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 LAND OF MEDUSA, WHERE LIVING THINGS ARE TURNED INTO STONE.

Phoenix: EVERYTHING ON HIM HAS SOLIDIFIED.

HE'S ESSENTIALLY BECOME PART OF THE LANDSCAPE.

Narrator: NOTHING MOVING -- THE TOWN THAT FALLS ASLEEP.

WHEN THEY WAKE UP FROM THIS LONG SLEEP,

THEY HAVE NO MEMORY AT ALL OF WHAT HAPPENED.

Narrator: AND THE TOMB OF THE GOD GIANT ANTAEUS.

SOMEBODY WAS BURIED THERE -- BUT SOMEBODY REALLY BIG.

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 ]

MARCH 6, 2017 --

AS NASA'S LANDSAT 8 SATELLITE

PASSES OVER NORTHEASTERN TANZANIA,

IT CAPTURES AN IMAGE OF A STRANGE GLOWING LAKE.

RED IS ALL YOU SEE.

THIS LAKE APPEARS TO BE THIS MONSTROUS PRESENCE --

SO UNNATURAL A COLOR.

THIS LAKE LOOKS LIKE THE RUNOFF

FROM AN INDUSTRIAL SLAUGHTERHOUSE.

Narrator: BUT THAT'S NOT ALL.

THE LAKE IS KNOWN AS THE MEDUSA LAKE.

THEY SAY IT TURNS ANYTHING THAT TOUCHES IT INTO STONE.

THE LEGEND IS THAT MEDUSA WAS A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN.

Kourounis: ATHENA CURSED HER.

[ THUNDER CRASHES ]

ANYONE WHO GAZED DIRECTLY UPON HER WOULD BE TURNED TO STONE.

**

Narrator: MEDUSA IS BEHEADED BY THE GREEK HERO PERSEUS,

AND HER BLOOD DRIPS ONTO AFRICA.

BUT THE MEDUSA LAKE IN THE IMAGE HASN'T ALWAYS BEEN RED.

PREVIOUS SATELLITE IMAGES SHOW THAT ITS COLOR IS CHANGING.

**

GEOLOGIST JESS PHOENIX IS INTRIGUED

BY THE LAKE'S STRANGE CHAMELEON WATERS

AND THE LEGEND OF LIVING THINGS TURNING INTO STONE.

SHE TRAVELS 10,000 MILES TO KILIMANJARO,

THEN JOURNEYS NORTHWEST TO INVESTIGATE

THE EERIE LAKE UP CLOSE.

I'M ON MY WAY TO VISIT THE WEIRD RED LAKE ON THE SATELLITE IMAGE.

THE COLOR APPEARS IN PATCHES.

AND THAT'S JUST STRANGE TO ME.

THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT WHAT YOU'D SEE

IN MOST HEALTHY LAKE ECOSYSTEMS.

IS IT CONTAMINATION OR SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY?

**

Narrator: AS SHE APPROACHES THE LAKE,

SHE NOTICES WHAT APPEARS TO BE A PATTERN OR GRID OF STONES

STRETCHING INTO THE DISTANCE.

OH, WOW.

THIS...IS REALLY COOL.

THIS IS NOT NATURAL.

YEAH, THIS IS MANMADE.

Narrator: IT SEEMS THAT THESE STRUCTURES

ARE THE REMAINS OF AN ABANDONED ANCIENT SETTLEMENT.

PHOENIX LEARNS THAT THESE RUINS ARE ALL THAT'S LEFT

OF WHAT WAS ONCE A THRIVING COMMUNITY CALLED ENGARUKA.

BUT AROUND 300 YEARS AGO,

EVERYONE LIVING HERE MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARS.

FOR A WHOLE COMMUNITY JUST TO PICK UP AND LEAVE,

SOMETHING REALLY BAD MUST HAVE HAPPENED.

WE'RE TALKING THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HERE.

**

Narrator: AS PHOENIX SURVEYS THE SITE,

SHE DISCOVERS EVIDENCE OF AN ANCIENT WATERING SYSTEM.

MY GUESS IS THAT THESE PEOPLE CHANNELIZED THE RIVER

AND WATER FLOWED DOWN.

AND THEN THEY COULD SHUT THIS TO KEEP WATER IN AND THEN FARM.

Narrator: SHE WONDERS WHETHER THE WATER FLOWING INTO THIS TOWN

COULD HAVE ANYTHING TO DO

WITH THE SUDDEN DISAPPEARANCE OF ITS PEOPLE.

WHAT WOULD MAKE THE PEOPLE LEAVE?

'CAUSE THERE'S STILL WATER AROUND TODAY.

Narrator: SHE CONSIDERS IF THIS WATER MIGHT BE FLOWING

OUT OF OR INTO THE MEDUSA LAKE SEEN IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE.

**

PHOENIX PRESSES ON TO THE LAKE TO INVESTIGATE FURTHER.

**

Phoenix: OH, WOW!

Narrator: THE LAKE IS VAST -- STRETCHING 340 SQUARE MILES.

BUT IT'S NOT GLOWING RED.

IT APPEARS ALMOST NORMAL.

AS PHOENIX APPROACHES THE SHORELINE,

SHE NOTICES STRANGE SKELETONS ON THE GROUND...

SKELETONS WHICH APPEAR TO BE MADE OF STONE.

Phoenix: THIS IS NOT NORMAL.

WHEN SOMETHING DIES, EVERYTHING SCAVENGES IT, USUALLY.

IN THE DESERT, NOTHING'S WASTED.

Narrator: THE STONE SKELETONS ARE PLANTED IN THE GROUND

LIKE STATUES.

IT'S A LITTLE RODENT, AND IT LOOKS...

IT LOOKS FROZEN. IT'S TWISTED.

I CAN'T DISLODGE THIS LITTLE GUY.

EVERYTHING ON HIM HAS JUST SOLIDIFIED.

HE'S ESSENTIALLY BECOME PART OF THE LANDSCAPE.

Hunt: NO WONDER IT'S CALLED THE MEDUSA LAKE.

IT'S A MONSTROUS PLACE THAT TURNS ANIMALS TO STONE.

