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 DESERT GHOST TOWN OF UNTOLD RICHES AND UNSPEAKABLE HORRORS.

THE WHOLE VALLEY WAS SHINING WITH THE DIAMONDS,

AND THE GUYS WENT CRAZY.

IT TRULY IS AN ACT OF GENOCIDE, A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY.

E.T. PHONES EARTH.

Major: THAT SEEMED TO BE COMING FROM A SPECIFIC STAR.

THIS SIGNAL WAS REALLY STRONG.

Narrator: AND SEEN FROM THE SKIES IN THE LAND OF THE INCAS.

IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE A TARGET, BUT A TARGET FOR WHAT?

Narrator: BAFFLING PHENOMENA.

MYSTERIES FROM SPACE.

WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY?

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

[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING ]

[ WHIRRING ]

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

**

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ] [ WHIRRING ]

JANUARY 15, 2004.

AS THE WORLDVIEW-3 SATELLITE

PASSES OVER SOUTHWESTERN NAMIBIA,

IT CAPTURES A SERIES OF STRUCTURES

IN THE DESOLATE SANDS.

Pavelec: IT'S SYMMETRICAL, SO IT'S MAN-MADE,

AND I'M SURE AT SOME TIME SERVED A PURPOSE,

BUT IT'S COMPLETELY ABANDONED.

Narrator: THE STRUCTURES SIT IN THE VAST 20,000-SQUARE-MILE NAMIB DESERT,

ONE OF THE MOST HOSTILE ENVIRONMENTS ON EARTH.

SOMEBODY WOULD HAVE TO HAVE A REASON TO GO OUT

IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE IN THE HEAT, IN THE DRY.

AND IT'S EITHER SOMETHING OF GREAT VALUE

OR SOMETHING SOMEONE DOESN'T WANT ANYONE ELSE TO KNOW ABOUT.

Narrator: MILITARY HISTORIAN MARTIN MORGAN TAKES A CLOSER LOOK.

THE STRUCTURE'S APPARENT AGE OFFERS AN INTRIGUING CLUE.

THESE STRUCTURES APPEAR NEGLECTED AND FORGOTTEN,

AS IF THEY WERE BUILT A CENTURY AGO,

WHICH WOULD...DROP OUR POINTER

RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GERMAN COLONIAL PERIOD.

SO THIS MIGHT BE THE WORK OF THE GERMAN EMPIRE.

Narrator: IN 1884, UNDER KAISER WILHELM I,

GERMANY ESTABLISHES ITS FIRST AFRICAN COLONY

IN WHAT IS TODAY CALLED NAMIBIA.

GERMAN COLONIAL RULE IS BLOODY AND MERCILESS,

A TERRIFYING FORETASTE OF WHAT WILL HAPPEN

UNDER NATIONAL SOCIALISM.

AT THIS TIME, IMPERIALISM WAS RAMPANT ACROSS AFRICA

AND MOST OF THE REST OF THE WORLD.

A LOT OF COLONIAL POWERS USE BRUTALITY

AGAINST THE LOCAL POPULATIONS IN ORDER TO CEMENT THEIR RULE,

BUT GERMANY DOES THIS IN SPADES.

[ INDISTINCT SHOUTING ]

Narrator: IN 1904, THE NATIVE HERERO AND NAMA PEOPLE REBEL

AGAINST THEIR IMPERIAL OPPRESSORS.

IN RESPONSE, THE GERMAN GENERAL LOTHAR VON TROTHA

ISSUES A COUNTRYWIDE EXTERMINATION ORDER.

HE AUTHORIZED THE GERMAN MILITARY TO SHOOT

ANY HERERO MAN, WOMAN, OR CHILD ON SITE.

Narrator: IN JUST FOUR YEARS,

THE GERMANS MURDER 100,000 INNOCENT TRIBESPEOPLE.

BUT THE OUTRIGHT KILLING IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY.

THOSE THAT SURVIVE WERE SENT TO WORK IN CONCENTRATION CAMPS.

Morgan: ONE OF THE NAMIBIAN CONCENTRATION CAMPS

REALLY TRANSCENDS THE DEFINITION AND CONCEPT OF THAT.

IT'S SHARK ISLAND IN LUDERITZ BAY.

Narrator: SHARK ISLAND, JUST OVER 40 MILES FROM THE STRUCTURES

IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE,

IS THE SETTING FOR THE 20th CENTURY'S

FIRST MASS EXTERMINATION OF HUMANS.

WITHIN ITS WALLS, THE GERMANS KILL AROUND 2,000 PEOPLE.

IT TRULY IS AN ACT OF GENOCIDE,

A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY, WHICH TOOK PLACE

WITHOUT MANY PEOPLE IN THE WORLD EVEN KNOWING ABOUT IT.

Narrator: SHARK ISLAND CAMP DOCTOR EUGEN FISCHER

CARRIES OUT GROTESQUE EXPERIMENTS ON NATIVE PRISONERS.

HE FORCES SOME TO BOIL AND STRIP THE SKULLS OF FELLOW INMATES

AND SENDS THEM TO GERMANY FOR EUGENIC STUDY.

WHAT EUGEN FISCHER WAS DOING HERE ON SHARK ISLAND

WOULD BE ECHOED AGAIN IN JUST THREE DECADES...

IN THE CONCENTRATION CAMPS.

THE MORE I READ ABOUT THESE NAMIBIAN DEATH CAMPS,

THE MORE I THINK THAT THEY WERE A BLUEPRINT

FOR THE NAZI HOLOCAUST 40 YEARS LATER.

Narrator: MORGAN HAS SPENT DECADES

STUDYING WORLD WAR II HISTORY.

TO SEE IF THE STRUCTURES IN THE IMAGE CAN SHED LIGHT

ON ITS DARKEST CHAPTER, HE'S TRAVELED TO NAMIBIA.

THE BIGGEST QUESTION CONFRONTING ME IS

ARE WE LOOKING AT ONE OF THE CONCENTRATION CAMPS

THAT WERE CREATED BY THE GERMANS,

WHERE THEY WERE PERFECTING SOME OF THE METHODS

THAT THEY WOULD USE IN AN INDUSTRIAL SCALE

DURING THE 1940s?

Narrator: IT'S A 10-HOUR JOURNEY FROM THE CAPITAL, WINDHOEK,

BEFORE THE ROAD GIVES OUT

AND MORGAN MUST PLOW ACROSS ROUGH DESERT TERRAIN.

