All language subtitles for What.on.Earth.S04E13.1080p.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.

AK-47s AND LAKES OF MOLTEN GOLD
IN THE LAND OF THE GIANTS.

Kourounis: SOME OF THE BLOCKS
THAT MAKE UP THESE RUINS

ARE MUCH LARGER THAN ANY HUMAN
COULD LIFT BY THEMSELVES.

Narrator:
APOCALYPSE U.S.A. -- THE DIRTY
MONEY BEHIND THE DEADLY WEAPONS.

Munoz: THAT PUTS PARTS OF THE
WEST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES

WITHIN RANGE
OF NORTH KOREAN MISSILES.

Narrator:
THE SECRET MISSION TO PENETRATE
THE PLANET'S CRUST.

Harrison:
COULD IT HAVE BEEN MATERIAL

EXTRACTED FROM NEAR
THE CENTER OF THE EARTH?

Narrator:
AND WEIRD LIGHTS ACROSS
THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH.

ONE VERY STRONG POSSIBILITY
IS THAT THIS IS SOMETHING

THAT IS ENTERING OUR ATMOSPHERE
FROM SPACE.

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

**

Narrator: SEPTEMBER, 2017.

ORBITING ABOVE A REMOTE REGION
OF THE HORN OF AFRICA,

A MAPPING SATELLITE
CAPTURES A GLOWING IMAGE

OF ETHIOPIA'S DALLOL CRATER.

Brand:
THE DALLOL CRATER IS MOST FAMOUS

FOR THIS SERIES
OF SALT, BRINY LAKES

WHICH ARE BRILLIANTLY COLORED
FROM YELLOW TO ORANGE.

Kourounis: IT'S ALMOST LIKE
MOTHER NATURE'S PALETTE,

AND SHE'S PAINTING

THESE WONDERFUL GREENS
AND YELLOWS IN THE DESERT.

Narrator:
THE AREA IS CONSIDERED
VIRTUALLY UNINHABITABLE,

BUT SOMETHING IN THE SATELLITE
IMAGE CLOSE TO THE LAKES

CATCHES THE EYE OF ARCHAEOLOGIST
KAREN BELLINGER.

MY ATTENTION WAS GRABBED
BY SOMETHING

A LITTLE FARTHER TO THE WEST
OF ALL THAT COLOR,

BECAUSE I NOTICED
THE UNMISTAKABLE SIGN
OF HUMAN ACTIVITY

IN AN AREA THAT JUST,
FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES,

IS A DEAD ZONE.

Odell: THERE'S SOME SORT
OF A HUMAN SETTLEMENT,

YET IT'S RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE
OF VOLCANIC LANDSCAPE.

WHO WOULD BUILD A TOWN
IN THE MIDDLE OF HELL?

Narrator:
BELLINGER FLIES TO ADDIS ABABA,

ETHIOPIA'S CAPITAL
AND LARGEST CITY.

FROM HERE, SHE MUST VENTURE
INTO THE DESOLATE WASTELAND

KNOWN AS THE DANAKIL DEPRESSION,

WHERE TEMPERATURES OFTEN REACH
125 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

Phoenix:
IT'S AN EXTREME ENVIRONMENT
BY EVERY DEFINITION.

IT'S BEAUTIFUL, BUT IT'S DEADLY.

Narrator:
SURVIVING THE TERRAIN
AND CONDITIONS

IS ONLY THE FIRST CHALLENGE.

SURROUNDED BY
WAR-RAVAGED COUNTRIES,

SOMALIA, SUDAN, AND ERITREA,

ETHIOPIA SUFFERS VIOLENT UNREST.

ALMOST EVERYONE CARRIES
AN AK-47 MACHINE GUN

STRAPPED ACROSS THEIR BACK.

Narrator:
BELLINGER MUST TRAVEL
UNDER THE PROTECTION

OF A DETAIL
OF HEAVILY ARMED GUARDS.

**

FOREIGN TRAVEL ADVICE
IS WARNING

OF THE POSSIBILITY
OF TERRORIST ATTACK

OR KIDNAPPING IN THIS
REGION OF ETHIOPIA,

SO I'M TRAVELING WITH
A CONTINGENT

OF SOLDIERS
ARMED WITH KALASHNIKOVS.

IT MAKES ME FEEL BETTER,
I GUESS.

**

Narrator: TO REACH THE RUINS
IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE,

BELLINGER VENTURES
INTO A DESERT --

50,000 SQUARE MILES OF SCORCHED,
LIFELESS, CRACKED EARTH.

**

THE LANDSCAPE IS ALL OF A SUDDEN
REALLY DIFFERENT.

WE'VE LEFT BEHIND ANY TRACE
OF THE SCRUBBY VEGETATION

WE PASSED NOW AND AGAIN
JUST A FEW MILES AGO.

AND EVEN THE ROCKS HAVE ALL
BUT DISAPPEARED.

IT'S DESOLATE.

Narrator:
DESOLATE NOW, BUT LOOKING FOR
EVIDENCE OF EARLY CIVILIZATION,

THE RECENT DISCOVERY
BY ARCHAEOLOGISTS

OF A PREHISTORIC SKELETON
SUGGEST THAT THIS IS THE LAND

WHERE APES FIRST LEFT THE TREES
TO WALK UPRIGHT.

THE BONES OF LUCY,

ONE OF THE EARLIEST HOMINID
ANCESTORS OF MODERN HUMANS,

WAS FOUND NOT FAR
FROM THIS SPOT.

Narrator:
THE REGION'S ALPHABET IS ONE
OF THE OLDEST STILL IN USE,

AND RECENTLY, ARCHAEOLOGISTS
FOUND NOT FAR FROM HERE

THE RUINS OF HARLAA,
A LEGENDARY LOST CITY

WHICH LOCALS DESCRIBE
AS THE HOME OF SUPER HUMANS.

THEY UNCOVERED
AN ENTIRE ANCIENT CITY

BURIED UNDER THE MODERN TOWN.

Altaweel:
THE ANCIENT CONSTRUCTION
IN THIS TOWN

INVOLVED THESE VERY LARGE
BLOCKS, WHICH ARE VERY UNUSUAL.

WHEN THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS
STUMBLED UPON THIS PLACE,

THE LOCALS TOLD THEM,
"OH, THIS WAS A CITY OF GIANTS."

Narrator:
STORIES OF A RACE OF SUPER
HUMANS HERE GO BACK CENTURIES.

THE ANCIENT GREEK
HISTORIAN HERODOTUS

MENTIONS ETHIOPIA
AS A PLACE OF GIANTS --

THESE KIND OF WONDERFUL,
BEAUTIFUL CREATURES.

