESE RELIGIOUS EXTREMISTS

ARE IN FACT ERASING THOUSANDS OF YEARS

OF THEIR OWN RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL HISTORY.

Narrator: BUT IN 2013, THE NIGHTMARE ENDS.

THE FRENCH ARMY CAME IN AND LIBERATED TIMBUKTU.

THE HEAD OF THE RELIGIOUS POLICE

WAS ARRESTED AND TRIED FOR HIS CRIMES.

Narrator: AHMAD al-MAHDI,

THE MAN IN CHARGE OF THE DESTRUCTION,

STANDS TRIAL AT THE HAGUE.

THE STAR WITNESS FOR HIS PROSECUTION --

SATELLITE PHOTOS CLEARLY SHOWING

THE DESTRUCTION al-MAHDI ORDERED.

Moran: USING THE SATELLITE IMAGERY,

INVESTIGATORS ARE ABLE TO DETECT A TOTAL OF NINE SITES

THAT HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY DESTROYED BY THIS GROUP.

Narrator: AHMAD al-MAHDI IS SENTENCED TO NINE YEARS IN PRISON,

ALL BECAUSE HIS CRIMES WERE PHOTOGRAPHED FROM SPACE.

THIS TYPE OF SATELLITE IMAGE

IS REALLY GONNA PLAY AN IMPORTANT PART IN THE FUTURE,

DEALING WITH WAR CRIMES.

**

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: COMING UP -- AMERICA'S SAVAGE PAST.

SATELLITES REWIND HISTORY.

SATELLITE IMAGERY CAN KIND OF GIVE US SUPER POWERS,

JUST LIKE SUPERMAN HAS X-RAY VISION.

**

**

Narrator: GEO SATELLITES ORBITING HIGH OVER CANADA

CAPTURE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE WILDERNESS.

TO MOST PEOPLE, THERE'S NOTHING IN THESE IMAGES

BUT GRASS AND VEGETATION.

BUT FOR ARCHEOLOGISTS TRAINED IN SATELLITE ANALYSIS,

SOMETHING'S NOT RIGHT.

THERE ARE SEVERAL AREAS, ONE IN PARTICULAR,

WITH REALLY, REALLY DENSE, DEEP GRASS.

THE PLANTS ARE REALLY HAPPY,

SO SOMETHING'S FEEDING THEM A LITTLE SOMETHING DIFFERENT

IN THE SOIL BELOW.

**

Narrator: IMAGE ANNALIST AMANDA MARCHETTI

USES ADVANCED SPECTRAL OPTICS CAMERAS ON BOARD THE SATELLITE.

AMANDA LOOKS AT WHAT'S LYING BENEATH THE SURFACE.

SATELLITE IMAGERY CAN KIND OF GIVE US SUPERPOWERS,

JUST LIKE SUPERMAN HAS X-RAY VISION.

Narrator: THE SPECTRAL OPTICS CAMERAS

DON'T JUST REVEAL WHAT'S BENEATH THE SURFACE.

IN EFFECT, THEY'RE TAKING AMANDA BACK IN TIME.

Marchetti: I SEE A PATTERN EMERGING

THAT LOOKS LIKE IT'S A HUMAN SETTLEMENT.

THIS COULD BE A WALL.

AND WHEN HUMANS BUILD WALLS,

THAT MEANS THAT THEY PLAN TO STAY.

Narrator: BUT IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

FOR COUNTLESS CENTURIES,

THIS WAS THE HUNTING GROUND OF THE INUITS,

BUT THE INUITS DID NOT CONSTRUCT PERMANENT STRUCTURES LIKE THIS.

THE AREA CAPTURED IN THE IMAGE

IS A REMOTE, WIND-SWEPT PART OF NEWFOUNDLAND

THAT HAS BEEN KNOWN AS "STORMY POINT."

BUT THERE IS ANOTHER TANTALIZING POSSIBILITY.

[ THUNDER RUMBLES ]

ACCORDING TO ANCIENT NORSE STORIES, KNOWN AS SAGAS,

ABOUT 1,000 YEARS AGO,

A VIKING CALLED LEIF ERIKSSON WAS BLOWN OFF COURSE

ON HIS WAY TO GREENLAND, AND ENDED UP ON A FERTILE LAND.

CENTURIES LATER,

EUROPEAN EXPLORERS WOULD NAME THIS "AMERICA."

Hunt: THE VIKINGS GET ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE ATLANTIC,

THEY REACH GREENLAND,

AND EVEN FURTHER WEST IS THIS MYSTERIOUS LAND

THEY CALL "VINLAND."