WE SHOULD BE GETTING CLOSE TO IT NOW.

OH, THIS IS IT.

YEAH, HERE IT IS.

THIS IS THAT GRID PATTERN FROM THE SATELLITE IMAGE.

THIS IS IT.

[ OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYS ]

WOW.

OH, AND IT'S COLD.

IT IS COLD.

IT IS COLD AND WINDY.

WHAT A PLACE.

WOOD... CORRUGATED ROOFING...

WHAT ARE THESE THINGS?

Narrator: ALL AROUND ARE SIGNS THAT CONFIRM

THIS WAS AN ISOLATED DESERT CAMP.

Morgan: WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THIS CAMP ALL ABOUT?

**

36 STRUCTURES, SUB-DIVIDED INTO 10 CELLS EACH.

TWO CHIMNEYS.

YOU REALLY ONLY SEE STRUCTURES LIKE THIS IN TWO CATEGORIES --

ONE -- MILITARY CAMP, TWO -- WORK CAMP.

**

Narrator: THE WINDSWEPT STRUCTURES APPEAR TO DATE FROM THE TIME

OF THE GERMAN GENOCIDE, YET SOMETHING ISN'T RIGHT.

Morgan: IT'S STRANGE.

THERE ARE NONE OF WHAT I EXPECTED TO SEE.

I EXPECTED TO SEE CONCRETE POSTS

WITH WIRE SUSPENDED BETWEEN THEM.

THERE'S ALSO NO EVIDENCE OF WATCHTOWERS.

IT SEEMS UNLIKELY THAT THIS WAS CONNECTED

TO THE HERERO AND NAMA GENOCIDE FROM A CENTURY AGO.

WAIT A MINUTE. WHAT'S THIS?

OH. RAILROAD TRACKS.

HA. YEAH.

THE WEATHER HAS TAKEN ITS TOLL ON THIS,

BUT THIS WAS THE NARROW GAUGE RAILWAY LINE

THAT SUPPLIED THIS CAMP.

Narrator: MORGAN SUSPECTS THE RAILS MIGHT LEAD TO FURTHER CLUES

AND FOLLOWS THEM NORTHWARDS.

AFTER A FEW MILES, HE SPOTS SOMETHING.

Morgan: NOW, THIS IS A SCENE

THAT I NEVER EXPECTED TO LAY EYES ON.

**

IT'S A TOWN, AN ABANDONED TOWN IN THE NAMIB DESERT.

Narrator: IN THE FIRST BUILDING, MORGAN FINDS A STRANGELY LONG ROOM.

OH, MY GOSH. LOOK AT THIS.

IS THIS A SHOOTING RANGE?

OH, NO, THERE'S THE ANSWER.

[ CHUCKLES ] IT'S A BOWLING ALLEY.

THIS IS THE BACKSTOP FOR THE BOWLING BALLS.

ONE DOESN'T EXPECT TO FIND A BOWLING ALLEY

IN THE NAMIBIAN DESERT,

BUT THAT'S PRECISELY WHAT THIS IS.

Narrator: THE INHABITANTS OF THIS PLACE WERE WEALTHY.

MORGAN FINDS THE RUINS OF LARGE, ONCE OPULENT HOMES,

A SCHOOL, HOTEL, AND GRAVEYARD.

Morgan: FOR THIS TOWN TO HAVE HAD ALL OF THESE FEATURES,

THERE HAD TO HAVE BEEN PROSPERITY HERE.

MONEY, SOMETHING LURED THEM OUT TO THIS REMOTE PLACE,

AND I'M GONNA FIGURE OUT WHAT IT WAS.

**

Narrator: COMING UP...

THE LOST EMPIRE OF SOUTH AMERICA.

IT'S AN INCREDIBLE CITY BUILT HIGH UP IN THE ANDES MOUNTAINS.

AND NAMIBIA'S GHOST TOWN GIVES UP ITS SECRETS.

THEY FOUND 1 MILLION CARATS WORTH OF DIAMONDS.

Morgan: OH, MY GOD.

**

Narrator: MARTIN MORGAN IS IN THE VAST NAMIBIAN DESERT

INVESTIGATING A RUINED ENCAMPMENT

CAPTURED BY SATELLITE.

A GHOST TOWN SITS A FEW MILES AWAY.

Morgan: WHY?

WHY WOULD HUMAN ENDEAVOR COME TO THIS PLACE,

BUILD ON IT, AND THEN ABANDON IT?

THAT'S THE QUESTION I NEED TO ANSWER.

**

Narrator: ON THE OUTSKIRTS, HE FINDS A CLUE.

**

WIRE MESHING AND SOME SORT OF A SIEVE.

THEY WERE SIFTING FOR SOMETHING.

THERE ARE SIEVES EVERYWHERE.

THIS WAS A BIG OPERATION.

BUT WHAT WERE THEY LOOKING FOR?

WHAT WERE THEY LOOKING FOR OUT HERE?

**

STOP, STOP, STOP, STOP.

THIS IS PROHIBITED AREA.

YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO BE HERE WITHOUT A PERMIT.

Narrator: MORGAN'S STOPPED IN HIS TRACKS BY A LOCAL OFFICIAL.

HE REVEALS THAT HE HAS TRESPASSED INTO AN AREA

CALLED THE SPERRGEBIET, MEANING "THE FORBIDDEN ZONE."

WHY IS IT A PROHIBITED AREA?

IT'S A DIAMOND TOWN.

THEY USED TO DIG FOR DIAMONDS HERE.

THE KEY TO THE GHOST TOWN'S PROSPERITY

IS THE MOST COVETED GEMSTONE ON EARTH,

AND HEMWOOD SIVESTEIN IS ON THE LOOKOUT FOR SMUGGLERS.

DIAMONDS HERE? OH, BOY.

I DIDN'T SEE ANY UP THERE EARLIER.

IF YOU PICK UP A DIAMOND, YOU'RE IN BIG TROUBLE.

OH, REALLY? YES.

SO, WHAT WAS THIS PLACE CALLED?

THIS PLACE WAS CALLED POMONA.

MORGAN LEARNS WHEN GERMAN IMMIGRANTS

ARRIVE IN THE POMONA AREA IN 1908,

THEY DISCOVER SOMETHING TRULY EXTRAORDINARY --

VAST NUMBERS OF DIAMONDS LITTER THE SURFACE

OF THESE NOW-BARREN SANDS.