**

Narrator: TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF THE STONE ANIMALS,

PHOENIX GOES IN SEARCH OF AN AREA OF THE LAKE THAT'S RED.

**

Phoenix: I MEAN, LOOK AT THIS. THIS IS...

THIS REDNESS, YOU DON'T SEE IT EVERY DAY.

Narrator: ON CLOSER INSPECTION,

PHOENIX DISCOVERED WHERE THE WEIRD COLOR COMES FROM.

IT'S JUST AN ABUNDANCE OF LIFE.

IT'S PRIMITIVE, BUT IT'S LIFE.

Narrator: THE LAKE IS TEEMING WITH MICROSCOPIC CREATURES.

THERE ARE TINY ORGANISMS CALLED CYANOBACTERIA

THAT THRIVE IN THIS ENVIRONMENT.

AND IT TURNS OUT THEY'RE RED.

Narrator: WHEN THE POPULATION OF THESE CREATURES EXPLODES,

THE MEDUSA LAKE BECOMES A SHOCKING RED.

SO MUCH FOR THE COLOR.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE ANIMAL STATUES?

PHOENIX HOPES HER ANALYSIS OF THE WATER

WILL SHED SOME LIGHT ON THE MYSTERY.

ALL RIGHT.

9.3, 9.4.

Narrator: THE TEST REVEALS BIZARRE LEVELS OF ALKALINITY.

THIS IS WELL HIGHER THAN WHAT IT SHOULD BE.

Narrator: WHAT'S MORE, A STRANGE WHITE CRUST

SURROUNDING THE LAKE IS SIMILARLY CAUSTIC.

Phoenix: OH, YEAH. THAT'S BEAUTIFUL.

DEFINITELY CARBONATE ROCK.

Narrator: WHAT SHE FINDS LEADS PHOENIX TO BELIEVE

THAT THE LAKE MUST CONTAIN EXTRAORDINARY LEVELS

OF A CARBONATE SUBSTANCE,

HIGHLY VALUED BY THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS -- NATRON.

NATRON IS A SUBSTANCE THAT HAS BEEN USED

THROUGHOUT ANCIENT HISTORY,

MOST NOTABLY IN EGYPT WITH THE CREATION OF MUMMIES.

Narrator: NATRON SUCKS WATER FROM DEAD BODIES,

LIKE A VAMPIRE DRINKS BLOOD.

AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT SO IMPORTANT FOR PERSEVERATION.

Narrator: SIMILARLY, THE STRANGE ANIMAL STATUES AROUND THE LAKE

BECOME IMMERSED IN THE NATRON WATER AND ARE MUMMIFIED.

BUT PHOENIX STILL DOESN'T KNOW

WHERE SUCH A POWERFUL CONCENTRATION OF CHEMICALS

MIGHT HAVE COME FROM.

SHE RETURNS TO THE SATELLITE IMAGES

AND SCANS IS FOR FURTHER CLUES.

YOU KNOW, WHAT I'VE NOTICED IS THAT THERE'S A VOLCANO

JUST TO THE SOUTH OF THE LAKE

THAT LOOKS LIKE IT'S GOT SOME RELATIVELY FRESH LAVA FLOWS.

Lester: JUST 20 OR 30 MILES SOUTH OF THE LAKE

IS ONE OF THE MOST UNUSUAL VOLCANOES IN THE WORLD.

Narrator: LOCALS CALL IT THE MOUNTAIN OF GOD.

COULD IT HOLD THE KEY TO THE HELLISH WATERS

OF THE MEDUSA LAKE?

**

COMING UP, THE TOWN OF THE LIVING DEAD.

THEY GET WEAK. THEY PASS OUT. THEY START FALLING ASLEEP.

Narrator: AND JESS PHOENIX GETS UP CLOSE

WITH THE MOUNTAIN OF GOD.

Phoenix: I HAVE BEEN ON VOLCANOES ALL OVER THE WORLD,

AND I HAVE NEVER BEEN ANYWHERE LIKE THIS.

**

Narrator: AFRICA, NORTHERN TANZANIA.

GEOLOGIST JESS PHOENIX IS EXPLORING

THE STRANGE MEDUSA LAKE

THAT TURNS LIVING THINGS INTO STONE.

CAN IT EXPLAIN THE MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE OF A NEARBY TRIBE,

THE ENGARUKA?

IN SEARCH OF ANSWERS, PHOENIX GOES TO THE VOLCANO,

WHICH STANDS OMINOUSLY CLOSE.

IT IS CALLED OL DOINYO LENGAI.

THE MAASAI PEOPLE LIVE IN THIS AREA,

AND THAT VOLCANO IS SACRED.

**

Narrator: BEFORE CLIMBING THE SACRED VOLCANO,

SHE APPROACHES THE MAASAI VILLAGE AT ITS BASE

TO TALK WITH THE TRIBE ELDER.

[ BOTH SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE ]

Narrator: PHOENIX LEARNS THAT ACCORDING TO THE MAASAI,

THE VOLCANO IS HOME TO THE GOD ENGAI.

WHEN HE IS ANGRY, THE VOLCANO ERUPTS AND CAUSES TERROR

ALL AROUND, WHICH IS WHY THE MAASAI PERFORM

SACRIFICES TO THE VOLCANO GOD.

Narrator: BUT SACRIFICES ARE NOT ALWAYS ENOUGH

TO PACIFY THE VOLCANO.

IN 2007, THERE ARE A SERIES OF TERRIFYING ERUPTIONS

ON THE MOUNTAIN OF GOD, WHICH LAST ALMOST A YEAR.

IT IS DEFINITELY ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS VOLCANOES IN AFRICA.

**

Narrator: THE NEXT MORNING,

PHOENIX SETS OFF ON THE TREACHEROUS CLIMB

UP THE SACRED VOLCANO

TO INVESTIGATE ITS LINK TO THE MEDUSA LAKE.

Phoenix: IT'S GOOD THAT IT'S EARLY.

AND IT LOOKS NICE AND CLEAR AND QUIET, BUT...

YOU CANNOT TRUST A VOLCANO.