Wolter: THIS MAGICAL LAND WHERE GRAPES WERE GROWING,

THIS GARDEN OF EDEN OF RESOURCES

THAT WERE JUST THERE FOR THE TAKING.

[ WAVES CRASH ]

Narrator: THOUGH THE NORSE SAGAS SUGGEST THE VIKINGS REACHED AMERICA,

THE ONLY CONFIRMED EVIDENCE OF VIKING PRESENCE

IS A 1,000-YEAR-OLD SOD LONGHOUSE

400 MILES NORTHEAST OF STORMY POINT.

BUT NORSE EXPERTS ARE CONVINCED

THE VIKINGS WERE CAPABLE OF SETTLING AMERICA.

WELL, THE VIKINGS WERE COURAGEOUS --

THEY WERE ADVENTURERS, THEY WERE TRADERS.

THE VIKINGS COULD LITERALLY GO ANYWHERE WITH THEIR LONGSHIPS.

THEY WERE SO SHALLOW, THEY COULD LAND ON A BEACH.

Narrator: THE WORD "VIKING" MEANS "SEAFARER" OR "PIRATE,"

BUT HOW FAR DID THEY EXPLORE, AND HOW LONG DID THEY STAY?

THE TOPOGRAPHY DESCRIBED IN THE NORSE SAGAS

SEEMS TO MATCH THE ATLANTIC COASTLINE

OF NEWFOUNDLAND, CANADA.

BUT IT'S TOO COLD HERE TO BE GROWING GRAPES.

VINLAND HAS TO BE WARMER, MORE SOUTHERN.

THE SETTLEMENT REVEALED IN THE SATELLITE IMAGES

LOOKS LIKE A PERMANENT VIKING BASE,

IDEAL FOR TRADING.

IT WOULD BE THE PERFECT PLACE TO ESTABLISH A SETTLEMENT

TO FIX YOUR BOATS, TO SORT OF RESTOCK SUPPLIES.

THE QUESTION WAS, DID THEY GO FARTHER SOUTH?

Narrator: AMERICA MAY HAVE BEEN FERTILE FOR THE VIKINGS

IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE.

IF, AS THE SATELLITE DATA SUGGESTS,

THE VIKINGS LAUNCHED FROM HERE TO AMERICA,

IT MAKES SENSE OF AN INCREDIBLE NEW STUDY IN ICELAND.

WHEN GENETICS RESEARCHERS FROM REYKJAVIK UNIVERSITY

CARRY OUT DNA TESTS ON THE LOCAL POPULATION,

THEY FIND SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY.

YOU'D EXPECT TO HAVE SCANDINAVIAN ANCESTRY ENTIRELY,

BUT SOMEHOW, THERE'S THIS LITTLE BIT OF NATIVE-AMERICAN DNA.

Wolter: ICELANDERS HAVING DNA

FROM NATIVE AMERICANS IN NORTH AMERICA

IS REALLY HUGE EVIDENCE.

Narrator: AND THAT'S NOT THE ONLY PROOF

THAT THE VIKINGS USED STORMY POINT, CANADA,

AS THEIR GATEWAY TO AMERICA.

THERE'S ANOTHER REALLY COMPELLING LINE OF EVIDENCE

THAT SUGGESTS THIS NATIVE AMERICAN-NORSE CONTACT,

AND THAT'S LINGUISTICS.

Narrator: EXPERT ANALYSIS OF NATIVE-AMERICAN LANGUAGE

PROVIDES ANOTHER TANTALIZING CLUE.

SOME OF THE SAME WORDS

IN THE DELAWARE INDIANS' ALGONQUIAN ORAL HISTORY

ARE ALSO WORDS FOUND IN OLD NORSE.

Narrator: WORDS LIKE "GLASS."

THE WORD "SPRING" IS SIMILAR,

AND SO IS THEIR WORD FOR "MOUSE."

LANGUAGE SHARING SUGGESTS AN EVEN DEEPER INTEGRATION.

Narrator: INCREDIBLY, THIS MEANS

NATIVE AMERICANS TOOK A VIKING VACATION IN EUROPE

BEFORE COLUMBUS DISCOVERED AMERICA.

BUT ARE THE SATELLITE ANALYSTS CORRECT?

COULD THIS REALLY BE

A LONG-SEARCHED-FOR PERMANENT VIKING SETTLEMENT?