THE WHOLE VALLEY WAS SHINING WITH THE DIAMONDS,

AND THE GUYS WENT CRAZY,

AND THEY CALLED IT "FAIRY TALE. FAIRY TALE.

IT'S A FAIRY TALE."

AND SINCE THEN, THEY CALLED THE VALLEY FAIRY TALE VALLEY.

WITHIN MONTHS, AN AVALANCHE OF FORTUNE HUNTERS

DESCENDS ON THE NAMIBIAN DESERT, PLUCKING THE GEMS FROM THE SAND.

ONE MINER REPORTEDLY FILLS A MUG WITH DIAMONDS

IN JUST 10 MINUTES.

THEY FOUND A HUGE AMOUNT OF DIAMONDS.

THE FIRST 20 MONTHS, 1 MILLION CARATS' WORTH OF DIAMONDS.

WOW.

OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS,

THE PROSPECTORS PULL ANOTHER 6 MILLION CARATS FROM THE SAND,

WORTH OVER $30 BILLION IN TODAY'S MONEY.

BOOMTOWNS SPRING UP ACROSS THE DESERT,

WHERE THE NEWLY SUPER RICH BUILD GRAND HOMES, THEATERS,

A CASINO, AND AN ICE FACTORY.

IT LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF BAVARIA

RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESERT.

I MEAN, THERE'S NEARLY EVERYTHING HERE

YOU COULD POSSIBLY NEED.

Narrator: RECORDS REVEAL THE PROSPECTORS FORCED THE LOCAL TRIBESPEOPLE

TO HUNT FOR THEIR DIAMONDS.

UNDER ARMED GUARD, NATIVE GANGS SCOUR THE SCORCHING DESERT,

PASSING WHAT THEY FIND TO THEIR GERMAN OVERSEERS.

LIFE FOR A DIAMOND MINER AT THIS TIME

WOULD'VE BEEN REALLY ROUGH.

YOU'RE LIVING AND WORKING IN ONE OF THE MOST

HOSTILE PLACES ON THE PLANET,

AND THE PEOPLE WHO ARE EMPLOYING YOU VIEW YOU AS SUB-HUMAN.

Narrator: LOCAL ACCOUNTS SUGGEST THE GERMANS GAGGED THE MINERS

TO PREVENT THEM FROM SWALLOWING DIAMONDS.

THEY FORCE-FEED OTHERS WITH LAXATIVES

AND EXAMINE THEIR FECES FOR GEMSTONES.

JUST IMAGINE THE FEELING OF PLUNDERING YOUR OWN RESOURCES

TO SERVE A MASTER WHO HAD ALREADY KILLED

A NUMBER OF YOUR NEIGHBORS.

Narrator: MORGAN CONSIDERS

IF THE APPALLING CONDITIONS THE MINERS SUFFER

IS THE KEY TO THE ORIGIN OF THE STRUCTURES IN THE IMAGE.

I THINK WHAT THIS MEANS IS THAT THE FIRST CAMPSITE,

ALONG WITH THE 36 CONCRETE STRUCTURES,

THAT'S WHERE THE ACTUAL WORKERS WERE LIVING --

IN CONDITIONS THAT WERE NOT QUITE COMPARABLE

TO THE PEOPLE IN THE LEADERSHIP POSITION,

LIVING IN THE CITY OF POMONA.

Narrator: EACH STRUCTURE HOLDS 10 COFFIN-LIKE CELLS.

AFTER FORCING THE LOCALS TO STRIP THEIR LAND BARE,

IT SEEMS THE OVERSEERS LOCKED THE MINERS INSIDE AT NIGHT.

THEY SEND THE DIAMONDS BY RAIL TO THE GHOST TOWN,

AND PROFITS ARE USED TO FURTHER EXPAND THE GERMAN EMPIRE.

THOSE WORKERS, THEY CRAWLED INTO BUNKS

RIGHT THERE AT THE WORK SITE IN THE MIDDLE OF FAIRY TALE VALLEY.

I CAN ONLY IMAGINE THE MISERY OF HAVING TO WORK

IN AN ENVIRONMENT LIKE THIS.

Narrator: AFTER THREE DECADES OF PROSPERITY,

DIAMOND RESERVES DWINDLE,

AND THE ONCE-FLOURISHING MINING INDUSTRY RAPIDLY DECLINES.

BUT ITS HAUNTING LEGACY REMAINS, CAPTURED FROM SPACE.

GERMANY, LIKE ALL OTHER COLONIAL POWERS,

THOUGHT NOTHING OF EXPLOITING THE COUNTRY

FOR ALL IT WAS WORTH.

TODAY, WE'RE STILL COMING TO GRIPS

WITH THE HORRORS OF OUR PAST.

**

Narrator: COMING UP...

THE STRANGE SOUNDS

FROM THE BLACK ISLAND OF ROUGE RIVER.

YOU CAN IMAGINE THIS KEEPING YOU AWAKE AT NIGHT,

MAKING YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE GOING CRAZY.

Narrator: AND SPECIAL FORCES HUNT DOWN DRUG GANGS

IN SPEED BOATS.

THE TOOL THAT THEY USED -- SATELLITES.

Narrator: OCTOBER 30, 2010.

THE WORLDVIEW-2 SATELLITE FLIES OVER SOUTHERN PERU.

AS IT PASSES THE ANDES MOUNTAINS,

IT SPIES THIS IN THE TERRAIN BELOW.

THIS IMAGE IS ABSOLUTELY WEIRD, KIND OF LIKE AN AMMONITE FOSSIL.

THIS ACTUALLY REMINDS ME OF THE ARC REACTOR

THAT IRON MAN HAS IN HIS CHEST.

IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE A TARGET, BUT A TARGET FOR WHAT?

Narrator: THE WEIRD AERIAL BULL'S-EYE SITS CLOSE TO LAKE TITICACA --

THE HIGHEST LAKE IN THE WORLD

AND THE SECOND-LARGEST IN SOUTH AMERICA.

NEWS REPORTS ABOUT THE 3,200-SQUARE-MILE BODY OF WATER

OFFER A POSSIBLE CLUE TO THE IMAGE.