Narrator:
BELLINGER HAS WORKED
IN HARSH ENVIRONMENTS,

BUT ETHIOPIA'S DALLOL CRATER

MIGHT BE HER
TOUGHEST ASSIGNMENT YET.

Bellinger:
THE WEATHER LOOKS OKAY NOW,

BUT I'M TOLD IT CAN BE
REALLY SEVERE AND DEADLY.

IN FACT, SAND STORMS
THE SIZE OF A TSUNAMI

CAN WHIP UP OUT OF NOWHERE.

THE LOCALS CALL THIS
PHENOMENON "FIRE WINDS",

AND APPARENTLY IT FEELS LIKE

BEING INSIDE A TORNADO
INSIDE AN OVEN.

Narrator:
BELLINGER REACHES THE VAST,
ACTIVE VOLCANIC CRATER.

THERE WAS A MAJOR ERUPTION HERE
AS RECENTLY AS 2011.

Bellinger: IT'S FORBIDDING.

IN FACT, IT'S STARTING
TO LOOK LIKE MARS.

THERE'S JUST NOTHING OUT THERE.

JUST DIRT -- CRACKED DIRT
AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE.

Narrator:
THE LANDSCAPE IS BECOMING
TOO DIFFICULT, EVEN FOR SUVs.

OKAY, THIS IS THE END
OF THE ROAD, LITERALLY.

THE ROAD ENDS.
[ CHUCKLES ]

SO, I'M GONNA GET OUT AND WALK.

Narrator:
THE GUARDS ARE ON EDGE.

THE ONLY TRIBES PEOPLE
KNOWN TO INHABIT THIS DESERT

ARE NOTORIOUSLY VIOLENT.

IT IS ALIEN TERRITORY
IN MORE THAN ONE WAY.

Bellinger:
RIGHT NOW, I'M WALKING
ON SOMETHING

THAT I WOULD IMAGINE
THE MOON SURFACE WOULD BE LIKE.

IT'S DUSTY
AND IT'S GOT THIS SORT OF

OTHERWORLDLY...CONCRETIONS
THAT ARE JUST, YOU KNOW,

JUST BUILDUP
THAT'S STICKING UP.

I MEAN, IT'S LIKE CORAL.

Narrator:
THEN, BELLINGER IS CONFRONTED
WITH SOMETHING

THAT LEAVES HER STUNNED.

Bellinger: WOW!

THIS IS CRAZY!

THIS IS NOT LIKE ANYTHING

I'VE EVER EVEN IMAGINED
ON THIS PLANET,

MUCH LESS SEEN.

JUST THE ALIENNESS OF THIS --
IT'S KIND OF OVERPOWERING.

I MEAN, IT'S WEIRDLY BEAUTIFUL,

BUT IT'S ACTUALLY REALLY
A BIT SCARY, TOO.

Narrator: A BIZARRE,
OTHERWORLDLY LANDSCAPE

OF BUBBLING FLUIDS
AND STRANGELY SHAPED ROCKS.

Bellinger: THE EARTH IS JUST
BREAKING APART HERE.

IT'S TEARING APART UNDERGROUND.

IT'S AMAZING
ANY RUINS EVEN REMAIN.

Narrator:
BEYOND, BELLINGER SEES THE RUINS
FROM THE SATELLITE IMAGE.

THEY ARE NOT WHAT
SHE IS EXPECTING.

Bellinger:
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS.

Narrator: COMING UP --
SATELLITES, SECRETS, AND LIES.

Baker:
IF WE WERE ALL HOLDING HANDS

AND RIDING UNICORNS
AND SINGING "KUMBAYA"

AND IT WAS A COMMUNITY
OF NATIONS, GREAT.

BUT THAT'S NOT THE WAY
THE REAL WORLD WORKS.

THIS IS IT.

Narrator:
AND THE MYSTERY DEEPENS IN THE
MOST ALIEN LANDSCAPE ON EARTH.

OH, WOW. IT'S SAND
AND SALT BLOCKS.

IT LOOKS JUST LIKE WHAT
WE WALKED ON GETTING HERE.

Narrator:
IN A REMOTE CORNER OF ETHIOPIA,

ARCHAEOLOGIST KAREN BELLINGER
IS INVESTIGATING

WHAT APPEARED IN THE SATELLITE
IMAGE TO BE ANCIENT RUINS

LOCATED ON A GLOWING,
BUBBLING LANDSCAPE.

WHAT SHE FINDS
IS SOMETHING ELSE.

THAT'S DEFINITELY A
MODERN STRUCTURE THERE.

MORE THAN ONE.

Narrator:
BELLINGER FINDS THE REMAINS OF
A SPOOKILY DESERTED SETTLEMENT.

SOME KIND OF...TANKS.

STORAGE TANKS, MAYBE,
OF SOME KIND?

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY'D BE
DOING OUT HERE WITH THIS STUFF.

**

Narrator:
THE STRUCTURES AREN'T ANCIENT,

BUT THE WAY THEY'RE BUILT
IS STRANGELY PRIMITIVE.

I'VE NEVER SEEN CONSTRUCTION
QUITE LIKE THIS BEFORE.

IT'S REALLY TWISTED.

IT'S FALLING IN ON ITSELF.

OH, THIS STUFF IS WEIRD.

OH, WOW. IT'S SAND
AND SALT BLOCKS.

IT LOOKS JUST LIKE WHAT
WE WALKED ON GETTING HERE.

SOMEBODY HAD THE BRIGHT IDEA TO
JUST GO OUT AND CUT SOME BLOCKS

AND MAKE A DESERT IGLOO
OF SORTS.

THERE WAS SOME WOOD
USED IN THE CONSTRUCTION,

AND IT'S ACTUALLY NOT YET
ENTIRELY DECOMPOSED,

WHICH IS ANOTHER CLUE
TO THE AGE OF THIS PLACE.

IT'S -- YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING
ON A...MAGNITUDE OF DECADES,

CERTAINLY NOT CENTURIES.

Narrator: BEYOND THE BUILDINGS
ARE SCATTERED VITAL CLUES.

AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE, THERE
ARE RUSTY VEHICLES, CAR PARTS.

IT JUST LOOKS LIKE
AN ABANDONED JUNKYARD

THAT'S COMPLETELY RUSTED OUT.

Bellinger: WOW.

LOOK AT THAT.

A NEARLY INTACT CAR.

Narrator:
THE JEEPS ARE EUROPEAN

AND LOOK LIKE THEY DATE BACK

TO THE SECOND WORLD WAR
OR SHORTLY AFTER.

BUT WHO CAME TO THIS INSANELY
HOT AND HOSTILE PLACE, AND WHY?

