All language subtitles for What.on.Earth.S06E06.1080p.DSCP.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-BTN_track3_[eng]

Narrator:
THEY'RE WATCHING YOU.

MORE THAN 4,000 SATELLITES
CIRCLE THE EARTH.

EVERY DAY, THEY UNCOVER NEW,
MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA

THAT DEFY EXPLANATION.

[ BEEPING, DISTORTED MUSIC ]

NUCLEAR FALLOUT, USA...

HEY, CHRIS.
YEAH?

YOU SEE THAT?

THAT'S NOT
SUPPOSED TO BE THERE.

...THE GIANT ICE SNAKE
AT THE END OF THE WORLD...

WHATEVER THIS IS, IT'S MOVING.

Narrator: ...AND THE SECRET LAIR
OF THE CRAZY WAR ELEPHANTS.

THEY WERE A TOOL OF SHOCK
AND AWE --

THE MOST TERRIFYING SIGHT.

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

**

MARCH 6, 2017.

HIGH ABOVE THE ARIZONA SANDS,

AN EARTH OBSERVATION SATELLITE
SPIES SOMETHING FAR BELOW.

THIS IS COMPLETELY STRANGE.

A WHOLE AREA THAT'S COVERED
IN SCRUB BRUSH,

AND THEN THERE IS VERY CLEARLY
WHAT LOOKS TO BE AN "X."

**

Narrator:
THE WEIRD "X" LIES IN A CORNER

OF THE VAST SONORAN DESERT.

[ BIRD CAWS ]

IT MAY SOUND SILLY,
BUT TO ME, THIS "X"

LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING MARKING
SOME KIND OF BURIED TREASURE.

Morgan:
BUT THIS IS THE 21st CENTURY.

THERE CAN'T POSSIBLY BE
BURIED TREASURE OUT THERE

WAITING TO BE DISCOVERED
ON THE DESERT FLOOR IN ARIZONA.

OR COULD THERE?

**

Narrator:
JOURNALIST CARLO MUNOZ IS HOOKED

BY THE STRANGE DESERT "X."

HE'S TRAVELED TO ARIZONA
TO TRY TO DECODE IT.

Munoz:
IT'S JUST THE STRANGEST THING.

WHAT I'M HOPING
IS WE CAN GET A CLOSER LOOK

TO FIND OUT WHAT IS GOING ON.

**

Narrator:
TO REACH THE SITE IN THE IMAGE,

MUNOZ NEEDS
TO TAKE TO THE SKIES.

**

HOW YOU DOING,
MAN?

YOU MUST BE CARLO.
ABSOLUTELY.

GOOD TO MEET YOU, MAN.
NICE TO MEET YOU.

**

[ ENGINE STARTS ]

**

SKYHAWK 21272
DEPARTING RUNWAY 5.

WE'RE GONNA TURN
TO THE SOUTH.

**

THE SONORAN DESERT
COVERS 100,000 SQUARE MILES.

HEY, CHRIS, ABOUT HOW FAR OUT
ARE WE FROM THE SITE?

OH, I THINK WE'RE ABOUT
TWO MINUTES OR SO.

YET, AS MUNOZ APPROACHES
THE CROSS,

THE MYSTERY TAKES A TWIST.

HEY, CHRIS.
YEAH?

YOU SEE THAT?

**

THAT'S NOT
SUPPOSED TO BE THERE.

THE WEIRD "X" IS NOT ALONE.

THERE'S ACTUALLY --
THERE'S ANOTHER ONE DOWN THERE.

**

THAT IS SO STRANGE.

I CAN'T FIGURE IT OUT.

CAN WE GET DOWN
AND TAKE A CLOSER LOOK?

**

MUNOZ CROSS-REFERENCES
WHAT HE SAW FROM THE AIR

WITH MAPS AND SATELLITE IMAGES
OF THE WIDER AREA.

IT SEEMS LIKE THESE X's
ARE ABOUT A MILE APART.

YOU HAVE THEM HERE,
HERE, HERE, HERE, AND HERE.

IT'S REALLY WEIRD.

Narrator:
WHAT MUNOZ FINDS IS BIZARRE.