**

Narrator: THE TERRAIN IS HARSH.

THE TEMPERATURE, PUNISHING.

**

ABOUT HALFWAY UP THE MOUNTAIN,

PHOENIX STUMBLES UPON HER FIRST CLUE --

A CHANNEL LINED WITH AN UNEXPECTED SUBSTANCE.

Phoenix: THIS PLACE IS SO UNUSUAL.

YOU DON'T GET WHITES LIKE THIS AT OTHER VOLCANOES.

Narrator: ON CLOSER INSPECTION,

SHE REALIZES SHE'S LOOKING AT

COOL HARD LAVA FROM PREVIOUS ERUPTIONS.

I HAVE BEEN ON VOLCANOES ALL OVER THE WORLD,

AND I HAVE NEVER BEEN ANYWHERE LIKE THIS.

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE.

THESE ARE NOT NORMAL LAVAS -- NOT AT ALL.

THE LAVA THAT COMES OUT OF OL DOINYO LENGAI

IS THIS CRAZY, FROTHY SORT OF STUFF.

Brand: IT RUNS ACROSS THE SURFACE LIKE WATER.

IN FACT, THIS IS ONE OF THE ONLY LAVAS IN THE WORLD

THAT YOU CAN'T OUTRUN.

Narrator: AND WHEN THE LAVA HARDENS,

IT TURNS FROM GRAY-BLACK TO A GHOSTLY WHITE.

PHOENIX KNOWS SOMETHING BIZARRE IS GOING ON ON THIS VOLCANO.

WHAT SHE NOW NEEDS TO ESTABLISH

IS HOW IT MIGHT BE CONNECTED TO THE MEDUSA LAKE.

**

Phoenix: THAT'S WHAT I WANTED.

**

OH.

9.8.

VERY ALKALINE.

THIS IS NATROCARBONATITE.

THIS IS THE ONLY VOLCANO IN THE WORLD LIKE THIS.

Kourounis: WE FOUND OUR SMOKING GUN HERE.

THE SAME CHEMICAL ELEMENTS THAT ARE FOUND IN THE LAKE

ARE ALSO FOUND IN THE LAVA FROM OL DOINYO LENGAI.

Narrator: BUT SOMETHING STILL DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

A VOLCANIC ERUPTION WILL SEND THE STATUE-FORMING NATRON

DOWN INTO THE MEDUSA LAKE,

BUT NOT IN NEARLY SUFFICIENT QUANTITIES.

THE LAKE HAS A VOLUME OF 90 BILLION GALLONS.

PHOENIX HAS A HUNCH WHAT MIGHT BE GOING ON

AND RETURNS TO THE LAKE.

YEP. THAT IS A HOT SPRING.

THERE'S WATER FLOWING OUT OF THE VALLEY FLOOR RIGHT HERE.

Narrator: A HOT SPRING IS EVIDENCE THAT THE LAKE

IS DIRECTLY LINKED TO THE VOLCANO

THROUGH AN INTRICATE SYSTEM OF UNDERGROUND FAULTS.

IT TURNS OUT THAT THE PLUMBING SYSTEM

UNDERNEATH THESE VOLCANOES IS VERY COMPLEX.

Narrator: IT IS POSSIBLE THAT IF THE SACRED VOLCANO'S

UNDERGROUND TENTACLES REACH AS FAR AS 20 MILES OR MORE,

THAT AT ONE TIME, THE DEADLY MIXTURE OF MOLTEN NATRON

REACHED THE UNFORTUNATE ENGARUKA,

AND THEY BECAME VICTIMS OF THE CURSE OF MEDUSA.

Sanford: IF THIS VOLCANO SPREAD ALKALINITY,

MAYBE THE WATER BECAME TOXIC AND ALL THEIR CROPS DIED.

IT'S POSSIBLE ALL THE PEOPLE COULD HAVE STARVED.

THAT WOULD DAMAGE THEIR CROPS, IT WOULD RUIN THAT WHOLE

INTRICATE SYSTEM OF IRRIGATION THAT THEY HAD.

AND IT WOULD MAKE LIFE IN THAT SPOT IMPOSSIBLE.

Narrator: WE MAY NEVER KNOW FOR CERTAIN

WHETHER IT WAS THE CURSE OF THE MEDUSA LAKE

WHICH KILLED OR FRIGHTENED AWAY THE ENGARUKA,

BUT THERE IS GOOD REASON FOR THE LOCALS TO REVERE

AND FEAR THIS STRANGE AND TERRIFYING VOLCANO.

**

COMING UP, REVEALED FROM ABOVE, A GIANT MYSTERY IN MOROCCO.

WHAT'S THE MOUND DOING IN THE MIDDLE?

I BET YOU THAT'S WHAT THEY THOUGHT WAS THE GIANT'S TOMB.

AND THE UNEXPLAINED SLEEPING BEAUTY TOWN.

Sanford: THE IDEA OF A TOWN CATCHING SOME KIND

OF A SLEEPING SICKNESS

THAT'S TOTALLY UNEXPLAINED IS JUST FRIGHTENING.

Narrator: AS THE GEO I-1 SATELLITE

PASSES OVER NORTHWESTERN KAZAKHSTAN,

IT CAPTURES AN IMAGE OF TWO NEIGHBORING TOWNS

ON THE BANKS OF THE ISHIM RIVER.

TO THE EAST IS A NORMAL TOWN.

BUT TO THE WEST, THE SATELLITE SHOWS KRASNOGORSK.

IT IS DEAD -- NOTHING AND NOBODY IS MOVING.

Krueger: IT'S REALLY STRANGE TO HAVE THESE TWO TOWNS

NEXT TO EACH OTHER.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CITY ON THE LEFT?

Sanford: WHAT MADE IT A GHOST TOWN

WHEN EVERYONE IS STILL LIVING RIGHT NEXT DOOR?

Narrator: THE SATELLITE IMAGE YIELDS FEW CLUES,

BUT WHEN INVESTIGATORS CONSULT LOCAL REPORTS,

THEY UNCOVER A BIZARRE SERIES OF EVENTS.