SO, THERE WAS SOMETHING
THAT WAS HERE

THAT THEY FELT WAS WORTH
THIS EFFORT AND EXPENSE.

Narrator: A CLUE PERHAPS LIES
IN THE STRANGE GOLDEN LAKES.

BELLINGER IS STANDING
IN THE CRATER

OF A GIANT, ACTIVE VOLCANO.

THIS PLACE IS KNOWN TO
GEOLOGISTS AS THE DALLOL CRATER.

Brand:
IF YOU COULD DIG UNDERNEATH
THE DALLOL CRATER,

YOU'D SEE THAT
THE SUBSURFACE HAS

MORE THAN 300 FEET
OF SALT LAYERS

FROM WHERE THERE
WAS SHALLOW SEAS

THAT INUNDATED THIS AREA
AND THEN EVAPORATED,

LEAVING THE SALT BEHIND.

AND BENEATH THAT
IS A MAGMA CHAMBER.

Narrator:
BUT THIS IS NO ORDINARY VOLCANO.

THE SALT LAKE IS GLOWING
LIKE MOLTEN GOLD,

IN PART SOLIDIFIED,
BUBBLING LIKE IT'S ALIVE.

Phoenix:
THE WATERS THAT WE SEE IN
THESE PONDS ARE HIGHLY ACIDIC,

AND THEY'RE VERY HOT, TOO,

BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

HEATING THEM FROM BENEATH.

Narrator:
THE BUBBLING VOLCANIC MAGMA

IS ALSO DOING STRANGE THINGS
TO THE EARTH'S SURFACE.

YOU'VE GOT GASSES AND MINERALS
AND WATER ALL INTERACTING,

AND IT'S CAUSING THIS
OTHERWORLDLY SORT OF APPEARANCE.

Narrator:
COULD THE WEIRD LANDSCAPE

PROVIDE CLUES
TO THE RUINS NEARBY?

Bellinger:
I'M JUST GONNA HAVE A LOOK

AND SEE IF THERE'S
ANYTHING ELSE AROUND HERE.

Narrator: THIS AREA
IS NOT COMPLETELY DESERTED.

A SEMI-NOMADIC TRIBE HAS
LIVED HERE FOR GENERATIONS.

Bellinger: THERE'S JUST
ONE OTHER SETTLEMENT

VISIBLE AT ALL ON THE SATELLITE.

I DON'T KNOW.
MAYBE IT'S STILL INHABITED

AND I CAN FIND SOME PEOPLE
TO TALK TO ABOUT THIS PLACE.

Narrator:
BUT THE AFAR TRIBE
ARE THE VERY PEOPLE

BELLINGER'S ARMED GUARDS
ARE PROTECTING HER FROM.

Horton: THE AFAR ARE
REALLY QUITE FEROCIOUS.

THEY HAVE A REPUTATION
FOR WARFARE, OF BATTLING.

Narrator:
FOR CENTURIES, THE AFAR PEOPLE

HAVE LIVED BY HARVESTING
AND TRADING

THE SALT
THAT FORMS THIS LANDSCAPE.

Kourounis: SALT IS SO PRECIOUS
IN THIS AREA.

THE LOCALS REFER TO IT
AS "WHITE GOLD",

SO THAT GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF HOW
VERY PRECIOUS THIS COMMODITY IS.

Narrator: SALT PRESERVES FOOD,

WHICH THROUGHOUT HISTORY,

HAS MADE IT A HIGHLY PRIZED
COMMODITY --

SO VALUED, IT BECAME CURRENCY.

ROMAN SOLDIERS
WERE PAID IN SALT,

WHICH IS WHERE THE WORD
"SALARY" COMES FROM.

AND FOR CENTURIES, THE AFAR
HAVE GUARDED THEIR SALT

WITH THEIR LIVES.

Altaweel:
IF SOMETHING IS YOUR LIVELIHOOD,

YOU EITHER DIE,
YOU STARVE, OR LIVE

BECAUSE OF THIS COMMODITY --

THEN THAT'S SOMETHING YOU'RE
GONNA DEFEND WITH YOUR LIFE.

Narrator: BELLINGER APPROACHES
THE AFAR CAMP CAUTIOUSLY,

LEAVING HER ARMED GUARDS BEHIND.

THE TRIBES PEOPLE
ARE SURPRISED TO SEE HER,

BUT ARE WELCOMING.

Bellinger:
LISTEN, MOHAMMED,

I'VE DISCOVERED THERE
ARE SOME RUINS NEARBY

THAT I WOULD LIKE
TO KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT,

AND I WONDERED IF YOU MIGHT
KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THEM.

DO YOU SEE THIS HERE?
UHH...

IT'S BY THE BIG CRATER.

I DON'T HAVE
THIS INFORMATION.

YOU WANT ASK THE ALI.

COULD YOU BRING ME
TO ALI?

YES.

COULD YOU ASK ALI
IF HE KNOWS

WHAT THESE RUINS ARE
BY THE BIG LAKE THERE?

ITALIAN.

ITALIAN CAMP?

YEAH.

Narrator:
BELLINGER IS SHOCKED
BY ALI'S STORY.

IT BEGINS WITH THE RISE
OF EUROPEAN FASCISM

6,000 MILES AWAY IN ITALY.

IN THE 1930s, THE WORLD'S
FIRST FASCIST DICTATOR,

BENITO MUSSOLINI,

ORDERS ITALIAN FORCES
TO OCCUPY ETHIOPIA

AND THE DANAKIL DEPRESSION.

HERE, MUSSOLINI IS AFTER
NOT SALT, BUT POTASH.

POTASH IS A VALUABLE
SALT DERIVATIVE

CONTAINING POTASSIUM NITRATE,

A VITAL INGREDIENT OF GUNPOWDER.

**

AND THE GLOWING POOLS
IN THE DALLOL CRATER

CONTAIN ONE OF THE LARGEST
DEPOSITS OF POTASH ON EARTH --

AN ESTIMATED 12 BILLION TONS.

IT'S ALL STARTING
TO MAKE SENSE NOW.

THE ITALIANS WERE THERE
MINING THIS VALUABLE POTASH.

Narrator:
WHEN MUSSOLINI'S FASCIST ARMY
OVERRUNS THE COUNTRY,

ETHIOPIA'S EMPEROR,
HAILE SELASSIE,

IS FORCED
INTO EXILE IN LONDON.

BUT IN 1940,
MUSSOLINI MAKES THE MISTAKE

OF DECLARING WAR
ON BRITAIN.

ETHIOPIAN AND BRITISH FORCES
MOUNT A JOINT INVASION

AND DRIVE MUSSOLINI'S FASCISTS
OUT OF ADDIS ABABA.