DOZENS OF X's LITTER 250
SQUARE MILES OF ARIZONA DESERT.

I NEED TO GET OUT ON THE GROUND,

TAKE A HARD LOOK
AT ONE OF THESE CROSSES

TO FIGURE OUT
EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING ON.

**

Narrator: THE U.S. AIR FORCE
USES THIS DESERT

FOR BOMBING PRACTICE.

YET, IF THE CROSSES
MUNOZ SPOTTED ARE TARGETS,

THEY DON'T SIT WITHIN
OFFICIAL MILITARY RANGES.

**

I'M LOOKING AROUND HERE,
AND I'M NOT SEEING MUCH.

IT'S PRETTY BARREN.

IT'S HOT.

IT'S REALLY, REALLY HOT.

**

OH, MAN. THERE IT IS.

**

WOW.

JUST KIND OF
CAME RIGHT UP ON IT.

IT'S A LOT BIGGER
THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE.

Narrator: EACH CROSS
IS 60 FEET IN DIAMETER

AND APPEARS TO BE CONSTRUCTED

FROM SIX-INCH-THICK
REINFORCED CONCRETE.

**

GEEZ.

THIS IS HEAVY-DUTY STUFF.

YOU'RE NOT GONNA MISS
THIS THING,

NOT FROM A PLANE IN THE SKY.

YOU'RE NOT GONNA MISS THIS THING
FROM OUTER SPACE.

Narrator:
FOR MUNOZ, THE SIZE, NUMBER,

AND SPREAD OF THE DESERT CROSSES
POINT TO ONE THING.

ALL THE CLUES HERE
THAT I'M SEEING

POINT TO THIS BEING
A SATELLITE CALIBRATION TARGET.

Narrator:
SATELLITE CALIBRATION TARGETS

ARE STRUCTURES USED
TO FINELY TUNE CAMERAS IN SPACE,

YET THIS PATTERN IS UNLIKE
ANY MODERN DESIGN.

GOT SOME WRITING ON HERE.

"U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS.

STATION DESIGNATION...

1966."

1966 -- THAT'S THE HEIGHT
OF THE COLD WAR.

**

AND IF THIS IS A SATELLITE
CALIBRATION TARGET...

**

...THIS HAS TO BE
THE CORONA SATELLITE PROGRAM.

Narrator: CORONA IS
THE WORLD'S FIRST SPY SATELLITE.

IT'S A PROGRAM BORNE OUT OF

ONE OF THE MOST DRAMATIC EVENTS
OF THE COLD WAR.

**

Morgan: ON MAY 1, 1960,
A U-2, A SPY PLANE,

WAS BEING OPERATED
BY FRANCIS GARY POWERS

OVER SVERDLOVSK,
PART OF THE SOVIET UNION.

**

AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS INTERCEPTED

BY AN SA-2 GUIDELINE
SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILE.

**

POWERS PARACHUTED TO SAFETY,
LANDED ON SOVIET SOIL,

AND WAS TAKEN PRISONER
BY THE SOVIET UNION.

**

Narrator:
POWERS' ARREST AND INTERROGATION

AT THE HANDS OF THE KGB

IS A HUGE EMBARRASSMENT
FOR AMERICA.

Morgan: AFTER THE U-2 SPY PLANE
INCIDENT IN 1960,

THE U.S. GOVERNMENT DECIDES
TO MOVE THESE ESPIONAGE

AND INTELLIGENCE-GATHERING
OPERATIONS INTO SPACE,

AND THAT IS THE GENESIS
OF THE CORONA SATELLITE PROGRAM.

**

Narrator: ON AUGUST 18, 1960,
A CORONA SATELLITE CAPTURES

THIS PHOTOGRAPH OF THE SOVIETS'
MYS SCHMIDTA AIRFIELD,

THE FIRST SPY IMAGE
FROM SPACE IN HISTORY.

**

Morgan: SATELLITES WOULD
JETTISON THEIR EXPOSED FILM,

WHICH WOULD THEN BEGIN FALLING
BACK TO EARTH BY PARACHUTE

AND THEN BE COLLECTED
BY AN AIRCRAFT IN FLIGHT.