AN UNEXPLAINED SLEEPING SICKNESS IS SWEEPING THROUGH THE AREA.

PEOPLE ALL OF A SUDDEN START BECOMING ILL,

BUT IN SUCH A STRANGE WAY.

THEY GET WEAK, THEY PASS OUT, THEY START FALLING ASLEEP.

Narrator: FOR NO APPARENT REASON,

RESIDENTS SUDDENLY COLLAPSE.

CAN YOU IMAGINE SITTING IN YOUR HOME WITH YOUR CHILDREN,

WATCHING TELEVISION, AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN,

YOU LOOK AROUND AND ONE OF THEM IS COMPLETELY ASLEEP,

YOU CAN'T GET THEM UP.

Narrator: AS THEY SLEEP, THEY HALLUCINATE.

THEY SEE SNAKES IN THEIR BEDS AND WORMS EATING THEIR HANDS.

Krueger: THEY IMAGINE SNAILS CRAWLING ALL OVER THEIR BODY.

THEY FEEL LIKE THEIR HEADS ARE GOING TO EXPLODE.

Narrator: LIKE A TOWN OF SLEEPING BEAUTIES,

VICTIMS CAN STAY ASLEEP FOR DAYS.

WHEN THEY WAKE UP FROM THIS LONG SLEEP,

THEY HAVE NO MEMORY AT ALL OF WHAT HAPPENED.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS LOOK FOR POSSIBLE CLUES

IN THE INDUSTRIAL HISTORY OF THE AREA.

DECLASSIFIED RUSSIAN DOCUMENTS REVEAL THERE WAS

ONCE A URANIUM MINE JUST TWO MILES OUTSIDE KRASNOGORSK.

DURING THE 1950s, THE SOVIETS DISCOVERED URANIUM DEPOSITS

LOCATED RIGHT NEXT TO THIS TOWN.

Narrator: KAZAKHSTAN IS SITTING ON 15% OF THE WORLD'S

KNOWN URANIUM DEPOSITS.

THEIR URANIUM HOLDINGS WERE AN IMPORTANT RESOURCE

AS THE SOVIETS DEVELOPED THEIR NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM.

Narrator: DURING THE SOVIET ERA,

THE NOW GHOST TOWN OF KRASNOGORSK

WAS A BUSTLING CITY.

BUT ITS MAIN INDUSTRY SHUTS DOWN QUITE SUDDENLY IN 1991.

Krueger: THE IRON CURTAIN COLLAPSED AND KAZAKHSTAN

BECAME ITS OWN INDEPENDENT NATION,

SO AT THAT POINT, THERE WAS NO NEED

TO CONTINUE THE URANIUM-MINING OPERATION.

Narrator: WITHOUT WORK, MOST RESIDENTS OF

KRASNOGORSK ARE FORCED TO LEAVE,

BUT FOR THE FEW STAYING BEHIND,

THE CONSEQUENCES ARE EVEN MORE DEVASTATING.

Baker: THE RUSSIANS JUST UP AND LEFT.

IT WASN'T AS IF THEY SAID,

"WELL, NOW WE REALLY NEED TO CLEAN THIS SITE UP.

WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT HOW TO MAKE THIS PLACE SAFE

FOR HUMAN OCCUPATION."

THEY DIDN'T CARE.

Narrator: AT FIRST, SCIENTISTS THINK THERE MIGHT BE

A CONNECTION BETWEEN THE CLOSURE OF THE URANIUM MINE

AND THE MYSTERIOUS ZOMBIE DISEASE.

THIS HAS TO BE PART OF THE CAUSE HERE

AND, WHEN INVESTIGATORS GO AND TAKE A LOOK AT THE MINE,

THEY FIND THAT IT'S LEAKING RADON GAS.

Narrator: RADON GAS IS A DEADLY PRODUCT

OF THE RADIOACTIVE DECAY OF URANIUM ORE.

THIS NOTION OF A TOXIC GAS LEAKING OUT OF A MINE

AND POISONING A NEARBY POPULATION,

DRIVING THEM TO THIS KIND OF MASS PSYCHOSIS,

IT'S ALMOST LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF A STEPHEN KING NOVEL.

Narrator: BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM.

RADON GAS IS INDEED DEADLY.

IT CAN CAUSE LUNG CANCER, BUT IT DOESN'T PUT YOU TO SLEEP.

Carter: RADON GAS DOESN'T EXPLAIN THIS WEIRD SICKNESS.

IT DOESN'T EXPLAIN WHY PEOPLE WERE SLEEPING FOR DAYS ON END,

SO THERE'S STILL A MYSTERY THERE.

Narrator: FOLLOWING TESTS IN THE LOCAL AREA,

THE KAZAKH GOVERNMENT RELEASES

ITS OFFICIAL EXPLANATION OF THE EVENTS.

KAZAKH OFFICIALS ANNOUNCE THAT THE CARBON MONOXIDE LEVELS

WERE 10 TIMES BIGGER THAN WHAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE.

Narrator: CARBON MONOXIDE IS DEADLY.

IT STARVES THE BODY OF OXYGEN.

CARBON MONOXIDE COMPETES AGAINST OXYGEN IN THE BLOOD

AND BINDS MORE READILY,

SO AS PEOPLE ACCUMULATE MORE CARBON MONOXIDE

IN THEIR BLOOD SYSTEM,

THEIR BRAIN IS, ESSENTIALLY, BECOMING DEPLETED OF OXYGEN.

IF YOUR BODY'S TRYING TO CONSERVE OXYGEN

AND SLOW DOWN ITS METABOLISM,

WHAT EASIER WAY TO DO THAT THAN GO TO SLEEP?

Narrator: IF THIS IS WHAT'S HAPPENING,

ANIMALS TOO SHOULD BE AFFECTED, BUT THEY AREN'T.

UNTIL FURTHER INDEPENDENT TESTS,

THE SOURCE OF THE KAZAKH ZOMBIE DISEASE

REMAINS A MYSTERY.

Chamberlain: THE REALLY STRANGE PART ABOUT THIS, TO ME,

IS THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE WANT TO INVESTIGATE

WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE, BUT THE KAZAKHSTAN GOVERNMENT

IS NOT LETTING PEOPLE IN TO FIND OUT.