IF THIS TURNS OUT TO BE A VIKING SITE,

IT'LL SPARK A WHOLE-NEW INTEREST

IN VIKING EXPLORATION SITES IN THE UNITED STATES.

THE NEXT THING TO DO WAS TO GET ON THE GROUND

AND TAKE A CLOSER LOOK.

Narrator: ARCHEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE SITE HAS BEGUN,

AND IT'S ALREADY PRODUCING RESULTS.

THEY'RE FINDING EVIDENCE OF SOD STRUCTURES

THAT DON'T LOOK ANYTHING LIKE THE INDIGENOUS STRUCTURES.

THEY FOUND EVIDENCE OF A HEARTH FOR MAKING METAL.

THIS IS NOT WHAT THE INUITS WERE DOING.

THIS IS WHAT THE VIKINGS WERE DOING.

Narrator: THE STRUCTURES DATE BACK TO 1000 A.D.,

WHICH IS EXACTLY WHEN, ACCORDING TO THE SAGAS,

THE VIKING LEIF ERIKSSON WAS BLOWN OFF COURSE.

IT SHOWS THE INESCAPABLE TRUTH

THAT THE VIKINGS REALLY WERE HERE.

Wolter: SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY, IN MY OPINION --

IT'S NOT "ARE THEY GONNA FIND MORE EVIDENCE

OF VIKING HABITATION SITES

AND EVIDENCE OF VIKINGS IN NORTH AMERICA?"

IT'S "WHEN?"

WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO CHANGE OUR TEXTBOOKS ENTIRELY.

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: COMING UP --

MODERN CITIES FACE THE REAL THREAT OF APOCALYPSE.

AS THE MAGMA'S MIGRATING UP, IF IT MEETS WATER -- BOOM!

**

**

Narrator: SATELLITES ABOVE OREGON

CAPTURE A ROCK FORMATION RISING OUT OF THE DESERT SANDS,

A HARBINGER OF DOOM.

SOME SCIENTISTS CALL THESE

THE NUCLEAR BOMBS OF THE NATURAL WORLD.

Marchetti: THE HOLE'S ENORMOUS -- IT MEASURES 1.3 MILES.

THAT'S FOUR TIMES THE LENGTH OF THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING.

Pepper: SOMETHING BIG HAPPENED.

IT IS HUGE, EVEN FROM SPACE.

Narrator: SHOCKINGLY, THIS ISN'T THE ONLY GEOLOGICAL MEGA WEAPON.

THERE'S A CLUSTER OF THEM

LURKING BENEATH A MAJOR MODERN CITY,

CAPABLE OF WIPING OUT ALL LIFE IN THE VICINITY.

[ CHILDREN CHATTERING ]

AND IT COULD GO OFF ANY DAY.

**

TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THESE GEOLOGICAL MEGA FORCES,

GEOLOGIST BRITTANY BRAND MUST UNLOCK THE MYSTERY

OF WHAT FORMED THE ROCK RING.

WHAT'S REALLY STRIKING --

THERE'S THIS STRANGE CIRCULAR SHAPE,

AND THIS THING IS BIG.

IT'S REALLY IN STARK CONTRAST TO THE SURROUNDING AREA,

WHICH IS PREDOMINANTLY FLAT.

A LOT OF TIMES, WHEN YOU SEE A CIRCULAR STRUCTURE LIKE THIS,

THE FIRST THING YOU THINK IS,

"OH, MAYBE IT'S A METEOR CRATER."

Narrator: AS BRITTANY ANALYZES THE IMAGE,

SHE'S SKEPTICAL A METEOR STRIKE IS THE CAUSE.

Brand: THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT A HOLE IN THE GROUND.

IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE A ROCK WALL,

AND YOU CAN SEE THAT BECAUSE IT'S CASTING A SHADOW.

Narrator: TO DETERMINE WHAT HAS CAUSED THIS ROCK FORMATION,

BRITTANY MUST VISIT THE SITE.

LOCATED 60 MILES INTO THE DESERT,

THE ROCK RING TOWERS ABOVE THE SURROUNDING FLAT LANDSCAPE.

IT'S A LOT BIGGER THAN IT LOOKED FROM SATELLITE.

THIS CRATER HAS TO BE ABOUT A MILE ACROSS.

**

Narrator: KNOWN LOCALLY AS "FORT ROCK,"

BRITTANY MUST TREK TO THE TOP

IF SHE WANTS TO GET A BETTER VIEW OF HOW IT WAS FORMED.

**

ANY TIME WE SEE THESE SPHERICAL STRUCTURES

ON THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH,

WE'RE WONDERING, "WHAT'S GOING ON?"