IN RECENT YEARS, LAKE TITICACA HAS BECOME AN IMPORTANT CONDUIT

IN THE DRUG TRADE,

SPECIFICALLY COCAINE.

DRUG TRAFFICKING ON THE LAKE BECAME SUCH A PROBLEM

THAT IN 2015, BOLIVIAN AND PERUVIAN GOVERNMENTS

TEAMED TOGETHER TO CRACK DOWN

ON ALL OF THE DRUGS CROSSING THE BORDER.

THE TOOL THAT THEY USED -- SATELLITES.

IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THIS STRANGE SHAPE

IS A SATELLITE CALIBRATION TARGET

THAT'S BEING USED IN THE WAR ON DRUGS?

[ HELICOPTER BLADES WHIRRING ]

Narrator: PERU IS THE SECOND-LARGEST COCAINE PRODUCER ON THE PLANET,

MAKING UP TO 490 TONS PER YEAR.

THE GOVERNMENT HAS AUTHORIZED THE AIR FORCE

TO SHOOT DOWN NARCO PLANES,

AND SMUGGLERS HAVE TURNED TO ALTERNATIVE TECHNIQUES.

IMAGINE YOU'RE PRODUCING A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF COCAINE.

YOU NEED TO GET IT OUT OF YOUR COUNTRY.

A HUGE LAKE MIGHT BE A REALLY GOOD WAY

TO SNEAK SOME ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES ACROSS AN INTERNATIONAL BORDER.

Narrator: AUTHORITIES BELIEVE THAT PERUVIAN DRUGS GANGS

ROUTINELY SMUGGLE COCAINE ACROSS TITICACA INTO BOLIVIA.

IF THE SPY IN THE SKY DETECTS SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY,

BOLIVIA'S ELITE BLUE DEVIL TASK FORCE

SCRAMBLES TO INTERCEPT.

Kourounis: IF YOU'RE A POLICE FORCE

TRYING TO CATCH DRUG TRAFFICKERS ON A LAKE AS BIG AS TITICACA,

YOUR SATELLITES NEED TO BE PERFECTLY CALIBRATED.

AND TO DO THAT, YOU NEED SOME TYPE OF REFERENCE POINT,

A TARGET --

SOMETHING LIKE WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN THIS IMAGE.

[ KEYBOARD CLACKING ]

Narrator: YET, WHEN ANALYST AMANDA MARCHETTI

DEPLOYS DIGITAL GLOBE'S SECURE WATCH TECHNOLOGY,

SHE DISAGREES.

Marchetti: WHEN YOU'RE CALIBRATING A SATELLITE,

YOU NEED A PURE COLOR OF THAT TARGET ON THE GROUND.

HOWEVER, WHEN I LOOK AT THIS,

I SEE VARYING SHADES OF GRAYS, VARIOUS SHADES OF GREENS,

WHICH MEANS THAT THIS COULD NOT BE A CALIBRATION TARGET.

Narrator: MARCHETTI APPLIES A FILTER

TO REVEAL FEATURES INVISIBLE TO THE HUMAN EYE.

I'M USING THE INFRARED LIGHT TECHNOLOGY.

I KNOW THE LIGHT IN THIS IMAGE IS ACTUALLY VEGETATION

AND THE DARK IN THIS IMAGE IS ACTUALLY WATER.

[ KEYBOARD CLACKING ]

THIS PROMPTS A DIFFERENT THEORY.

GIVEN THE FACT THAT I NOW KNOW

THAT THIS PATTERN IS A SYSTEM OF VEGETATION AND WATER,

I AM NEARLY CERTAIN THAT THIS IS AN AGRICULTURAL PATTERN.

Narrator: BUT IF THIS IS AN AGRICULTURAL PATTERN,

IT'S UNLIKE ANYTHING USED BY MODERN FARMERS.

ARCHAEOLOGIST KATIE PAUL CONSIDERS

IF IT COULD BE THE LEGACY OF AN ANCIENT CIVILIZATION

THAT ONCE RULED THESE LANDS --

THE TIWANAKU.

THE ANDES AND LAKE TITICACA

HAVE A RICH HISTORY OF ANCIENT CULTURES.

THEY KNEW HOW TO MANIPULATE

COMPLICATED AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPES.

Narrator: BETWEEN 400 AND 900 A.D.,

THE TIWANAKU PEOPLE DOMINATE VAST AREAS

OF PERU, CHILE, AND BOLIVIA.

BUT UP IN THESE MOUNTAINS,

SUSTAINING THE 20,000-STRONG CIVILIZATION

IS A HUGE CHALLENGE.

THIS AREA IS AT SUCH A HIGH ALTITUDE

THAT IT'S HARD TO KEEP CROPS FROM FREEZING.

IT'S JUST NOT SUITABLE FOR LARGE-SCALE AGRICULTURE.

Narrator: THE EMPIRE'S CAPITAL CITY

SITS ALMOST 13,000 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL,

MUCH HIGHER THAN ANY MODERN-DAY METROPOLIS.

IT'S AN INCREDIBLE CITY BUILT HIGH UP IN THE ANDES MOUNTAINS.

THE EMPIRE WAS VERY WEALTHY,

AND THEIR ARCHITECTURE WAS HIGHLY SOPHISTICATED.

Narrator: PAUL THINKS THE WEIRD PATTERN

IS A SURPRISINGLY ADVANCED ANCIENT TECHNOLOGY

USED BY THE TIWANAKU USED TO PROTECT CROPS.

THESE CIRCLES REPRESENT SUCA COLIS,

ALSO KNOWN AS WARU WARUS.

WHAT WE'RE SEEING FROM THE IMAGE THAT'S FLAT ON TOP,

IT IS ACTUALLY COMPRISED OF A SERIES OF DITCHES

THAT ARE DUG FOR PURPOSES OF IRRIGATION,

FOR MANIPULATING THE CROPS FOR THE BEST POSSIBLE YIELD.

Narrator: DURING THE DAY, WATER IN THE WARU WARU'S DITCHES

ABSORBS ENERGY FROM THE SUN.

AT NIGHT, THE WATER RELEASES THIS HEAT,

RAISING THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE BY NEARLY 4 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT,

STOPPING THE CROPS FROM FREEZING.

THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS DID SOME RESEARCH,

AND THEY FOUND CROPS PRODUCED

UP TO THREE OR FOUR TIMES THE YIELD

OF A FIELD THAT DIDN'T HAVE THIS ANCIENT TECHNOLOGY.