Narrator: IN ANY CASE, KAZAKH OFFICIALS AREN'T TAKING

ANY RISKS AND THE REMAINING RESIDENTS

ARE BEING RELOCATED.

THE STRANGE NIGHTMARE CONTINUES.

**

COMING UP, ALIEN ACTIVITY IN AUSTRALIA.

THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS OF VERY STRANGE AIRCRAFT

AND BLUE AND GOLD LIGHTS.

Narrator: AND AN ANCIENT STONE RING HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT.

THIS IS CLEARLY JUST AN INCREDIBLE FEAT OF ENGINEERING.

**

Narrator: HISTORIAN ANDREW GOUGH HAS BEEN STUDYING

ANCIENT MONUMENTS FOR OVER 20 YEARS.

SCOURING IMAGES OF NORTH AFRICA,

HE COMES ACROSS A STRUCTURE THAT BAFFLES HIM.

A SATELLITE HAS CAPTURED WHAT APPEARS TO BE

A LARGE, STONE CIRCLE.

**

Gough: EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT THE STONE CIRCLES IN BRITAIN.

YOU HAVE STONEHENGE, AVEBURY. YOU HAVE HUNDREDS OF THEM.

WHAT'S A STONE CIRCLE DOING IN MOROCCO?

Narrator: GOUGH DISCOVERS THE STONE CIRCLE IS CALLED MSOURA,

BUT FINDS VERY LITTLE ELSE ABOUT IT.

**

IN SEARCH OF ANSWERS, HE TRAVELS TO THE ANCIENT CITY OF MARRAKESH

AT THE FOOT OF THE ATLAS MOUNTAINS.

**

GOUGH MAKES HIS WAY TO MSOURA IN THE FAR NORTH OF MOROCCO,

OVER 300 MILES AWAY.

**

BY PREHISTORIC STANDARDS, THIS SITE IS GIGANTIC.

Gough: FANTASTIC. LOOK AT THAT.

THAT'S GOT TO BE, WHAT, 15 FEET TALL?

Narrator: GOUGH COUNTS 168 MASSIVE STONES.

THEN HE NOTICES SOMETHING UNUSUAL

ABOUT THE CENTER OF THE CIRCLE.

Gough: WHAT'S THE MOUND DOING IN THE MIDDLE?

I BET YOU THAT'S WHAT THEY THOUGHT WAS THE GIANT'S TOMB.

Narrator: FROM THE LIMITED MATERIAL AVAILABLE,

GOUGH KNOWS THE ROMANS BELIEVED MSOURA

WAS THE TOMB OF THE SON OF POSEIDON,

GOD OF SEA AND WATER, AND GAIA, THE EARTH GODDESS.

ACCORDING TO LEGEND, THE GOD-GIANT ANTAEUS

IS INVINCIBLE UNTIL HE ENCOUNTERS HERCULES.

HERCULES IS THE STRONGEST MAN ON EARTH, BUT THAT'S JUST IT.

HE'S STILL A MAN WHEREAS ANTAEUS THE GIANT IS INVINCIBLE

AS LONG AS HIS FEET ARE TOUCHING THE GROUND.

Narrator: HERCULES REALIZES THE ONLY WAY TO CONQUER ANTAEUS

IS TO LIFT HIM OFF THE GROUND

AND CRUSH HIM TO DEATH IN MID-AIR.

SO, FOR GENERATIONS, THE LEGENDS BUILT UP THAT THIS MOUND

WAS THE PLACE WHERE THE GIANT ANTAEUS WAS BURIED.

Narrator: GOUGH SEES HE'S NOT THE FIRST TO SHOW AN INTEREST

IN THE MYSTERY MOUND.

IT'S LIKE SOMEONE'S CUT RIGHT THROUGH THE CENTER OF THE MOUND.

Narrator: GOUGH APPROACHES A MAN LIVING BY THE SITE,

HOPING TO FIND OUT WHO'S BEEN DIGGING HERE

AND WHAT, IF ANYTHING, THEY FOUND.

SHERIF TELLS HIM A SPANISH ARCHAEOLOGIST

VISITED THE SITE OVER 80 YEARS AGO.

IN THE 1930s, IT SEEMS,

CéSAR LUIS DE MONTáLBAN ATTEMPTED TO EXCAVATE THE SITE.

HE NEVER PUBLISHED WHAT HE FOUND AND NO ONE

SINCE HAS BEEN GIVEN PERMISSION TO TOUCH THE SITE.

GOUGH STARTS TO ANALYZE THE NEOLITHIC STONES THEMSELVES.

STONE CIRCLES ARE TYPICALLY FOUND NOT IN AFRICA,

BUT IN NORTHERN EUROPE,

THE WONDERFUL AND MYSTERIOUS CREATIONS

OF PREHISTORIC MAN.

ALMOST A THOUSAND OF THEM ARE IN BRITAIN

AND THEIR PURPOSE HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE HEAVENS.

Bellinger: THE STONES ARE PLACED IN SUCH A WAY,

TO COINCIDE WITH THE MOVEMENT OF THE SUN

ON SPECIFIC SEASONAL DATES OF IMPORTANCE

SUCH AS THE SUMMER OR WINTER SOLSTICE.

THIS IS WHAT THEY USED TO TIME THEIR PLANTING SEASONS.

EVERYBODY KNOWS WHEN A CROP IS RIPE,

BUT THE TRICKY BIT IS TO KNOW WHEN TO PLANT IT.

Narrator: GOUGH CHECKS IF ANY OF THE STONES

ARE ALIGNED TO A POSITION,

WHICH, IN NEOLITHIC TIMES, WOULD HAVE MARKED

THE RISING OF THE SUN AT THE SUMMER SOLSTICE.

Gough: OKAY.

IT'S TELLING ME SUNRISE ON JUNE 20

WOULD BE RIGHT HERE

AND LOOK AT THAT.

Narrator: STONE NUMBER 30 COULD WELL HAVE BEEN A MARKER STONE,

MAKING THIS A GIANT ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR.