**

Narrator:
YET THE FIRST CORONA IMAGES

HAVE A RESOLUTION OF 40 FEET,

MAKING FORENSIC ANALYSIS OF
ENEMY ASSETS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE.

Baker: ANYBODY OTHER THAN
A TRAINED PHOTO INTERPRETER

WOULD LOOK AT THESE IMAGES
FROM BACK THEN

AND HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT IS
THAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT.

Narrator: THE MILITARY POURS
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS

INTO CAMERA TECHNOLOGY,
AND WITHIN 36 MONTHS,

IMAGE RESOLUTION
INCREASES FOUR-FOLD.

HOWEVER, THIS PRESENTS COLD WAR
ANALYSTS WITH ANOTHER CHALLENGE.

Munoz: THE PROBLEM WITH
THE CORONA SATELLITES WERE

THEY DIDN'T PROVIDE
ANY KIND OF IDEA OF SIZE

OR SCOPE
OF THE PICTURES IT WAS TAKING.

**

Narrator: IN 1966,
ARMY ENGINEERS BEGIN INSTALLING

OVER 270 CONCRETE CROSSES
IN THIS DESERT.

THE CORONA CALIBRATION MARKS

WERE TO BE PRECISELY
ONE MILE APART,

OFF BY NO MORE
THAN THE WIDTH OF A PENCIL.

THAT WOULD THEN MAKE IT POSSIBLE
FOR THEM

TO CALCULATE VERY ACCURATE
DISTANCES AND LENGTHS

AND SIZES OF FEATURES ON
THE GROUND IN THE SOVIET UNION.

**

Narrator:
THE NEW CORONA IMAGES REVEAL

THE SOVIETS
HAVE BEEN EXAGGERATING

THEIR MILITARY ARSENAL.

U.S. FEARS OF RUSSIAN SUPREMACY
SUBSIDE,

AND THE COLD WAR BEGINS TO THAW.

[ CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICKING ]

Munoz:
IF YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT IT,

THESE CROSSES
PLAYED A LARGE ROLE

IN PREVENTING NUCLEAR WAR
FROM BREAKING OUT

BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES
AND SOVIET UNION.

Narrator: WHEN THE C.I.A.
RETIRES THE CORONA SATELLITE

IN 1972,
THE PROGRAM HAS FILMED

520 MILLION SQUARE MILES
OF OUR PLANET

AND CHANGED THE COURSE
OF HUMAN HISTORY.

**

Munoz: THESE X's MARKED THE
BEGINNING OF THE SATELLITE AGE.

TO BE HERE AND BE ABLE TO TOUCH
SOMETHING OF THAT SIGNIFICANCE

IS REALLY SOMETHING.

**

[ BEEPING ]

Narrator: COMING UP, MANIAC
STALIN'S MADCAP MEGA-MISTAKE...

THE SCALE IS MAMMOTH.

WE'RE TALKING HUNDREDS OF MILES.

Narrator: ...AND SLAVES
FOR THE PRICE OF SOME FISH.

YOU'VE LOST CONTROL
OVER YOUR OWN LIFE.

YOU HAVE TO OBEY
WHATEVER YOU'RE TOLD.

[ STATIC ]

[ STATIC ]

**

Narrator:
FEBRUARY 26, 2017 --

AS THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION ORBITS

HIGH OVER SOUTHWEST RUSSIA,

AN ASTRONAUT PHOTOGRAPHS THIS
IN THE TERRAIN BELOW.

**

THIS IS FASCINATING.

YOU HAVE THESE VERY GEOMETRIC
LINES IN A FIELD OF SNOW.

IT LOOKS ALMOST LIKE SOMEBODY
DRAGGED A RAKE ACROSS IT,

BUT WE'RE SEEING IT FROM SPACE.

THAT WOULD BE ONE BIG RAKE.

**

Narrator: CLOSER ANALYSIS
PROVIDES A POSSIBLE THEORY.

Joyce:
AS I SCROLL ALONG IT,

I SEE SOMETHING THAT MIGHT BE
A PIPELINE OR SOMETHING

THAT IS CONVEYING MATERIAL
FROM ONE END TO THE OTHER.