BUT WHAT HAPPENS TO THE
ITALIAN MINING BASE

IN THE DALLOL CRATER
IS NOT RECORDED.

DID THE AFAR WARRIORS
ATTACK THE SETTLEMENT?

GROUND INVESTIGATION SUGGESTS

THAT IT WAS ABANDONED
IN A HURRY.

COULD IT BE POSSIBLE THAT
THE AFAR TRIBESMEN

BECAME UPSET WITH THE ITALIAN
PRESENCE AND DROVE THEM OUT?

Narrator: IF THE AFAR DID
GET RID OF THE ITALIANS,

THEY'RE NOT SAYING.

BUT WHATEVER HAPPENED BACK THEN,

THERE'S ONLY
AFAR PEOPLE HERE NOW,

DIGGING SALT THE HARD WAY.

Bellinger: SO, CAN YOU SHOW ME
FROM THE BEGINNING, MOHAMMED,

HOW THE SALT IS CUT?

WOW.

IT'S REALLY HARD TO GET
THROUGH THAT STUFF.

IT'S LIKE ROCK,
LITERALLY.

Chamberlain: THE ITALIANS --
THEY CAME AND WENT,

BUT THE AFAR PEOPLE,
THEY HAVE BEEN THERE

AND THEY ARE STILL THERE.

Bellinger:
QUITE BEAUTIFUL, ACTUALLY.

WOW. THAT'S A LOT OF WORK.

Narrator: A CITY THOUGHT
TO HAVE BEEN BUILT BY GIANTS,

A BUBBLING VOLCANO, WHITE GOLD,

AND A PROUD AND RESILIENT PEOPLE
CONFRONTED BY A FASCIST ARMY.

ALL THIS FROM A PHOTOGRAPH
TAKEN FROM SPACE.

UP NEXT, HOW DOES
A DIRT-POOR COUNTRY AFFORD

A NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM?

DRUG TRAFFICKING, HEROIN TRADE,

HUMAN TRAFFICKING,
COUNTERFEIT MONEY.

Narrator:
AND STRANGE LIGHTS ACROSS
THE FACE OF THE EARTH.

WE'RE FINDING THESE FLASHES
ALL OVER THE PLANET.

IT'S LIKE A DISCO BALL
IN THE '70s.

Narrator:
SEPTEMBER, 2017.

SCOURING SATELLITE IMAGES
OF COMMUNIST NORTH KOREA

FOR CLUES TO ITS
NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM,

FORMER C.I.A. AGENT
LINDSAY MORAN

SPOTS A SERIES
OF NEW, ARTIFICIAL ISLANDS

CLOSE TO A KNOWN
MISSILE-LAUNCH FACILITY.

Moran:
THE FACT THAT THESE ISLANDS
ARE BEING CONSTRUCTED

SO CLOSE TO SOHEI
DEFINITELY SUGGESTS

THAT THERE'S SOME
KIND OF LINK BETWEEN THEM

AND NORTH KOREA'S
NUCLEAR PROGRAM.

Narrator:
AT LEAST 16 MISSILE TESTS
IN THE LAST YEAR

AND HIS NUMEROUS SPEECHES
SUGGEST

THAT COMMUNIST NORTH KOREAN
DICTATOR KIM JONG-UN

HAS ONE CLEAR AIM --

TO THREATEN THE UNITED STATES
WITH NUCLEAR ANNIHILATION.

Capps:
KIM JONG-UN IS THREATENING THE
BIGGEST KID IN THE SCHOOLYARD,

WHICH IS THE UNITED STATES,

DRAWING PICTURES, LITERALLY,
OF THE WHITE HOUSE BLOWING UP,

SHOWING PICTURES ONLINE.

LIKE, THAT'S CRAZY.

Munoz:
JUST THE POSSIBILITY OF REACHING
TARGETS INSIDE THE UNITED STATES

SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO
BRING THE UNITED STATES

TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE.

THAT'S WHAT KIM WANTS.

ON JULY 4, 2017,
THEY ACTUALLY LAUNCHED ONE

THAT WAS CAPABLE OF TRAVELING
JUST UNDER 5,000 MILES.

THAT'S REALLY SCARY.

THAT PUTS PARTS OF
THE WEST COAST OF
THE UNITED STATES --

CALIFORNIA POTENTIALLY --

WITHIN RANGE
OF NORTH KOREAN MISSILES.

Narrator:
IF JUST ONE 500-KILOTON NUCLEAR
WARHEAD HITS LOS ANGELES,

IT WILL KILL HUNDREDS
OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE,

SPREADING DEADLY FIRESTORMS
OVER A SIX-MILE RADIUS.

THE CITY OF ANGELS WILL
INSTANTLY BECOME HELL ON EARTH.

MORAN CONSIDERS THE POSSIBILITY
THAT THE NEW ISLANDS

ARE INTERCONTINENTAL
BALLISTIC MISSILE LAUNCH PADS.

Moran: THESE ROADS
CERTAINLY LOOK LIKE

THEY COULD BE USED TO TRANSPORT
BALLISTIC WARHEADS,

AND THERE'S EVEN ON
SOME OF THE ISLANDS

WHAT APPEARS TO BE
LARGE AREAS OF CONCRETE

THAT ARE KNOWN TO BE
USED AS BLASTING SITES.

Narrator:
OTHERS ARE NOT CONVINCED.

Pappalardo:
YOU NEED ROOM TO STORE
YOUR OXIDIZERS,

YOUR PROPELLANT,
YOUR PAYLOADS, YOUR SECURITY.

ALL OF THESE THINGS NEED SPACE,

AND THESE ISLANDS
ARE JUST TOO SMALL.

Narrator:
NORTH KOREAN AUTHORITIES

DENY THE ISLANDS
HAVE A MILITARY PURPOSE.

THE STATE MEDIA CLAIMS THAT
THESE ARE MASSIVE FISH FARMS.

AND, YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE
OF NORTH KOREA

HAVE BEEN IN A FAMINE CONDITION
FOR DECADES,

AND IT'S NOT BEEN
GETTING ANY BETTER.

Narrator:
THE COMMUNISTS HERE DO NOT SEE
FEEDING THE PEOPLE

AS A PRIORITY.

ALMOST HALF OF NORTH KOREANS
ARE UNDERNOURISHED.

IN THE 1990s, UP TO 3.5 MILLION
PEOPLE DIE HERE

IN A DEVASTATING FAMINE,

MENTION OF WHICH
THE COMMUNIST REGIME PROHIBITS.

STATE MEDIA EVEN BANNED
THE WORDS "HUNGER" AND "FAMINE"

WITHIN THE COUNTRY.