Gough: TO ME, THAT'S VALIDATION OF THE FACT THAT THIS WAS BUILT

WITH THE SAME INTENTION AS THE BRITISH STONE CIRCLES

AND I THINK THAT IT REALLY INCREDIBLE.

Narrator: FOR GOUGH, FINDING A NEOLITHIC STONE CIRCLE IN AFRICA

IS LIKE FINDING A PYRAMID IN KANSAS.

HE GOES ON TO MEASURE THE DIAMETER OF THE STRUCTURE.

Gough: OKAY, SO IT'S TELLING ME THAT'S 160 FEET.

Narrator: GOUGH REPEATS THE MEASUREMENT

FROM ANOTHER POSITION

AND DISCOVERS SOMETHING UNEXPECTED.

180 FEET!

IT'S NOT THE SAME AS THE OTHER AXIS.

Narrator: THIS STONE CIRCLE ISN'T A CIRCLE AFTER ALL.

IT'S AN OVAL, AN ELLIPSE.

GOUGH BELIEVES THIS MAKES IT SPECIAL.

THE MOST ANCIENT STONE CIRCLES ARE AN ELLIPSE LIKE THIS ONE.

Narrator: BRITAIN'S OLDEST NEOLITHIC STONE RINGS,

STENNESS AND CALLANISH,

ARE BOTH ELLIPTICAL, BUT THEY'RE MUCH SMALLER.

HERE, IN A REMOTE NEIGHBORHOOD IN NORTH AFRICA,

COULD BE SITTING THE OLDEST,

LARGEST ELLIPTICAL STONE STRUCTURE IN EXISTENCE.

PERHAPS THIS IS WHERE IT ALL BEGAN.

I'M WONDERING, COULD THIS BE THE SITE WHERE MAN WENT FROM

BEING HUNTER-GATHERERS TO FARMERS

AND NEEDED TO KNOW WHEN THE SEASONS CHANGE PRECISELY

SO THEY CAN PLANT THEIR CROPS?

COULD THIS BE THE PLACE WHERE THAT TECHNOLOGY WAS BORN

AND THEN BROUGHT TO THE U.K.?

Narrator: BUT SOMETHING DOESN'T FIT.

THE VERY OLDEST BRITISH STONE CIRCLES ARE LOCATED NEAR WATER,

VITAL IN PREHISTORIC TIMES FOR TRANSPORTING SUCH HUGE STONES.

WHAT'S MORE, THIS IS MEANT TO BE THE TOMB OF ANTAEUS,

SON OF POSEIDON, GOD OF WATER.

Gough: BUT I LOOK AROUND.

I DON'T SEE A DROP OF WATER IN ANY DIRECTION.

Narrator: GOUGH RETURNS TO THE SATELLITE IMAGE

AND THEN HE SEES SOMETHING.

IT'S NOT A ROAD. IT LOOKS LIKE A RIVERBED.

IT'S DRIED UP, OF COURSE, BUT IT'S GOING RIGHT ALONG HERE.

THAT IS DEFINITELY A RIVERBED.

Narrator: FOR GOUGH, THIS CONFIRMS THAT BRITISH STONE CIRCLES

MAY HAVE ORIGINATED HERE IN AFRICA.

IT'S A HIGHLY CONTROVERSIAL THEORY,

BUT THERE'S SOME SUPPORT FOR IT IN RECENT GENETIC STUDIES.

Horton: PEOPLE HAVE BEEN STUDYING ANCIENT DNA

AND HAVE COME TO THE CONCLUSION

THAT PEOPLE WERE MOVING

MUCH MORE DRAMATICALLY AND RADICALLY IN THIS PERIOD

THAN WE EVER THOUGHT.

Krueger: WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT A SITE LIKE STONEHENGE,

YOU THINK OF ONE OF THE OLDEST CULTURAL SITES IN THE WORLD,

BUT IT'S REALLY REMARKABLE TO THINK THAT EVEN A SITE

AS OLD AS STONEHENGE COULD HAVE BEEN INSPIRED

BY SOMETHING IN NORTH AFRICA.

**

Narrator: COMING UP, A GAPING HOLE THREATENS TO EAT ARIZONA.

THIS FEATURE ISN'T JUST A LOCAL ANOMALY.

THIS FEATURE IS BIG.

Narrator: AND SINISTER C.I.A. SECRETS IN THE OUTBACK.

Baker: IT'S A DANGEROUS PLACE OUT THERE.

WHOEVER HAS MORE INTELLIGENCE OR MORE INFORMATION

USUALLY WINS.

**

Narrator: NORTHERN TERRITORY, AUSTRALIA --

WITNESSES REPORT A STRING OF UNSETTLING SIGHTINGS

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OUTBACK.

THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS OF VERY STRANGE AIRCRAFT

AND DIFFERENT LIGHTS LIKE BLUE AND GOLD LIGHTS.

SOME SUGGEST THAT IT MIGHT BE UFO AND ALIEN ACTIVITY.

SO, YOU CAN'T TELL ME NOTHING WEIRD IS GOING ON HERE.

Narrator: THESE STRANGE EVENTS APPEAR TO BE COMING FROM ONE PLACE.

INVESTIGATORS STUDY SATELLITE IMAGES OF THE AREA.

WHERE THERE SHOULD BE NOTHING BUT DESERT,

THEY FIND WHAT LOOKS LIKE A SECURE FACILITY.

Capps: IT IS THIS MASSIVE FACILITY.

ALL THIS COOL, DEATH STAR-LIKE DOMES IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.

THERE'S A BARRIER-FENCE PROTECTING THE ENTIRE COMPLEX,

SO IT'S ALSO VERY SECRETIVE.

Narrator: DECLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS REVEAL

THE CLANDESTINE FACILITY GOES UNDER THE NAME OF PINE GAP.

IT IS BUILT AT THE HEIGHT OF THE COLD WAR.

THE AUSTRALIAN PUBLIC ARE TOLD IT'S A SPACE-RESEARCH FACILITY,

BUT IT HOLDS A DARKER SECRET.