Narrator: COULD IT BE
TRANSPORTING CRUDE OIL?

AFTER SAUDI ARABIA,

RUSSIA IS THE WORLD'S
BIGGEST EXPORTER OF BLACK GOLD.

THE TROUBLE IS,
RUSSIA'S OIL ISN'T HERE.

ANALYSTS SEARCH
FOR OTHER EXPLANATIONS.

A SEPTEMBER 2008 NEWS REPORT

PROVIDES A BIZARRE
POSSIBLE CLUE.

**

THEY'VE ACTUALLY FOUND
ILLEGAL PIPELINES THERE

THAT THEY BELIEVE
MAY HAVE BEEN USED

TO PUMP VODKA ACROSS THE BORDER.

**

Narrator:
ACCORDING TO SOME REPORTS,

THE AVERAGE RUSSIAN
DRINKS THE EQUIVALENT

OF 32 PINTS OF PURE ALCOHOL
EVERY YEAR.

IT'S BELIEVED THAT AS MUCH
AS 50% OF IT MIGHT BE ILLEGAL.

THAT'S A STAGGERING NUMBER.

**

Narrator:
ILLEGAL VODKA CAN CONTAIN

EVERYTHING FROM RUBBING ALCOHOL
AND AFTERSHAVE

TO CLEANING FLUID.

IN ONE 2016 INCIDENT,

62 RUSSIANS DIE AFTER DRINKING
THIS POISONED MOONSHINE.

Morgan: ILLEGAL VODKA REPRESENTS
A SIGNIFICANT HEALTH RISK.

IT'S BELIEVED THAT THE LIFE-SPAN
OF THE AVERAGE RUSSIAN MALE

IS 10 YEARS LESS THAN
THE LIFE-SPAN

OF THE AVERAGE AMERICAN MALE.

Narrator: NEIGHBORING KAZAKHSTAN
IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S

BIGGEST PRODUCERS OF GRAIN,
THE KEY INGREDIENT IN VODKA.

Morgan: IN KAZAKHSTAN,
THERE'S NOT SO MUCH DEMAND

FOR THE ALCOHOL
BECAUSE THEY ARE MUSLIM.

IN RUSSIA, BY GOD,
THERE'S A LOT OF DEMAND.

MAYBE WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE
IS AN ILLICIT VODKA PIPELINE

USED TO SMUGGLE KAZAK VODKA
INTO MOTHER RUSSIA.

Narrator: YET,
WHEN DigitalGlobe'S KEN JOYCE

APPLIES INFRARED TECHNOLOGY
TO THE STRANGE LINES,

THE MYSTERY DEEPENS.

WHAT I SEE HERE IS THAT
OUR LINEAR OBJECT IS, IN FACT,

MADE UP OF THREE LINES
OF VEGETATION,

WHICH IS EVIDENCE
THAT THESE ARE TREES.

Narrator:
THE MYSTERY FORMATION IS MADE UP

OF 2,500-FOOT-WIDE BELTS
OF ZIG-ZAGGING FOREST.

THE SCALE OF THIS PROJECT
IS MAMMOTH.

WE'RE TALKING MILLIONS OF TREES

STRETCHING FOR
HUNDREDS OF MILES.

Narrator: CLIMATOLOGIST
RANDY CERVENY HAS A THEORY.

Cerveny: WHEN WE SEE
THESE KIND OF LINES OF TREES,

ONE OF THE FIRST IDEAS
THAT I THINK OF

IS SOMETHING
THAT'S CALLED GEOENGINEERING.

Narrator: GEOENGINEERING IS
A LARGE-SCALE INTERVENTION

IN OUR PLANET'S CLIMATE SYSTEM.

TREE PLANTING
HAS DIFFERENT POTENTIAL ASPECTS

FOR CHANGING THE CLIMATE.

IT'S GOING TO BREAK THE WIND
SO THAT WHEN YOU PLOW THE FIELD,

THE WIND'S NOT GONNA BE ABLE
TO CARRY YOUR TOPSOIL

AND CARRY IT AWAY.