THAT PERIOD OF TIME HAD TO BE
CALLED THE "ARDUOUS MARCH".

Narrator:
EVEN IF THE ISLANDS
ARE FISH FARMS,

IT'S FISH THAT'S UNLIKELY

TO FILL THE BELLIES
OF ORDINARY NORTH KOREANS.

THE NORTH KOREAN
GOVERNMENT EXPORTS

ALMOST ALL
OF THEIR FISH TO CHINA

AND MAKES OVER $115 MILLION
A YEAR OFF THAT EXPORT.

Narrator: SECURITY EXPERTS
BELIEVE THE ISLANDS

MAY HAVE ANOTHER FUNCTION.

IT'S VERY POSSIBLE THAT THEY'RE
BEING CONSTRUCTED AS ONE THING,

BUT THAT THE ULTERIOR PURPOSE
IS SOMETHING MORE NEFARIOUS.

Narrator:
OVER MORE THAN A DECADE,

ECONOMIC SANCTIONS
IMPOSED ON NORTH KOREA

BECAUSE OF ILLEGAL WEAPONS TESTS

HAVE COST THE REGIME
BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

IN RESPONSE, IT SETS UP

A TOP-SECRET UNIT
CALLED "ROOM 39".

ITS JOB -- TO RAISE FOREIGN
CURRENCY BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY.

Moran:
DRUG TRAFFICKING, HEROIN TRADE,

HUMAN TRAFFICKING,
COUNTERFEIT MONEY --

ALL KINDS OF ILLEGAL ACTIVITY

THAT IS USED AS
THE FINANCIAL TOOL

OF THE NORTH KOREAN GOVERNMENT.

ROOM 39 IS RUMORED TO BE
INVOLVED IN ILLEGAL ACTIVITY

UP TO LIKE $1 BILLION A YEAR.

THESE ISLANDS COULD BE
PHYSICAL EVIDENCE

OF THE ACTIVITIES OF ROOM 39.

IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT,
IT'S FAR FROM PRYING EYES,

THERE'S THE EASY
ACCESS TO BOATS,

IT'S THE PERFECT PLACE
WHERE YOU COULD CONDUCT

THE EXCHANGE OF MONEY,
WEAPONS, DRUGS, EVEN PEOPLE.

Narrator:
SO FAR, ANALYSTS ARE STILL
UNABLE TO ESTABLISH

WHAT IS HAPPENING ON THESE
NEW ISLANDS CAPTURED FROM SPACE.

WHEN IT COMES TO
THE NORTH KOREAN REGIME,

SPECULATING ON WHAT THE PURPOSE
OF THESE ISLANDS ARE,

ALL BETS ARE ON THE TABLE.

**

NARRATOR: STILL TO COME --
A MAGIC MOUND THAT KILLS...

THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF STORIES
ABOUT PEOPLE VISITING THE SITE

AND THEN GETTING SICK OR
DROPPING DEAD OF A HEART ATTACK.

NARRATOR: ...AND UNEXPLAINED
LIGHTS ACROSS THE PLANET.

ONE VERY STRONG POSSIBILITY
IS THAT THIS IS SOMETHING

THAT IS ENTERING
OUR ATMOSPHERE FROM SPACE.

**

Narrator:
JUNE 12th, 2013.

THE WORLDVIEW-2 SATELLITE IS
ORBITING ABOVE A VAST WILDERNESS

IN SOUTHERN SIBERIA.

Agrios: AT THIS SCALE,
YOU CAN'T REALLY SEE ANY TOWNS.

A LOT OF FOREST AND KIND OF,
SORT OF MOUNTAINOUS REGION

COMING THROUGH HERE,

BUT THIS IS LITERALLY ABOUT
AS REMOTE AS YOU CAN GET.

Narrator: THE SATELLITE
SPOTS SOMETHING WEIRD.

BULGING CONE APPEARS
OUT OF NOWHERE.

IT'S IN THIS LARGE
GREEN LANDSCAPE AROUND IT,

BUT THIS MOUND ITSELF
IS COMPLETELY BARREN

WITH KIND OF A DIP IN THE MIDDLE

AND ANOTHER SMALL MOUND
INSIDE THAT DIP.

IT LOOKS LIKE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S
AN EGG SITTING IN A NEST.

Narrator: IMAGE ANALYSIS REVEALS
THE FEATURE'S HUGE SCALE.

Agrios:
THIS MOUND IS 180 FEET ACROSS --

JUST ENORMOUS IN COMPARISON
TO THE SCALE OF OTHER FEATURES

WE SEE IN THE AREA.

Krueger:
IT'S ABOUT 130 FEET TALL.

IT'S A REALLY LARGE
KIND OF STONE STRUCTURE.

WE DON'T UNDERSTAND IT,

SO WE HAVE A REALLY NEAT
MYSTERY ON OUR HANDS.

Narrator:
THE LOCAL INHABITANTS,
THE BURYAT,

ROAM THE SIBERIAN STEPPES
TENDING THEIR REINDEER.

THESE NOMADS WHO LIVE IN TENTS

DON'T BUILD
PERMANENT STRUCTURES,

BUT THE MOUND THEY CALL
"FIERY EAGLE'S NEST"

IS IN THEIR LEGENDS.

PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT
IT'S AN EERIE PLACE,

MAYBE HAUNTED PLACE.

THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF STORIES
ABOUT PEOPLE VISITING THE SITE

AND THEN EITHER GETTING SICK OR
DROPPING DEAD OF A HEART ATTACK.

Morgan:
SOME OTHERWORLDLINESS,

SOME CREEPY AURA
CIRCULATES AROUND IT.

Narrator:
GROUND INVESTIGATION REVEALS

THAT THE MOUND IS MADE OF
LOOSE, BROKEN STONES.

THIS IMAGE REMINDS ME
OF WHAT WE CALL MINE DUMPS,

WHERE EITHER MATERIAL
MECHANICALLY REMOVED

FROM DEEP UNDER THE GROUND

OR JUST PICK-AND-SHOVEL
ACTIVITIES

PRODUCE KIND OF A SEMICIRCULAR
PILE OF GROUND WORKINGS.

Narrator: GEOLOGISTS
ANALYZE THE BROKEN STONES

BUT FIND NO TRACE
OF ANY MATERIAL WORTH MINING.

THE ROCK AT THE SURFACE
IS LIMESTONE.

THAT'S NOT A ROCK
THAT WE TYPICALLY

GO LOOKING FOR
MINERAL RESOURCES IN.

THIS IS NO MINE.

Narrator: ATTENTION TURNS
TO A BIZARRE FACE-OFF

BETWEEN THE COLD WAR
SUPERPOWERS.