THIS IS AN AMERICAN FACILITY ON AUSTRALIAN TERRITORY,

BUT THERE'S RUMORS TO SUGGEST THAT EVEN THE AUSTRALIANS

DON'T GET THE FULL PICTURE OF WHAT'S GOING ON HERE.

Narrator: BEHIND THE SCENES, THE C.I.A. RUNS THE STATION

TO COLLECT INTELLIGENCE

ON THE SOVIET UNION'S SECRET MISSILE PROGRAM,

BUT THE FACILITY DOESN'T SHUT DOWN WHEN THE COLD WAR ENDS.

IT GROWS INTO A VAST COMPLEX.

Pavelec: IN THE LAST 50 YEARS,

IT'S GONE FROM A COUPLE OF THOUSAND SQUARE FEET

TO A COUPLE OF HUNDRED THOUSAND SQUARE FEET OF FLOOR SPACE.

THEY'RE EXPANDING THE BUILDINGS, ADDING ANTENNAS,

MOVING THE EQUIPMENT.

THEY CONTINUE TO POUR MONEY INTO THE PLACE.

Narrator: ITS PURPOSE TODAY IS A CLOSELY GUARDED SECRET.

MANY WONDER WHETHER THERE'S A CONNECTION

TO THE STRANGE LIGHTS WITNESSED IN THE AREA.

INVESTIGATORS CONSIDER IF THE PECULIAR WHITE DOMES

PUNCTUATING THE FACILITY HOLD THE KEY TO WHAT'S GOING ON.

D'Antonio: THESE DOMES HAVE LITTLE, TINY, FLAT AREAS.

THESE ARE HOW THESE GEODESIC DOMES ARE BUILT

THAT ARE USED TO COVER SENSITIVE ELECTRONICS.

THESE GEODESIC DOMES ARE ACTUALLY CALLED RADOMES.

THEY'RE PROTECTING A MICROWAVE ANTENNA UNDERNEATH.

Narrator: IN TOTAL, 38 STATE-OF-THE-ART RADAR DISHES

AND DOMES POINT SKYWARD.

THIS SUGGESTS THAT PINE GAP IS BEING USED

AS A SUPER-POWERFUL INTELLIGENCE GATHERING STATION.

IT'S A DANGEROUS PLACE OUT THERE

AND, YOU KNOW, WHOEVER HAS MORE INTELLIGENCE

OR HAS MORE INFORMATION USUALLY WINS.

D'Antonio: IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THEY'RE LISTENING

TO EVERYTHING WE'RE SAYING?

I CAN'T SAY "NO" TO THAT BECAUSE WE KNOW THERE ARE PROGRAMS

LIKE THAT IN PLACE AROUND THE WORLD.

Narrator: CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS LEAKED BY WHISTLE-BLOWER EDWARD SNOWDEN

CONFIRM THE SITE'S KEY ROLE

IN SUPPORTING INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITIES,

BUT THEY ALSO REVEAL THAT THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE

GOING ON AT PINE GAP.

SOME BELIEVE PINE GAP IS A CONTROL CENTER

FOR U.S. DRONE ATTACKS WORLDWIDE.

Capps: IT'S NOT CRAZY AT ALL TO THINK

THAT SOMEONE'S PILOTING A DRONE FAR FROM THE THEATER

AND WATCHING EXACTLY WHAT THE DRONE IS DOING,

SEEING THE FOOTAGE AND MAKING DECISIONS.

Narrator: BUT NEITHER INTELLIGENCE GATHERING OR DRONE PILOTING

CAN ACCOUNT FOR THE STRANGE OBJECTS

REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN SEEN CLOSE TO THE PINE GAP STATION.

OBSERVERS POINT TO SIMILARITIES BETWEEN PINE GAP

AND ANOTHER TOP SECRET U.S. MILITARY SITE.

LIKE PINE GAP, IT'S LOCATED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESERT.

LIKE PINE GAP, IT'S A HIGH-SECURITY FACILITY

PROTECTED BY A NO-FLY ZONE.

YOU LOOK AT PINE GAP. IT'S REMOTE, IT'S SECRET.

IT'S LIKE AREA 51.

Narrator: THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THE HIGH-SECURITY U.S. AIR BASE

KNOWN AS AREA 51 REMAINS A HIGHLY GUARDED SECRET,

BUT RECORDS SUGGEST IT HAS BEEN, AMONG OTHER THINGS,

A TEST SITE FOR WEIRD, EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT.

PEOPLE HAVE SEEN THESE TRIANGULAR-SHAPED CRAFTS

FLYING AROUND.

Narrator: BUT WHEN ANALYSTS TAKE A CLOSER

LOOK AT THE SATELLITE IMAGE OF PINE GAP,

THEY NOTICE SOMETHING IS MISSING.

D'Antonio: THERE'S NO RUNWAYS AROUND HERE,

SO ANY OF THE AIRCRAFT THAT WOULD BE HERE

WOULD JUST HAVE TO TAKE OFF VERTICALLY,

SORT OF LIKE A HELICOPTER DOES,

BUT THERE'S NO AIRCRAFT WHATSOEVER.

Narrator: FOR NOW, THE STRANGE LIGHTS WITNESSED

IN THE AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK REMAIN UNEXPLAINED.

AND WHAT EXACTLY GOES ON AT PINE GAP

IS UNLIKELY TO BE REVEALED ANYTIME SOON.

D'Antonio: I DON'T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS.

NO ONE DOES EXCEPT THE PEOPLE THAT ARE INSIDE THIS COMPLEX

AND THEY'RE NOT TALKING.

SO, FOR NOW, ANYWAY, WE'RE GOING TO BE OUTSIDE

THE FENCE AROUND PINE GAP.

Narrator: COMING UP, A MONSTER CRACK

THREATENING TO TEAR APART ARIZONA.

IF THIS CRACK GROWS, IT COULD SPLIT THE TOWN IN HALF.

Narrator: PINAL COUNTY, ARIZONA.

IN APRIL 2016, THE WORLDVIEW-3 SATELLITE PASSES OVER AN AREA

JUST SOUTH OF ARIZONA CITY AND SPOTS A HUGE CRACK.