Narrator: THERE ARE NO CURRENT
GEOENGINEERING PROJECTS

IN THE AREA,

BUT POST-WORLD WAR II
SOVIET RECORDS YIELD A CLUE.

**

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

ON OCTOBER 20, 1948,

JOSEPH STALIN ANNOUNCES
THE GREAT PLAN

FOR THE TRANSFORMATION
OF NATURE.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE CONTINUE ]

THE DESPOTIC LEADER HOPES
THIS MASS TREE-PLANTING SCHEME

WILL MAKE FARMING POSSIBLE

ON THE VAST,
WINDSWEPT RUSSIAN STEPPES.

STALIN'S PROPAGANDA
TRIED TO MAKE PEOPLE BELIEVE

THAT HE WAS GONNA TURN
THESE ARID STEPPES,

THESE NEAR-DESERTS,

INTO BOUNTEOUS PLACES
LIKE THE GARDEN OF EDEN.

Narrator: AT THE TIME,

MILLIONS OF STALIN'S SUBJECTS
ARE STARVING,

BUT THAT'S ONLY BECAUSE OF
ANOTHER INHUMAN COMMUNIST SCHEME

FROM TWO DECADES EARLIER.

**

WHEN THE COMMUNISTS
SEIZE CONTROL IN RUSSIA

AND TURN IT
INTO THE SOVIET UNION,

ONE OF THE THINGS THEY DO IS
TO COLLECTIVIZE ALL THE FARMS,

SO EVERY SMALL HOLDING,
EVERY LITTLE FARM,

THEY ALL GET MERGED INTO

ONE MASSIVE
SOVIET AGRICULTURAL UNIT.

**

Narrator: COUNTLESS FARMERS
ARE MURDERED BY THE COMMUNISTS,

THEIR LAND CONFISCATED, AND
FOOD PRICES REDUCED BY DECREE.

AND SO THE RESULT
IS THAT COLLECTIVIZATION

CREATES COLLECTIVE FARMS
THAT FAIL.

**

Narrator: CRIPPLED BY
PRE-EXISTING FOOD SHORTAGES,

DROUGHT,
AND THE OUTBREAK OF WAR,

COLLECTIVIZATION PLUNGES
SOVIET RUSSIA INTO FAMINE.

FIVE MILLION RUSSIANS DIE.

Walters: THESE ARE SOME OF
THE WORST FAMINES

THAT MANKIND HAS EVER ENDURED.

**

Narrator:
STALIN POURS PRECIOUS RESOURCES

INTO PLANTING 3,000-MILE-LONG
BELTS OF TREES.

THIS SOCIALIST PLOY IS MEANT
TO REVERSE THE FAMINE

BY BLOCKING DESERT WINDS
FROM THE SOUTHEAST.

HOWEVER, THE COMMUNIST PLANNERS
OVERLOOK ONE CRUCIAL DETAIL.

Cerveny:
ONE OF THE PROBLEMS

WHEN YOU DESIGN SOMETHING
THAT LOOKS GOOD ON PAPER

THEN TRY TO PUT IT
OUT IN THE FIELD

IS YOU SOMETIMES FORGET ABOUT
SOME OF THE THINGS

THAT YOU MIGHT NEED --
IN THIS CASE, WATER.

Narrator:
IN THIS REGION,

ONLY 12 INCHES OF RAIN FALLS
EACH YEAR,

AND BY 1954,
OVER HALF THE TREES ARE DEAD.

STALIN'S SCHEME IS ABANDONED,

BUT THE REMNANT OF HIS INSANE
PLAN REMAINS VISIBLE FROM SPACE.

IT'S HUGE, IT'S IMMENSE,

AND ULTIMATELY, IT'S A FAILURE,
JUST LIKE COMMUNISM.

JOSEPH STALIN TOOK ON NATURE,
AND NATURE WON.

**

[ BEEPING ]

Narrator: COMING UP,

STRANGE STRUCTURES
IN A LAND OF LEGENDS...

Horton:
THERE'S A STRONG ASSOCIATION

WITH THE MYTHICAL RULER
KING ARTHUR.

[ HORSE NEIGHS ]

Narrator: ...AND ASTRONAUTS
GO NUTS IN THE ANTARCTIC.