THE COLD WAR COMPETITION

BETWEEN THE U.S.
AND THE SOVIET UNION

TOOK PLACE IN ALL PARTS
OF THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE.

Krueger:
THIS INTENSE COMPETITION

LED TO A LOT OF REALLY BIZARRE
TYPES OF SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS,

LIKE WHO COULD DIG
THE DEEPEST HOLE.

ALL THE WAY THROUGH
THE EARTH'S CRUST.

Narrator:
AMERICA BEGINS ITS JOURNEY
TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH

IN 1961
ON MEXICO'S PACIFIC COAST.

PROJECT MOHOLE
DRILLS MORE THAN 600 FEET

DIRECTLY INTO THE EARTH,
THEN STOPS.

Krueger:
THEY DIDN'T GET TOO FAR DOWN
BECAUSE CONGRESS FINALLY SAID,

"LOOK, WE'RE NOT GONNA
INVEST IN THIS ANYMORE.

WHAT IS THE POINT OF DIGGING
A HOLE IN THE GROUND?"

Narrator:
THE SOVIETS LOCATE THEIR HOLE
ON THE KOLA PENINSULA

IN NORTHWEST RUSSIA,

WHERE THEY DRILL FOR 19 YEARS.

THE RUSSIANS DIG
STRAIGHT DOWN --

AN INCREDIBLE EIGHT MILES.

ACCORDING TO OFFICIAL ACCOUNTS,
DRILLING THEN STOPS.

THE TEMPERATURE DOWN THERE
IS OVER 350 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT,

ENOUGH TO MELT DRILLS.

BUT RUMORS SPREAD
THAT HELL HAS BEEN OPENED UP

AND THAT DRILLING WORKERS
ARE SCARED AWAY

BY THE SCREAMS
OF TORTURED SOULS.

[ SCREAMING ]

**

ANALYSTS CONSIDER WHETHER
FIERY EAGLE'S NEST

IS FORMED OF WASTE MATERIAL

FROM A SECOND, SECRET SOVIET
DEEP-EARTH BOREHOLE.

Harrison:
COULD IT HAVE BEEN
MATERIAL EXTRACTED

FROM NEAR THE CENTER
OF THE EARTH?

Narrator:
ANALYSTS CALCULATE
THE VOLUME OF WASTE

EXCAVATED
FROM THE KOLA BOREHOLE.

Krueger:
THE WASTE PRODUCT FROM
THAT BORING OPERATION

WOULD'VE BEEN ABOUT
12,000 CUBIC FEET.

Narrator: THE VOLUME
OF KOLA'S WASTE MATERIAL

IS COMPARED TO EAGLE'S NEST.

THE RESULT IS SURPRISING.

FIERY EAGLE'S NEST HAS ALMOST
8 MILLION CUBIC FEET

OF MATERIAL SURROUNDING IT --

700 TIMES THE WASTE MATERIAL
EXCAVATED FROM KOLA,

THE DEEPEST HOLE
EVER DUG BY MAN.

THIS DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE
THE LOCATION OF A CONTEST

TO DIG A HOLE
TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH.

IT REALLY IS SUGGESTIVE, THEN,
THAT THIS IS A NATURAL FEATURE.

Narrator:
IF IT DOES FORM NATURALLY,

GEOLOGISTS SUSPECT SOMETHING
VERY POWERFUL IS AT PLAY.

COULD THIS THING BE VOLCANIC?

WE'RE IN A REGION OF PERMAFROST.

MAGMA BREACHING THE SURFACE
MELTS THE PERMAFROST,

WATER GETS INTRODUCED.

WE GET WHAT'S CALLED
A PHREATIC ERUPTION.

BOOM!
THIS THING WOULD BE VIOLENT.

Narrator: SUCH A SUDDEN
UNDERGROUND EXPLOSION

MIGHT EXPLAIN
THE CRATER'S ASSOCIATION

WITH THE SUPERNATURAL.

IT WOULD'VE BEEN
PRETTY TERRIFYING

IF YOU WERE STANDING NEARBY.

Morgan:
TO BE AN EYEWITNESS TO AN EVENT
OF THIS MAGNITUDE

WOULD CREATE THE PERFECT
STORM OF SUPERSTITION.

Narrator: DESPITE DECADES
OF INVESTIGATION,

THE MYSTERY SURROUNDING
THIS ENIGMATIC FEATURE

REMAINS UNSOLVED.

WE STILL HAVE A LOT
OF QUESTIONS ABOUT

WHERE DID THIS THING COME FROM

AND HOW OLD IT TRULY IS.

Phoenix:
IT SEEMS TO HAVE AN AIR
OF MYSTERY TO IT,

AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT
SO INTERESTING.

Krueger:
GEOLOGISTS DON'T HAVE
CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE

ABOUT HOW THIS THING CAME TO BE,

SO MORE RESEARCH
NEEDS TO BE DONE.

**

Narrator: COMING UP --

VISIBLE FROM SPACE,

SOMETHING OR SOMEONE
IS LIGHTING UP THE PLANET...

WHATEVER CAUSED THIS COULD
POTENTIALLY BE EARTH-SHATTERING.

Narrator: ...AND A CURSED CITY
INEXPLICABLY SWALLOWED BY SAND.

HOW COULD THAT BE?
IT'S NOT A DESERT.

Narrator: JULY 23, 2015.

ON ITS 1 MILLION-MILE ORBIT,
NASA's DISCOVER OBSERVATORY

CAPTURES AN UNIDENTIFIED
FLASH OF LIGHT

OVER SOUTH AMERICA.

Kourounis:
LOOKS LIKE IT COVERS

PRETTY MUCH THE ENTIRE
NORTH-SOUTH SPAN OF VENEZUELA.

WHAT WOULD BE HAPPENING OVER
SOUTH AMERICA THAT IS THAT BIG?

WHATEVER CAUSED THIS COULD
POTENTIALLY BE EARTH-SHATTERING.

IT'S KIND OF SCARY.

Narrator:
METEOROLOGIST RANDY CERVENY
INVESTIGATES.

ONE VERY STRONG POSSIBILITY
IS THAT THIS IS SOMETHING

THAT IS ENTERING OUR ATMOSPHERE
FROM SPACE.

IS THIS A METEORITE
THAT'S GONNA HIT THE EARTH?

Cerveny:
AS IT HITS THE ATMOSPHERE,

IT'S GONNA BE EXPOSED
TO A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF FRICTION,

AND IT'S GONNA START TO PRODUCE
A HUGE AMOUNT OF LIGHT.

WE DON'T REALIZE THIS,
BUT ABOUT ONCE EVERY YEAR,

A METEOR THE SIZE
OF AN AUTOMOBILE

COMES REALLY CLOSE TO THE EARTH.