IT LOOKS AS IF THE EARTH HAS JUST OPENED UP AND SPLIT.

Narrator: WHEN SCIENTISTS MEASURE THE CRACK,

THEY DISCOVER IT'S OVER TWO MILES LONG.

THIS FEATURE ISN'T JUST A LOCAL ANOMALY.

THIS FEATURE -- IT'S BIG.

AND THAT PROVIDES A PRETTY SERIOUS INDICATION

THAT POWERFUL FORCES ARE AT WORK SOMEWHERE.

Narrator: ANALYST KEN JOYCE USES DIGITALGLOBE

SECUREWATCH TECHNOLOGY

TO TRY TO FIND OUT WHAT'S HAPPENING.

Joyce: USING HISTORIC SATELLITE IMAGERY,

WE CAN FIGURE OUT WHEN THIS CRACK STARTED TO FORM.

AS I LOOK BACK TO IMAGES THAT WERE CAPTURED IN 2014,

I DON'T SEE ANY EVIDENCE OF A CRACK.

SCROLLING FORWARD TO 2016, BOOM -- THE CRACK APPEARS.

Narrator: EVEN MORE SHOCKING IS WHAT JOYCE DISCOVERS NEXT.

ARIZONA IS CONTINUING TO SPLIT OPEN.

THE ALARMING THING IS IS THAT THE CRACK

CONTINUES TO MAKE ITS WAY NORTH

AND IS NOW ENDANGERING THIS POPULATED AREA HERE.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS NEED TO FIND OUT

WHAT IS CAUSING THE EARTH TO SPLIT AND FIND OUT QUICK.

AT FIRST, THEY CONSIDER IF IT COULD BE SEISMIC ACTIVITY.

PROBABLY THE FIRST THING THAT YOU WOULD THINK OF

IS THAT SOMETHING GEOLOGICALLY IS HAPPENING,

SOMETHING LIKE AN EARTHQUAKE.

Narrator: BUT THIS DOESN'T STACK UP.

THERE ARE NO REPORTS OF EARTHQUAKES HERE,

AND THAT'S NOT ALL.

FOR THE MOST PART, EARTHQUAKES DON'T MAKE OPENINGS.

EARTHQUAKES MAKE SHAKING.

**

INVESTIGATORS WONDER WHETHER THE CRACK COULD INSTEAD BE MAN-MADE.

MILITARY HISTORIAN MARTIN MORGAN IS REMINDED OF A DARK CHAPTER

IN THE HISTORY OF THE U.S. ARMY FIVE DECADES AGO.

Morgan: IN THE 1960s, THE ARMY CAME UP WITH THIS BRIGHT IDEA

OF TAKING TOXIC WASTE, TURNING IT INTO A LIQUID,

AND THEN PUMPING THIS TOXIC-WASTE WATER

INTO UNDERGROUND CAVITIES.

Narrator: IT ALL STARTS WITH THE UNEXPECTED ATTACK

ON PEARL HARBOR THAT PROPELS THE U.S.

INTO WORLD WAR II.

JUST SIX MONTHS LATER,

THE ARMY OPENS A NEW WEAPONS FACTORY IN COLORADO.

THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN ARSENAL GOES ON

TO PRODUCE LETHAL CHEMICAL WEAPONS

INCLUDING SARIN AND MUSTARD GAS.

BUT OVER THE YEARS, IT ALSO CREATES MILLIONS OF GALLONS

OF TOXIC WASTE THAT IS SIMPLY DUMPED UNDERGROUND.

THAT DIDN'T WORK OUT SO WELL BECAUSE IT CAUSED EARTHQUAKES

AND IT CRACKED THE EARTH.

THE CRACK THAT IS SEEN IN THE IMAGE --

IT LOOKS A LOT LIKE THE DESCRIPTIONS OF THE CRACKS

THAT APPEARED AFTER THE ARMY

PUMPED TOXIC-WASTE WATER INTO COLORADO.

Narrator: THERE IS A STRONG MILITARY PRESENCE IN ARIZONA

WITH SEVEN BASES ACROSS THE STATE AND INVESTIGATORS CONSIDER

IF THIS MIGHT BE A CLUE TO THE ORIGIN OF THE CRACK.

BUT WHEN SCIENTISTS VISIT THE SITE AND TAKE SOIL SAMPLES,

THEY UNCOVER NO EVIDENCE OF TOXIC CONTAMINATION.

SEARCHING FOR ANOTHER EXPLANATION,

THEY NOTICE THAT NEARBY GROUND WATER LEVELS ARE LOW.

Sanford: ARIZONA IS A VERY DRY PLACE.

FARMERS ARE PUMPING GROUNDWATER TO IRRIGATE THEIR PLANTS.

Cerveny: SO, IF YOU START EXTRACTING LARGE AMOUNTS OF WATER,

YOU'RE GOING TO CREATE AN EMPTY SPOT

WHERE THAT WATER USED TO BE UNDERGROUND.

Narrator: GEOLOGISTS NOW BELIEVE THAT GROWING UNDERGROUND VOIDS

ARE CAUSING THE EARTH'S SURFACE TO SPLIT OPEN.

Lester: ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE LANDSCAPE CAN'T HOLD ITSELF UP

AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS,

TWO SUBSIDING LAND MASSES PULL AWAY FROM EACH OTHER

AND YOU'RE LEFT WITH THIS GAPING CHASM.

Narrator: WHAT'S WORSE, THIS IS NOT THE ONLY CHASM IN THE AREA.

SCIENTISTS HAVE NOW MAPPED 170 MORE MILES OF SIMILAR CRACKS

ELSEWHERE IN THE STATE AND THEY KEEP DISCOVERING MORE.

THE NIGHTMARE SCENARIO IS THAT A MONSTER CRACK

WILL SWALLOW A TOWN.

IF I WALKED OUT IN MY BACKYARD AND SAW A CHASM

STRETCHING OFF TO THE HORIZON THAT WAS TEN FEET WIDE,

I WOULD CALL THE MOVING COMPANY RIGHT AWAY

AND GET OUT AS FAST AS I COULD.