Narrator: THANKS TO STRANGELY ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY LIKE THIS,

MORE THAN 5,000 YEARS AGO,

THE PEOPLE HERE CULTIVATE THE FIRST POTATOES.

GIVEN HOW EFFECTIVE THEY ARE, THE GOVERNMENT IN THIS AREA

IS NOW GIVING PEOPLE MONEY AND DIFFERENT INCENTIVES

TO REBUILD WARU WARUS.

Narrator: THIS ANCIENT TECHNOLOGY IS SO AHEAD OF ITS TIME,

THE GOVERNMENT HERE IS URGING MODERN FARMERS

TO ADOPT IT ONCE MORE.

WE TEND TO THINK OF OUR OWN EVOLUTION AS SOCIETIES

AS IMPROVING EVERYTHING ABOUT OUR QUALITY OF LIFE.

BUT WE SOMETIMES DON'T GIVE CREDIT TO OUR ANCESTORS

FOR HOW SOPHISTICATED THEY REALLY WERE.

**

Narrator: COMING UP...

UNEXPLAINED NOISES HAUNT A CITY.

NO ONE KNOWS WHAT'S CAUSING IT OR WHERE IT'S COMING FROM.

Narrator: AND SOMETHING BIG AND WEIRD IN RUSSIA.

I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT.

Narrator: SEPTEMBER 10, 2016.

THE WORLDVIEW-2 SATELLITE ORBITS HIGH ABOVE SOUTHWEST RUSSIA.

OVER THE CAUCASUS MOUNTAINS, IT CAPTURES THIS FEATURE.

Kourounis: THIS IMAGE IS BIZARRE.

A PERFECT CIRCLE

WITH A GEOMETRIC SHAPE OF CROSSING LINES IN THE CENTER.

I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT.

Narrator: SCALE ANALYSIS REVEALS

THE STRUCTURE IS ALMOST 2,000 FEET ACROSS.

TO HISTORIAN MIKE PAVELEC,

IT LOOKS SIMILAR TO WORLD-WAR-II INSTALLATIONS

HE'S SEEN IN THE U.S.

THERE'S AN OUTER RING,

AND THEN THERE ARE SPOKES THAT CRISSCROSS IN A CENTRAL HUB.

IT LOOKS LIKE IT MIGHT BE AN AIRFIELD.

IF THIS IS AN AIRFIELD, THEN BASICALLY THESE ARE RUNWAYS.

Narrator: PAVELEC REVEALS A CLUE TO THE STRANGE LAYOUT OF SUCH AIRFIELDS

COMES FROM THE LATTER PART OF THE WAR.

AT THIS POINT IN THE WAR BETWEEN THE NAZIS AND THE SOVIETS,

THE SOVIETS ARE HAVING A REAL PROBLEM.

THEIR PILOTS ARE GETTING SHOT OUT OF THE SKY

BY THE MORE ADVANCED, MORE EXPERIENCED GERMAN PILOTS.

Narrator: ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE NAZI INVASION INTO RUSSIA,

THE LUFTWAFFE DESTROY 1,800 SOVIET AIRCRAFT,

YET LOSE ONLY 63 OF THEIR OWN.

AS THE WAR PROGRESSES,

RUSSIAN FIGHTER-PLANE PRODUCTION ALMOST TRIPLES

TO OVER 40,000 PER YEAR BY 1944.

AND THE NEW PLANES NEED NEW PILOTS.

THE SOVIETS ARE HAVING TO RUSH PILOTS INTO THE WAR,

PUTTING THEM IN COCKPITS OF COMBAT AIRCRAFT

WITH VERY LITTLE TRAINING.

Narrator: ANALYSTS WONDER IF THE STRUCTURE IS ONE OF THESE SO-CALLED

WAGON WHEEL AIRFIELDS USED TO FAST-TRACK ROOKIE PILOTS.

THE MULTIPLE DIRECTIONS OF LANDING STRIPS WERE DESIGNED

SO THAT YOU CAN ALWAYS LAND WITH THE WIND,

AS OPPOSED TO CROSSWINDS.

SO THIS IS FOR, SORT OF, NEW PILOTS

WHO ARE JUST LEARNING HOW TO FLY.

Narrator: IMAGE ANALYST MARK D'ANTONIO

CASTS DOUBT ON THE AIRFIELD THEORY.

THESE OBJECTS HERE, THESE SPOKES, CAN'T BE RUNWAYS,

AND THE REASON IS BECAUSE THEY'RE TOO SHORT.

Narrator: D'ANTONIO WONDERS IF THE STRUCTURE'S ALTITUDE

AND GEOMETRIC SHAPE OFFER A CLUE.

D'Antonio: IT'S 3,000 FEET IN ELEVATION,

SO PERHAPS THIS IS SOME TYPE OF ASTRONOMICAL FACILITY.

Narrator: COLD-WAR ARCHIVES CONFIRM THAT THIS IS INDEED

A GIANT ASTRONOMICAL DEVICE -- A HUGE SPACE TELESCOPE.

WHAT MAKES IT EVEN WEIRDER IS WHY IT WAS BUILT.

THINK OF A GIANT MICROPHONE THAT'S AIMED UP TOWARDS SPACE

AND MOST OF THE TIME, WHAT WE'RE HEARING

IS NATURALLY OCCURRING RADIO WAVES

FROM QUASARS AND OTHER CELESTIAL OBJECTS.

BUT WHAT WE'RE HOPING TO HEAR IS SOMETHING THAT GIVES US A CLUE

THAT THERE MIGHT BE INTELLIGENT LIFE OUT THERE.

Narrator: OPERATIONAL FROM 1974, THE RATAN-600

IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S BIGGEST RADIO TELESCOPES.

[ COMPUTER WHIRRING ]

IT USES A VAST RING OF ADJUSTABLE REFLECTIVE PANELS

TO BOUNCE RADIO SIGNALS FROM SPACE

TOWARDS A CENTRAL RECEIVER.

ITS INCREDIBLE SIZE

ALLOWS IT TO SEARCH VAST AREAS OF THE UNIVERSE

FOR UNUSUAL SIGNALS.

THE SCALE OF THE IS PLACE IS IMMENSE --

895 REFLECTORS

SPREAD OUT ACROSS AN AREA THE SIZE OF 30 SOCCER FIELDS.