Sanford: A FLASH OF LIGHT
THIS BIG INDICATES

THERE'S SOMETHING
REALLY BIG GOING ON.

Narrator:
BUT THERE ARE NO REPORTS
OF A METEOR IMPACT.

COULD NASA PROVIDE A CLUE?

THE SPACE AGENCY IS
TRACKING 12,000 SPACE ROCKS

THREATENING TO BREACH
EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.

THERE IS ALWAYS THAT SLIM CHANCE

THAT THERE'S ONE BIG ENOUGH
OUT THERE

ON A COLLISION COURSE WITH EARTH

THAT WILL WIPE OUT
ALL LIFE ON THE PLANET.

**

Narrator:
NASA IS READY TO DEFLECT
OR DESTROY SUCH A THREAT

WITH A SURFACE NUCLEAR STRIKE.

**

OTHER SCIENTISTS BELIEVE ONLY
A DEEP-IMPACT NUCLEAR BLAST,

20 TIMES THE DESTRUCTIVE FORCE
OF A SURFACE ATOMIC EXPLOSION,

CAN DESTROY AN ASTEROID.

BUT NO ONE IS SAYING
IF A NUCLEAR DEVICE

FIRED FROM A PROTOTYPE

OF THEIR HYPER-VELOCITY
ASTEROID INTERCEPT VEHICLE

HAS DESTROYED A SPACE ROCK.

**

FORMER C.I.A. AGENT MIKE BAKER
SUSPECTS

THAT IF THE FLASH IS EVIDENCE
OF A NUCLEAR BLAST,

IT'S MORE LIKELY A SECRET
NUCLEAR WEAPONS TEST.

Baker:
ANY TIME YOU HAVE A FLASH,

YOUR MIND HAS TO GO
IN THAT DIRECTION.

IT'S A NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE.

IT'S IMPORTANT TO CONTINUE
TO MONITOR

AND TO BE RELENTLESS
IN OUR EFFORTS TO UNDERSTAND

IF THERE IS SOMETHING GOING ON
IN THE TESTING REALM.

Narrator:
SINCE 1945, THE ATOM BOMBS

DETONATED IN THE
EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE

ARE EQUIVALENT IN EXPLOSIVE
FORCE TO 30,000 HIROSHIMAS.

1963's NUCLEAR TEST BAN TREATY

OUTLAWS ABOVE-GROUND
NUCLEAR TESTING.

BUT THIS WOULD NOT BE
THE FIRST TIME

SUCH A TREATY HAS BEEN BROKEN.

LOOK, EVERY COUNTRY
DOES IT, RIGHT?

IF THEY'VE GOT THE RESOURCES
AND THE MOTIVATION,

THEY'RE GONNA ENGAGE
IN DEVELOPMENT

OF WEAPONS TECHNOLOGY
AND CAPABILITIES

AND THEY GOT TO TEST IT
AS THEY GO ALONG.

NOW, IF WE WERE ALL
HOLDING HANDS AND, YOU KNOW,

AND RIDING UNICORNS
AND SINGING "KUMBAYA"

AND IT WAS A COMMUNITY
OF NATIONS, GREAT.

THAT'S NOT THE WAY
THE REAL WORLD WORKS.

Narrator:
THE DISCOVER SATELLITE IS
CONSTANTLY PHOTOGRAPHING EARTH.

WHEN IMAGE ANALYSTS
CHECK MORE PHOTOGRAPHS,

THE MYSTERY DEEPENS.

IN JUST 12 MONTHS,

DISCOVER HAS CAPTURED
866 SIMILAR FLASHES.

WE'RE FINDING THESE FLASHES
ALL OVER THE PLANET.

IT'S LIKE A DISCO BALL
IN THE '70s.

SO, IT REALLY CAN'T BE
NUCLEAR TESTING.

Odell:
SO, WHAT IS HAPPENING BETWEEN
EARTH AND THIS SATELLITE

TO CAUSE THESE FLASHES?

Narrator:
CERVENY WONDERS IF
THE FLASHES COULD BE

AN ATMOSPHERIC
TRICK OF THE LIGHT.

ICE CRYSTALS CAN ACT ALMOST
LIKE A GIANT SOLAR MIRROR.

AND LARGE PORTIONS
OF OUR UPPER ATMOSPHERE

HAVE A LOT OF
ICE CRYSTALS IN IT,

AND THAT'S WHAT WE THINK
ACTUALLY HAPPENED HERE.

WHEN THE SUN HIT THOSE
PARTICULAR ICE CRYSTALS,

THEY REFLECTED BACK TO
THE SATELLITE AS A BIG GLINT.

IT'S AMAZING THAT THE SATELLITE
AND THE SUN LINED UP

IN JUST THE PERFECT DIRECTION

THAT THE SUNLIGHT WOULD REFRACT
OFF OF THE ICE CRYSTALS

AND CREATE THIS BEAUTIFUL
FORMATION TOTALLY BY ACCIDENT,

BUT NONETHELESS IMPRESSIVE.

**

NARRATOR:
SCIENTISTS ARE NOW USING
THIS DISCOVERY

TO LOOK FOR INHABITED
PLANETS LIKE OUR OWN.

Odell:
AMAZINGLY, THESE TINY CRYSTALS

COULD BE USED TO FIND
WATER ON OTHER PLANETS,

WHICH IS INCREDIBLY EXCITING.

Kourounis:
WE FIND LIQUID WATER
ON ANOTHER PLANET,

THAT'S LIKELY WHERE
LIFE COULD EXIST.

**

Narrator:
NEXT -- A CURSED CITY LOST
IN THE SANDS OF TIME.

Gough: A WIDOW QUEEN DOOMS
THIS CITY TO A LIFETIME

BURIED UNDER THE SAND.

IT SOUNDS LIKE
A HOLLYWOOD MOVIE PLOT.

Narrator: JUNE, 2005.

ORBITING OVER A FERTILE REGION
OF SOUTHWEST INDIA,

THE CARTOSAT-1 MAPPING SATELLITE

CAPTURES AN IMAGE OF BUILDINGS
PROTRUDING FROM SAND DUNES.

IT LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING'S
BEING SWALLOWED BY SAND.

HOW COULD THAT BE?
IT'S NOT A DESERT.

SO, IT'S REALLY QUITE A MYSTERY.

WHAT'S HAPPENED HERE? WHERE
DID ALL THIS SAND COME FROM?

Narrator: RESEARCH REVEALS
THAT THERE IS, INDEED,

AN ENTIRE ANCIENT CITY
HIDDEN BENEATH THE SAND.