**

Narrator: THIS GIGANTIC FORMATION

APPEARS TO BE ERODED GRANITE OR SANDSTONE,

WHICH COULD BE MILLIONS OF YEARS OLD.

**

Brand: WOW, IT'S JUST INCREDIBLE.

THESE ROCKS ARE SUPER ROUGH-LOOKING AND JAGGED,

AND THEY'RE JUST TOWERING UP OUT OF THE GROUND FROM NOWHERE.

Narrator: ONCE AT THE TOP,

BRITTANY REALIZES THIS ISN'T JUST A MOUNTAIN OF ROCK.

THIS, TO ME, DOES LOOK LIKE A VOLCANIC CRATER.

A RIM OF ROCK AROUND A CRATER COULD BE VOLCANIC.

Narrator: BUT THE AERIAL IMAGE SHOWS A HORSESHOE SHAPE.

THIS IS NOT A TYPICAL VOLCANIC CONE.

MOST PEOPLE, WHEN THEY THINK OF VOLCANOES,

THEY THINK ABOUT THESE TALL MOUNTAINS --

THESE SNOW-COVERED PEAKS THAT RISE UP.

**

Narrator: AFTER AN HOUR, BRITTANY REACHES THE TOP,

200 FEET ABOVE THE REST OF THE DESERT.

**

IT'S HERE SHE MUST DETERMINE THE ROCK'S COMPOSITION

IF SHE WANTS TO FIND OUT

HOW THIS STRANGE-SHAPED STRUCTURE WAS FORMED.

IF THEY'RE VOLCANIC ROCKS AND THEY'RE BROKEN UP INTO CHUNKS,

THAT'S A SUGGESTION THAT THERE'S BEEN

SOME KIND OF RELATIVELY VIOLENT VOLCANIC ERUPTION

THAT'S TAKEN PLACE HERE.

[ ROCK CRACKLES ]

Brand: OH, WOW. LOOK AT THAT.

I CAN PROBABLY BREAK IT WITH MY HAND.

IT BREAKS APART VERY EASILY.

IT'S NOT MADE OF THICK, SOLID LAVA.

IT'S MADE OF VOLCANIC ASH.

Narrator: BRITTANY'S CONVINCED FORT ROCK IS A VOLCANO,

BUT ITS HORSESHOE SHAPE IS UNFAMILIAR,

AND THAT'S NOT THE ONLY STRANGE THING BRITTANY SPOTS.

THE OTHER THING THAT I SEE IN THIS ROCK

IS THAT IT'S ORANGE.

THE ONLY TIME THAT YOU GET VOLCANIC ASH LIKE THIS

TURNING ORANGE

IS WHEN THE LAVA INTERACTS WITH WATER.

Narrator: THE SATELLITE IMAGE SHOWS

THERE'S NO STANDING WATER NEARBY,

AND THIS REGION HAS BEEN A DESERT SINCE RECORDS BEGAN.

THE ONLY WATER COMES FROM THE CHANGEABLE WEATHER.

COULD A DIFFERENT TYPE OF ERUPTION HAVE FORMED FORT ROCK?

SUPERVOLCANOES CREATED THE COLUMBIA RIVER BASALTS,

ENGULFING HUGE PARTS OF IDAHO AND WASHINGTON

IN ASH HUNDREDS OF FEET DEEP.

BUT THE AERIAL IMAGE SHOWS FORT ROCK IS CONTAINED

IN JUST THIS SMALL AREA OF THE DESERT.

MAYBE CLUES ON THE ROCK FACE CAN EXPLAIN WHAT'S HAPPENING.

Brand: OVER HERE, WE'VE GOT THIS FLAT TERRACE.

I SEE THE IDENTICAL TERRACE ON THE OTHER SIDE.

SO THAT TELLS ME THAT THERE WAS A LAKE HERE

THAT WAS AT LEAST 30, 40 FEET DEEP,

PROBABLY AROUND THE TIME THAT THIS VOLCANO SHUT OFF.

Narrator: SO, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A VOLCANO ERUPTS UNDER A LAKE?

Brand: WE CALL THESE "HYDROVOLCANOES."

THESE ARE SOME OF THE MOST VIOLENT ERUPTIONS

THAT CAN TAKE PLACE ON OUR PLANET.

THE PARTICULAR TYPE OF RING THAT WE HAVE HERE

ONLY FORMS WHEN MAGMA COMES IN CONTACT WITH WATER.