Narrator: WHEN IT WAS BUILT, THE IDEA THAT EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE MAY EXIST

WAS A FRINGE SCIENTIFIC BELIEF.

BUT TODAY, ASTRONOMERS THINK

THERE ARE BILLIONS OF OTHER SOLAR SYSTEMS LIKE OURS

AND TENS OF BILLIONS OF POTENTIALLY INHABITABLE PLANETS.

Mosher: BECAUSE SPACE IS A VERY, VERY LARGE REAL ESTATE,

GOVERNMENTS ALL OVER THE WORLD,

INCLUDING THE U.S., AS WELL AS RUSSIA, HAVE INVESTED MONEY

INTO LOOKING FOR EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE.

Narrator: THE RATAN-600 IS ABLE TO QUICKLY CHANGE ITS FREQUENCY

AND SCAN A HUGE RANGE OF SIGNALS FROM DEEP SPACE.

FOR FOUR DECADES, THE MASSIVE TELESCOPE SCOURS THE HEAVENS,

SEARCHING FOR ANYTHING UNUSUAL.

THIS TELESCOPE DIDN'T REALLY HAVE VERY MANY BIG DISCOVERIES,

NOT UNTIL 2015 WHEN IT MADE A DETECTION

THAT SEEMED TO BE COMING FROM A SPECIFIC STAR.

THIS SIGNAL LASTED 4 SECONDS AND WAS REALLY STRONG.

IT SPIKED HIGH ABOVE THE BACKGROUND NOISE.

[ FREQUENCY WARBLING ]

Narrator: THE SIGNAL APPEARS TO COME FROM A STAR

95 LIGHT-YEARS FROM EARTH.

FOR A SIGNAL OF THIS STRENGTH TO TRAVEL THIS FAR

RAISES ONE INCREDIBLE POSSIBILITY.

Mosher: IT HAS A QUALITY

THAT MIGHT JUST BE EXTRATERRESTRIAL INTELLIGENCE.

SO, THE FIRST THING YOU NORMALLY DO

WHEN YOU PICK UP A SIGNAL LIKE THIS

IS YOU ASK OTHER OBSERVATORIES TO LOOK AT IT, TOO.

Narrator: YET THE RUSSIANS CHOOSE NOT TO.

Lee: YOU ALWAYS WONDER

IF ONE PARTICULAR NATION FOUND EVIDENCE FIRST,

WOULD THEY REALLY SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH EVERYBODY ELSE,

OR WOULD THEY TRY TO SOMEHOW SIT ON IT?

Narrator: THE STAR THE SIGNAL COMES FROM IS ROUGHLY THE SIZE OF OUR SUN

AND HAS A PLANET IN ITS ORBIT.

WHEN THE STORY COMES TO LIGHT, MORE SPACE TELESCOPES ZERO IN

ON THE SOURCE OF THE MYSTERY TRANSMISSION.

INVESTIGATIONS ARE ONGOING.

THE RUSSIANS KEPT THIS SIGNAL SECRET

AND DIDN'T SHARE THE FINDINGS.

AND THERE'S TWO REASONS THEY MIGHT HAVE DONE THAT --

ONE IS THEY FELT REALLY UNSURE THAT IT WAS REAL,

AND THE OTHER WAS THAT THEY DIDN'T WANT TO SHARE

WHAT THEY HAD FOUND.

Narrator: COMING UP...

TERROR ON THE HIGH SEAS. [ WIND HOWLING ]

THESE WERE HORRIBLE PLACES.

THESE WERE FLOATING HELL SHIPS.

Narrator: AND EERIE SOUNDS FROM THE BLACK BURIAL GROUND.

THIS THING IS ONGOING, AND NOBODY KNOWS HOW TO STOP IT.

**

Narrator: 2019 --

THE CITY OF WINDSOR IN ONTARIO, CANADA,

A THRIVING METROPOLIS OF 330,000 PEOPLE.

YET FOR MANY HERE, LIFE HAS BECOME A WAKING NIGHTMARE.

Kourounis: WINDSOR RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN PLAGUED BY A MYSTERIOUS HUM.

NO ONE KNOWS WHAT'S CAUSING IT OR WHERE IT'S COMING FROM.

Narrator: LOCALS CALL THIS STRANGE DRONE "THE WINDSOR HUM."

THE HUM IS THIS REALLY LOW-FREQUENCY,

ALMOST BASS-Y SOUND.

[ HUMMING ]

Narrator: THE MYSTERY NOISE HAS BEEN TORMENTING CITY RESIDENTS

FOR OVER 8 YEARS.

VICTIMS COMPLAIN OF INSOMNIA, SICKNESS, AND DEPRESSION.

IF YOU CAN IMAGINE THIS ONGOING HUM KEEPING YOU AWAKE AT NIGHT,

MAKING YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE GOING CRAZY.

LOCALS ARE SPECULATING ABOUT WHAT THE CAUSE IS,

AND IT'S EVERYTHING FROM OIL DRILLING

TO COVERT TUNNELING FOR THE MILITARY,

BUT THEY STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT THE SOURCE IS.

Narrator: WINDSOR SITS JUST ACROSS THE ROUGE RIVER

FROM DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

INVESTIGATORS TURN TO SATELLITE IMAGES OF THE AREA

FOR CLUES TO THE WEIRD HUM.

THIS ISLAND GRABS THEIR ATTENTION.

IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S BEEN BURNED,

OR MAYBE THERE'S BEEN A TOXIC SPILL.

THERE'S ALMOST NO LIFE ON IT.

IT'S SUPER CREEPY.

YOU HAVE ROADS. YOU HAVE BUILDINGS.

NOTHING LOOKS UNUSUAL EXCEPT THE ISLAND ITSELF,

WHICH IS COMPLETELY BLACK.

COULD WHATEVER IT IS THAT'S TURNING THIS ISLAND BLACK

BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS HUMMING NOISE?

Narrator: LOCAL RECORDS REVEAL THE ISLAND USED TO BE MARSHLAND

AND HAS A BIZARRE HISTORY.

BEFORE EUROPEAN SETTLERS ARRIVED

AT THAT LOCATION IN THE 17th CENTURY,

THE AREA WAS INHABITED BY A LOCAL NATIVE TRIBE

CALLED THE THREE FIRES PEOPLE.