[ WIND WHISTLING ]

PEOPLE UNDERGO STRICT
PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING

BEFORE THEY CAN EVEN BE POSTED
TO THESE KIND OF PLACES.

[ STATIC ]

[ STATIC ]

Narrator:
MARCH 30, 2010.

400 MILES ABOVE
THE JORDANIAN DESERT,

A SATELLITE CAPTURES THIS IMAGE.

**

Man: WE'VE GOT WHAT LOOKS LIKE
A VERY LARGE RING.

IT'S KIND OF
A LITTLE BIT CROOKED,

AND IT SEEMS TO HAVE A ROAD
RUNNING THROUGH IT.

Narrator: THE STRUCTURE'S
LOCATION AND CRUMBLING WALL

OFFER CLUES.

Paul:
THIS STRUCTURE IS LIKELY ANCIENT

JUST DUE TO THE DEPTH OF HISTORY
IN THIS PART OF THE MIDDLE EAST.

PEOPLE OFTEN BUILD
CIRCULAR WALLS

TO KEEP SOMETHING IN
OR TO KEEP SOMETHING OUT.

**

BUT WHAT WOULD
THOSE SOMETHINGS BE?

**

ONE POSSIBILITY
IS THAT THIS REPRESENTS

A SORT OF ANIMAL ENCLOSURE.

[ BEEPING ]

Narrator:
SCALE ANALYSIS REVEALS

THE ANCIENT STRUCTURE
IS 1,300 FEET IN DIAMETER,

MUCH BIGGER THAN ENCLOSURES
FOR FARM ANIMALS.

**

THE STRAIGHT ROAD
RUNNING THROUGH THE CIRCLE

COULD MEAN IT ONCE CONTAINED
A DIFFERENT KIND OF BEAST.

Janulis: LOOKING BACK AT
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORD,

WE FIND OUT THAT
THE ROAD RUNNING THROUGH THIS

IS ACTUALLY A ROMAN ROAD.

**

Narrator:
IN 64 BC, THE ROMANS CONQUER

SYRIA, PALESTINE, AND JORDAN.

**

FOR THEIR VICTORIOUS ARMIES,

THE MOST VALUABLE SPOILS OF WAR
ARE HUMANS.

WHEREVER THE ROMANS GO,

WHEN THEY CONQUER PEOPLE,
THEY ENSLAVE VAST POPULATIONS.

Narrator: THE ROMAN EMPIRE
IS ALMOST ENTIRELY BUILT

ON THE BACKBREAKING LABOR
OF ITS SLAVES,

OFTEN CAPTURED
AS PRISONERS OF WAR.

RECORDS INDICATE
THAT THE ROMANS ENSLAVE

AS MANY AS 10 MILLION PEOPLE,

MANY FROM COUNTRIES
SUCH AS JORDAN.

**

Hunt:
IT'S ENTIRELY POSSIBLE

THAT THE ROMANS
GATHERED PEOPLES TOGETHER

WHOM THEY'D ENSLAVED

AND PUT THEM TEMPORARILY
IN ENCLOSURES LIKE THIS.

**

Narrator: AT SLAVE MARKETS,
FOR THE PRICE OF A FEW FISH,

YOU CAN OWN A HUMAN BEING
FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIFE.

Hunt: SOLDIERS ARE NOT
THE BEST SLAVE KEEPERS

BECAUSE SOLDIERS
ARE USED TO VIOLENCE,

AND THE LIFE OF A SLAVE

WOULD BE TERRIBLE
UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES,

BUT IN A DESERT,
IT WOULD BE DIRE INDEED.

Narrator: ROMAN SLAVE SKELETONS
DISPLAY EVIDENCE

OF CHRONIC ARTHRITIS,
DEFORMED BONES,

AND SEVERE MALNUTRITION.

**

YET, WHEN ARCHAEOLOGIST MARK
HORTON RETURNS TO THE IMAGE,

HE REVEALS THIS CAN'T BE
A ROMAN STRUCTURE.

THE ROMANS WERE RESPECTFUL
OF NOTHING.