TALAKADU, SITUATED ON THE BANKS
OF THE RIVER KAVERI,

DATES BACK TO AT LEAST
THE 8th CENTURY A.D. --

A WEALTHY ROYAL CITY

WHERE MONARCHS BUILD
GRAND PALACES AND TEMPLES.

TALAKADU WAS A THRIVING PLACE.

WHY WOULD YOU BUILD
SUCH GREAT INFRASTRUCTURE

AND SIMPLY LEAVE IT
TO ITS OWN DEVICES?

SOMETHING HAPPENED HERE.

Narrator:
LOCAL FOLKLORE OFFERS A CLUE.

ACCORDING TO LEGEND,

AN ANCIENT QUEEN
LAID A CURSE ON THE CITY --

THAT IT SHOULD BE
SMOTHERED BY SAND.

A WIDOW QUEEN DOOMS THIS CITY

TO A LIFETIME BURIED
UNDER THE SAND.

IT SOUNDS LIKE
A HOLLYWOOD MOVIE PLOT.

Narrator: FOUR CENTURIES AGO,
QUEEN ALAMELAMMA OF TALAKADU

LOSES HER THRONE

AND IS ABOUT TO LOSE HER CROWN
JEWELS TO A RIVAL DYNASTY

WHEN SHE DECIDES ON
A LAST ACT OF DEFIANCE.

RATHER THAN RETURN
THE CROWN JEWELS,

SHE PREFERRED
TO SACRIFICE HERSELF...

TO THROW HERSELF OFF A CLIFF.

Narrator:
BEFORE SHE TAKES HER LIFE,
THE QUEEN CASTS THREE CURSES.

THE QUEEN SAYS,
"MAY THE CITY OF TALAKADU

BECOME ENGULFED IN SAND.

MAY THE CITY OF MALANGI
BECOME A WHIRLPOOL.

AND MAY THE RAJ'S OF
MYSORE NEVER HAVE CHILDREN."

IF SOMEONE LIKE A QUEEN PUT
A CURSE ON YOU AND YOUR TOWN,

YOU WOULD BE PETRIFIED.

Narrator:
ACCORDING TO LEGEND,

ALL THREE CURSES DO,
INDEED, COME TO PASS.

THE TOWN BECAME
INUNDATED BY SAND,

A NEIGHBORING VILLAGE
WAS ACTUALLY DESTROYED

BY A KIND OF WHIRLPOOL,

AND THE RAJ DID ACTUALLY
NOT HAVE ANY SONS.

IF ONE OF THESE ELEMENTS
OF THE CURSE CAME TRUE,

YOU MIGHT THINK,
"OH, THAT'S A LITTLE ODD."

BUT THE FACT THAT ALL THREE
OF THEM SEEM TO HAVE COME TRUE

IS SPOOKY.

Narrator: THE SEARCH FOR
A SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION

FOR THESE STRANGE HAPPENINGS
BEGINS WITH THE SATELLITE IMAGE.

ZOOMING OUT FROM THE IMAGE,

IT LOOKS LIKE THERE IS A DAM
ON THE RIVER THAT'S NEARBY,

AND RECORDS SHOW THAT THIS DAM
WAS BUILT 400 YEARS AGO --

ABOUT THE SAME TIME
OF THE CURSE.

WHAT A DAM IS DESIGNED TO DO IS
TO CHANGE THE LOCATION OF WATER.

Goldfinger: THINGS MAY HAPPEN
THAT YOU JUST DIDN'T EXPECT.

YOU'D SUDDENLY HAVE A LOT
OF SAND THAT CAN MOVE AROUND.

Narrator:
SCIENTISTS LOOK AT HOW MUCH SAND
IT WOULD TAKE TO COVER THE CITY.

THESE DUNES COVER ABOUT
TWO SQUARE MILES

AND ARE ABOUT 30 FEET HIGH.

THAT'S REALLY BIG.
THAT IS A LOT OF SAND.

IT'S INCOMPREHENSIBLE

THAT IT COULD'VE COME
FROM A DRIED-UP RIVER.

Narrator:
BUT INSTEAD OF BEING
COVERED FROM ABOVE,

MIGHT THIS ANCIENT CITY HAVE
BEEN SWALLOWED FROM BENEATH?

Sanford:
IT MIGHT SOUND CRAZY,

BUT THINGS CAN JUST
DISAPPEAR INTO THE EARTH.

WE ARE FAMILIAR WITH SINKHOLES
ACROSS THE WORLD.

WE'VE HAD RECENT SITUATIONS

WHERE PEOPLE HAVE EVEN LOST
THEIR LIVES

AS THE LAND IS CAVED IN
AROUND THEM IN A SINKHOLE.

Narrator: SINKHOLES APPEAR

WHEN UNDERGROUND ROCKY HOLLOWS
COLLAPSE.

THE LARGEST KNOWN NATURAL
SINKHOLE IS IN NORTHWEST EGYPT.

QATTARA IS 75 MILES WIDE,
50 MILES LONG,

AND IS FILLED
WITH DEADLY QUICKSAND

TO A TERRIFYING DEPTH
OF OVER 400 FEET.

BUT NO SINKHOLE IS KNOWN
TO HAVE CONSUMED AN ENTIRE CITY.

IN 2014, ARCHAEOLOGISTS VISIT
TALAKADU AND DISCOVER A CLUE.

Bellinger:
THEY FIND BROKEN BITS
OF POTTERY AND BRICK

THAT ARE ARRAYED
IN SUCH A FASHION

THAT SUGGEST TECTONIC ACTIVITY
AT THE SITE --

AN ANCIENT EARTHQUAKE.

IT TURNS OUT THAT TALAKADU
SITS ON A FAULT LINE.

**

Goldfinger: SO, IT MAY BE THAT
TALAKADU WAS JUST BUILT

ON AN UNLUCKY SPOT
WHERE A DAM WAS BUILT,

INCREASING THE SAND FLOW,

AND WE HAVE EARTHQUAKES
LOWERING THE CITY.

THE FAULT LINE CAN EXPLAIN
TWO PARTS OF THIS CURSE --

THE BURYING OF TALAKADU
BENEATH THE SAND

AND THE MOVEMENT OF THE RIVER

TO CREATE A WHIRLPOOL
THAT CAN DESTROY MALANGI.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE THIRD PART?

HOW CAN AN EARTHQUAKE
DESTROY THE CHANCE

OF A ROYAL LINE
HAVING SUCCESSIVE HEIRS?

ONLY 1% OF TALAKADU
HAS BEEN EXCAVATED.

THERE ARE STILL MYSTERIES
HIDING BENEATH THE SAND --

MAYBE EVEN THE ANSWER
TO THIS CURSE.