AND IT'S BELIEVED THAT THEY USED THE ISLAND FOR A BURIAL GROUND.

Narrator: DESPITE ITS MACABRE HISTORY,

EUROPEANS LAY CLAIM TO THE CADAVER-RIDDLED MARSH.

THE FRENCH START COLONIZING DETROIT IN THE 1700s,

AND IT BECOMES A BIG CENTER FOR FUR TRADING.

AND EVENTUALLY, A RAILROAD IS PUT THROUGH DETROIT,

AND IT CONTINUES GROWING, INDUSTRY STARTS THRIVING.

Narrator: THROUGHOUT THE 19th CENTURY,

ENTREPRENEURS FLOCKED TO THE CITY,

INCLUDING ONE NAMED SAMUEL ZUG.

Morgan: HE'S A PASSIONATE AND IDEALISTIC MAN.

THAT LEADS HIM ULTIMATELY INTO POLITICS,

AND HE EVENTUALLY EVEN BECOMES ONE OF THE FOUNDING MEMBERS

OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.

Narrator: ZUG BUYS THE ISLAND AT THE CENTER OF THE HUM MYSTERY

AND NAMES IT AFTER HIMSELF.

Merrit: ZUG COMES IN WITH ALL THESE BIG HOPES AND DREAMS

AND REALLY THINKS HE'S GOING TO ESTABLISH HIMSELF

AND MAKE THIS BIG MANSION ON ZUG ISLAND --

A BEAUTIFUL HOME FOR HIS WIFE.

Narrator: BUT A STENCH RISING FROM ZUG ISLAND'S BURIAL GROUNDS

FORCES HIM TO ABANDON HIS PLANS.

YOU BUILD SOMETHING ON A NATIVE AMERICAN BURIAL GROUND,

BAD THINGS SEEM TO HAPPEN.

SO, THE ISLAND IS EVENTUALLY SOLD

AND TURNED INTO AN INDUSTRIAL STEELWORKS

WITH A BLAST FURNACE AND A STEEL MILL ON IT.

Narrator: OVER THE FOLLOWING YEARS,

NUMEROUS INDUSTRIES SPRING UP NEARBY,

INCLUDING FORD'S ROUGE RIVER COMPLEX.

[ MACHINES GRINDING, CLANKING ]

WITH 120 MILES OF CONVEYORS AND A 100,000-STRONG WORKFORCE,

IT'S THE LARGEST FACTORY IN THE WORLD.

[ ENGINES IDLING ]

BUT PROSPERITY COMES AT A PRICE.

INDUSTRY AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY

IS PRETTY MUCH TOTALLY UNREGULATED.

ALL SORTS OF GUCK AND POLLUTION

AND THICK, BLACK, NASTY CARCINOGENIC SMOKE

IS BEING BILLOWED OUT ALL OVER THE PLACE.

Narrator: BY 1969, THE ROUGE RIVER, LIKE THE CUYAHOGA RIVER,

HAS BECOME SO POLLUTED, IT SPONTANEOUSLY CATCHES FIRE.

AND ZUG ISLAND TURNS SO BLACK, IT CAN BE SEEN FROM SPACE.

GIVEN EVERYTHING THIS ISLAND HAS BEEN THROUGH,

IT MAKES SENSE THAT THE PEOPLE HEARING THE WINDSOR HUM

MIGHT SUSPECT THAT THE SOUND IS COMING FROM THIS PLACE.

[ KEYBOARD CLACKING ]

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS ATTEMPT TO GAIN ACCESS TO ZUG ISLAND

TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY.

BUT THEY ENCOUNTER A PROBLEM.

Morgan: FIGURING OUT IF THIS IS THE SOURCE OF THE SOUND

SHOULD BE VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD,

BUT ZUG ISLAND IS PATROLLED BY SECURITY GUARDS

24 HOURS A DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK.

NO ONE FROM THE OUTSIDE IS EVER ALLOWED IN.

NO PHOTOGRAPHY IS PERMITTED.

IT MAKES YOU WONDER WHAT ELSE COULD BE GOING ON THERE.

Narrator: RECENTLY, THE HUM APPEARS TO BE GETTING LOUDER,

WITH PEOPLE REPORTING IT UP TO 90 MILES AWAY.

ITS CAUSE AND POSSIBLE LINK

TO THE HIGHLY SECURE BLACK ISLAND SEEN FROM SPACE

REMAIN ELUSIVE.

Morgan: THIS IS LIKE SOMETHING FROM A COLD-WAR SPY NOVEL.

YOU HAVE A MYSTERY ILLNESS THAT'S CREATED BY A SOUND

FROM AN UNEXPLAINED SOURCE

AND THEN THIS LOCATION THAT IS CLOAKED IN SECRECY.

Merrit: THIS THING IS ONGOING, AND IT'S STILL A MYSTERY.

NOBODY KNOWS HOW TO STOP IT, AND WHAT DO YOU DO?

YOU SUFFER.

**

Narrator: COMING UP...

PENAL HELL DOWN UNDER. [ GROANING, WOMAN SCREAMS ]

HE'D WAIT FOR THE TIDE TO COME IN,

AND AS IT COMES UP OVER THEIR BODY,

THEY SOON START TO TALK.

**

Narrator: 2014 --

300 MILES OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST OF AUSTRALIA.

AERIAL IMAGERY CAPTURES A STRANGE PATTERN

ON THE SHORELINE OF TASMANIA.

YOU CAN SEE THIS KIND OF ALMOST PERFECT GEOMETRIC GRID

LAID OUT ON THESE STONES.

Horton: THESE LINES ARE FASCINATING.

AT FIRST SIGHT, THEY LOOK REALLY MAN-MADE.

Narrator: GROUND-LEVEL SHOTS CONFIRM THE PRESENCE

OF A SET OF HIGHLY REGULAR SHAPES.

THE STONE STRUCTURES ARE FAMILIAR

TO ARCHAEOLOGIST KLINT JANULIS.

IT'S PLAUSIBLE THAT WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE

IS EVIDENCE OF AN ANCIENT TRAPPING METHOD,

AND THIS TRAPPING METHOD IS CALLED TIDAL TRAP SYSTEMS.

Narrator: ABORIGINAL TRIBES HAVE USED STONE TRAP SYSTEMS

TO HUNT FISH FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

THESE IN THE BARWON RIVER IN NEW SOUTH WALES

MAY BE THE OLDEST MAN-MADE STRUCTURES ON EARTH.