WHEN THEY BUILT THEIR ROADS,
THEY BUILT THEM FROM "A" TO "B,"

AND ANYTHING WAS IN THE WAY
WAS DEMOLISHED.

THE ROAD GOES STRAIGHT THROUGH
THE MIDDLE OF IT,

SO, CLEARLY, THIS ENCLOSURE MUST
DATE TO BEFORE THE ROMAN PERIOD.

Narrator: HORTON CONSIDERS
IF THE STRUCTURE IS A LEGACY

OF ANOTHER VAST EMPIRE
THAT RULED THIS REGION

BEFORE THE ROMAN CONQUEST.

Horton: THE GREAT CAMPAIGN
OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT

MOVED ACROSS THIS LANDSCAPE,

AND AFTER THE FRAGMENTATION
OF HIS EMPIRE WITH HIS DEATH,

THERE WERE A SERIES OF WARS TO
CONTROL THIS PART OF THE WORLD.

Narrator:
HISTORIC ACCOUNTS INDICATE

THE GENERAL WHO ACQUIRES THE
AREA IN THE IMAGE IS SELEUCUS,

A BATTLE-HARDENED VETERAN

OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT'S
ALL-CONQUERING ARMY.

**

IN 305 BC,

SELEUCUS ANNOUNCES PLANS
TO EXPAND HIS FLEDGLING EMPIRE.

AND HE NEEDS BIG STRUCTURES LIKE
THIS ONE FOR HIS SECRET WEAPON.

**

Hunt: SELEUCUS WAS KNOWN
AS THE MASTER OF ELEPHANTS

BECAUSE HE CONCENTRATED ON
WAR ELEPHANTS IN BATTLE.

Horton: ONE POSSIBILITY IS THAT
THESE CIRCULAR ENCLOSURES

ARE ACTUALLY COMPOUNDS
FOR THESE WAR ELEPHANTS.

[ ELEPHANT TRUMPETS ]

Narrator:
INDIAN KINGS FIRST WEAPONIZED

THE 11,000-POUND ANIMALS
MORE THAN 2,500 YEARS AGO.

EVEN ADORNED IN ARMOR,

THE PIMPED PACHYDERMS CAN CHARGE
AT NEARLY 25 MILES PER HOUR.

Hunt: OUT OF THIS DUST
COMES THESE GARGANTUAN BEASTS

TRUMPETING, WITH THEIR TUSKS
SHARPENED TO GORE.

Narrator: ANCIENT TEXTS REVEAL
SOME ELEPHANTS CARRY IRON SPIKES

AND RAISED PLATFORMS FOR
ARCHERS AND JAVELIN THROWERS.

WAR ELEPHANTS WERE USED
RATHER LIKE TANKS.

[ INDISTINCT SHOUTING ]

THEY WERE A TOOL OF SHOCK
AND AWE.

THEY MUST'VE BEEN
THE MOST TERRIFYING SIGHT.

Narrator: BUT THE FOUR-LEGGED
FORTRESSES HAVE A KRYPTONITE...

**

...THE FLAMING WAR PIG.

COATED IN FLAMMABLE RESIN,
THE SOUND OF THE SQUEALING HOG

SPREADS TERROR
AMONG THE ELEPHANT RANKS.

A PANICKED WAR ELEPHANT CAN DO
AS MUCH DAMAGE AS GOOD.

SOMETIMES, WAR ELEPHANTS,

CONFUSED BY
THE SOUNDS OF BATTLE,

WOULD TURN ON THEIR OWN RANKS

AND GORE THE SOLDIERS
THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT.

Narrator:
YET OTHERS DOUBT THIS WAS BUILT

TO CONTAIN
A HERD OF WARRIOR ELEPHANTS.

IT'S UNLIKELY THAT THIS WAS
A TRAINING PEN FOR WAR ELEPHANTS

BECAUSE A SINGLE ELEPHANT

REQUIRES UPWARDS OF 50 GALLONS
OF WATER PER DAY.

THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE NOT
GONNA FIND EASILY

IN THE DESERT IN JORDAN.

Narrator: WHEN ARCHAEOLOGISTS
ARRIVE AT THE STRUCTURE,

THEY FIND ARTIFACTS THAT SUGGEST

PARTS OF IT
ARE MORE THAN 4,000 YEARS OLD.