IT BECOMES VIOLENTLY EXPLOSIVE.

THE WAY IT WORKS WAS WITHIN THOSE TALL PEAKS

THAT WE TYPICALLY THINK ABOUT WITH VOLCANOES.

Narrator: THE HYDROVOLCANO

BLASTS THOUSANDS OF TIMES INTO THE AIR...

[ RUMBLING ]

...CREATING SHOCK WAVES AND A TSUNAMI.

**

THE MOLTEN ASH RAINS DOWN AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF THE VENT,

WHERE THE LAKE'S WATER SOLIDIFIES IT,

THRUSTING THE TALL SLOPES OF FORT ROCK SKYWARDS.

Pepper: THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE PHENOMENA

ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH.

SOME SCIENTISTS EVEN CALL THESE

THE NUCLEAR BOMBS OF THE NATURAL WORLD.

[ SATELLITE BEEPING ]

Narrator: USING SATELLITES,

WE'RE NOW ABLE TO IDENTIFY OTHER DANGER SPOTS,

AND, SHOCKINGLY, A MAJOR CITY ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PLANET

IS SITTING ON GROUND ZERO FOR ANOTHER MEGA ERUPTION.

THERE ARE PLACES AROUND THE WORLD,

LIKE AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND,

WHERE THERE ARE 1.5 MILLION PEOPLE

LIVING IN AND AMONGST VOLCANOES JUST LIKE THIS.

**

IT'S A POWDER KEG JUST WAITING TO BLOW.

IF YOU LOOK AT A SATELLITE MAP OF AUCKLAND,

YOU REALIZE THAT IT'S SURROUNDED BY WATER.

BUT THAT WATER ISN'T JUST ON THE OUTSIDES OR ON TOP.

THAT'S ACTUALLY UNDERGROUND.

Narrator: BENEATH THESE UNDERGROUND WATER RESERVES

IS A FIELD OF HYDROVOLCANOES JUST WAITING TO EXPLODE.

Pepper: AS THE MAGMA'S MIGRATING UP,

IF IT MEETS WATER WITHIN THE AQUIFER -- BOOM!

Narrator: IT'S IMPOSSIBLE FOR SCIENTISTS IN AUCKLAND

TO PHYSICALLY REACH

THE HYDROVOLCANOES HIDDEN BELOW THEIR CITY.

BRITTANY'S HOPING HER FIRSTHAND STUDY OF FORT ROCK

CAN HELP OTHERS UNDERSTAND HOW THEY WORK.

BACK AT THE HOTEL, SHE CALLS JAN LINDSAY,

HEAD OF VOLCANIC RESEARCH IN AUCKLAND.

[ COMPUTER CHIMING ] HEY, JAN. HOW ARE YOU?

OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS,

JAN HAS WITNESSED A HOST OF TECTONIC EVENTS DOWN THERE,

LIKE THE CHRISTCHURCH EARTHQUAKE.

I'VE JUST SPENT THE DAY OUT AT FORT ROCK,

AND WHAT YOU SEE INSIDE THESE WALLS

ARE THOUSANDS OF VOLCANIC LAYERS INDICATING THAT THIS WAS

A VERY EXPLOSIVE VOLCANIC CENTER.

AND YOU LOOK THOUGH THE LAYERS,

YOU DON'T SEE ANY EVIDENCE OF A BREAK IN ERUPTION,

WHICH MEANS THAT ONCE THIS THING GOT GOING,

IT KEPT PUMPING.

THAT'S REALLY USEFUL FOR US TO KNOW

FOR PLANNING FOR A FUTURE EVENT.

SCIENTISTS ESTIMATE AUCKLAND IS SITTING ON A MAGMA FIELD

FAR LARGER THAN FORT ROCK.

WE HAVE ABOUT 53 VOLCANIC CENTERS AT THE MOMENT,

MANY OF WHICH ARE HYDROVOLCANOES

LIKE THE ONE YOU HAVE JUST VISITED.

WITH THIS MANY HYDROVOLCANOES,

THE FALLOUT COULD BE CATASTROPHIC.

**

TO HELP AVERT DISASTER, BRITTANY MUST CONTINUE HER WORK

TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE ERUPTIONS OCCUR.

THE BIG QUESTION NOW IS,

CAN THEY PREDICT WHEN IT MIGHT HAPPEN IN AUCKLAND?

Narrator: SATELLITE IMAGES CAN HELP US PREDICT

WHERE DISASTER MAY STRIKE.

THE NEXT CHALLENGE IS TO DETERMINE WHEN.

**