WHEN THE TIDE COMES IN, FISH WILL COME INTO THE TRAP,

AND THEY'LL FEED OFF YOUR BAIT THAT YOU'VE PUT IN,

AND WHEN THE TIDE ROLLS OUT, [ SEAGULLS SQUAWKING ]

YOU COME OUT AND COLLECT THE FISH.

Narrator: YET OTHERS BELIEVE THE SHAPES ARE TOO SYMMETRICAL

TO BE FISH TRAPS.

THEY CONSIDER IF THEY'RE CONNECTED

TO THE ISLAND'S DARK HISTORY.

SEEING THESE SQUARE STRUCTURES ON THE COAST OF TASMANIA,

THE QUESTION IS OBVIOUSLY,

COULD THESE BE THE REMAINS OF ONE OF THE PENAL COLONIES?

Narrator: IN THE LATE 1700s,

THE BRITISH EMPIRE LAYS CLAIM TO AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA

AND TURNS THEM INTO A DUMPING GROUND FOR CRIMINALS.

BETWEEN 1788 AND 1868, HUNDREDS OF SHIPS FERRY 164,000 BRITISH

AND IRISH CONVICTS DOWN UNDER.

EVEN THE PETTIEST OFFENSE COULD EARN YOU

A ONE-WAY TICKET TO PENAL HELL.

CROSSING A BRIDGE WITHOUT PAYING THE TOLL,

[CHUCKLES] STEALING SOME MILK, STRAIGHTFORWARD BURGLARY,

THESE COULD ALL SEE YOU LITERALLY CLAPPED IN CHAINS,

PUT ON A BOAT, AND SPENDING SEVERAL WEEKS

GOING TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD.

Narrator: CREW MEMBERS USE HOT IRONS TO BRAND PRISONERS --

AN ARROW ON THE PALM, MARKING THEM AS PENAL PROPERTY.

AND THE JOURNEY OUT TO AUSTRALIA WAS HORRENDOUS.

[ WIND HOWLING ]

PEOPLE STRAPPED TO CROSSES

AND FLOGGED TILL THEY WERE PRACTICALLY DEAD.

[ WHIP CRACKING ]

Narrator: THE FLOGGINGS CAN BE SO SEVERE,

THE GASHES EXPOSE THE BACKBONE.

SOME SHIPS FEATURE A COFFIN BATH,

WHERE THE WOUNDS OF LASHED INMATES

ARE SCRUBBED WITH SEAWATER.

THESE WERE HORRIBLE PLACES.

THESE WERE FLOATING HELL SHIPS.

Narrator: THE CELL-LIKE PATTERNS ARE LOCATED

NEAR ONE OF THE MOST NOTORIOUS CONVICT JAILS -- PORT ARTHUR.

PORT ARTHUR WAS WHERE SOME OF THE WORST PRISON CONVICTS

IN BRITAIN AND IRELAND WERE SENT.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MURDERERS AND RAPISTS.

THE REGIME THERE IS ABSOLUTELY BRUTAL.

MOST DAYS, YOU ARE WORKED UNTIL YOU DROP.

IT'S LIKE A CONCENTRATION CAMP. [ CHAINS RATTLE ]

Narrator: THE SYSTEMATIC ABUSE DRIVES MANY OF THE INMATES TO MADNESS,

FORCING AUTHORITIES TO OPEN AN ASYLUM NEXT DOOR.

ANALYSTS CONSIDER IF THE STRUCTURES IN THE IMAGE

ARE THE REMNANTS OF A PARTICULARLY VICIOUS

FORM OF TORTURE.

LET'S NOT FORGET THAT WATER

IS A REALLY GOOD PIECE OF TORTURE EQUIPMENT.

ONE WAY IN WHICH IT WAS USED WAS TO STAKE SOMEONE TO A BEACH

OR TO THE SHORE AND WAIT FOR THE TIDE TO COME IN,

AND AS IT COMES UP OVER THEIR BODY,

THEY SOON START TO TALK.

[ WATER SPLASHING ]

Narrator: HOWEVER, GEOLOGIST DEVIN DENNIE HAS A DIFFERENT THEORY.

HE THINKS THE WEIRD STRUCTURES MAY NOT BE ARTIFICIAL.

Dennie: WHEN WE SEE STRAIGHT LINES IN NATURE,

THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF ARE MAN-MADE WALLS

OR MAN-MADE FOUNDATIONS.

IN THIS CASE, THAT MAY NOT BE TRUE.

Narrator: OCCASIONALLY, THE EARTH'S GEOLOGICAL FORCES CONSPIRE

TO CREATE BIZARRE SYMMETRICAL PATTERNS.

DENNIE SUSPECTS THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS HERE.

Dennie: IT'S NATURE'S DECORATION.

IN THIS AREA, THIS ROCK UNDERWENT CERTAIN STRESSES,

AND IT BROKE INTO PIECES IN A VERY PREDICTABLE WAY.

Narrator: THESE GEOLOGIC STRESSES CREATE A SEEMINGLY MAN-MADE PATTERN

OF LINES IN THE ROCK.

Dennie: WE CALL THOSE LINES JOINTS,

AND THESE JOINTS FORM RECTANGULAR PATTERNS

THAT CAN REPEAT OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

Narrator: SEA WATER WASHES OVER THE PATTERN,

AND AS IT EVAPORATES,

THE SALT CRYSTALS ERODE THE ROCK MORE THAN THE JOINTS.

OVER MILLENNIA, THIS SALT EROSION

GRADUALLY CREATES DEPRESSIONS IN THE ROCK'S SURFACE,

FORMING THESE BIZARRE SYMMETRICAL TILES.

Dennie: WE CALL THIS A TESSELLATED PAVEMENT,

AND THE WORD "TESSELLATED" ACTUALLY COMES FROM THE WORD

THAT DESCRIBES OLD ROMAN TILES.

Narrator: AN INCREDIBLY RARE PHENOMENON FASHIONED OVER MILLIONS OF YEARS

CAPTURED FROM SPACE.

Dennie: WHAT I REALLY LIKE ABOUT THIS IS HOW IT SHOWCASES

HOW NATURE CREATES THE WONDERFUL VARIETY OF LANDSCAPES

WE HAVE HERE ON EARTH.