All language subtitles for What.on.Earth.S04E11.1080p.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.

[ 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.

**