**

YET ITS PURPOSE
REMAINS A MYSTERY.

THE PROBLEM IS THAT WE HAVE
VERY FEW WRITTEN RECORDS

FROM PRE-HISTORY,
SO WE'RE AT A LOSS.

**

[ BEEPING ]

Narrator: COMING UP, A MYSTERY
AT THE END OF THE WORLD...

WHATEVER THIS IS, IT'S MOVING.

Narrator: ...AND SEEN FROM SPACE
IN THE LAND OF CAMELOT.

ACCORDING TO LEGEND, THIS IS
WHERE KING ARTHUR REIGNED.

[ STATIC ]

[ STATIC ]

Narrator:
NOVEMBER 28, 2016.

HIGH ABOVE ANTARCTICA,

THE $850 MILLION
PLEIADES SATELLITE SYSTEM

CAPTURES THIS IMAGE.

**

WHAT WE SHOULD BE SEEING HERE
IS JUST PLAIN ICE,

AND WHAT I SEE IS A BLACK STREAK
OF A STRAIGHT LINE.

WHAT COULD THIS POSSIBLY BE?

**

IT SEEMS ALMOST AS IF
SOMEONE HAS DRIPPED BLACK PAINT

ACROSS SOME VAST
WHITE POLAR LANDSCAPE.

**

Narrator:
PERHAPS THE CONTINENT'S GEOLOGY

OFFERS A CLUE.

Schuttler: MAYBE IT'S, LIKE,
SOME SORT OF ROCK FORMATION.

EVEN THOUGH ANTARCTICA
IS MOSTLY MADE OF ICE,

THERE'S ACTUALLY SOME
INTERESTING ROCK FORMATIONS

ON THE CONTINENT.

**

Narrator: IN SOME PLACES,
GIANT MOUNTAIN RANGES

UP TO 16,000 FEET HIGH BREACH

THE 5 1/2 MILLION-SQUARE-MILE
ICE SHEET.

BUT RECORDS REVEAL
THIS CAN'T EXPLAIN THE IMAGE.

**

THIS PARTICULAR PART
OF ANTARCTICA

DOESN'T HAVE
A LOT OF MOUNTAINTOPS.

**

THE ROCKS ARE ALL COVERED
BY TREMENDOUSLY THICK ICE.

**

Narrator:
ALAN LESTER CONSIDERS

IF THE WEIRD STREAK
MIGHT HAVE A CELESTIAL ORIGIN.

EVER SINCE THE LATE 1960s
OR EARLY 1970s,

ANTARCTICA HAS BEEN KNOWN

AS A LITERAL TREASURE TROVE
FOR METEORITE HUNTERS.

CERTAINLY, DARK ROCKS SHOW UP
WELL AGAINST THE ANTARCTIC ICE.

THESE COULD WELL BE METEORITES.

Narrator:
IN ANTARCTICA, GLACIERS CREATE

A KIND OF METEORITE
CONVEYER BELT,

CONCENTRATING THEM
INTO SPACE-ROCK TREASURE TROVES.

THEY WORK THEIR WAY
DOWN VALLEYS,

WHERE THEY ARE EXPOSED
EVENTUALLY BY MELTING

AND ALSO WIND EROSION.

Narrator:
METEORITES CAN BE WORTH

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS
AND BE BILLIONS OF YEARS OLD.

SOME OF THEM ARE LITERALLY
PRIMORDIAL MATERIAL

THAT THE SOLAR SYSTEM
FORMED OUT OF.

THEY'RE PIECES THAT HAVE BEEN
EJECTED OFF OF PLANETARY BODIES

LIKE THE MOON AND MARS.

**

Narrator: BUT WHEN INVESTIGATORS
TURN TO HISTORICAL DATA,

THE MYSTERY DEEPENS.

Kourounis:
HERE'S THE THING.

OBSERVING THIS AREA
OVER MULTIPLE DAYS

SHOWS US THAT WHATEVER THIS IS,
IT'S MOVING.

**

Narrator: ANALYSTS RE-EXAMINE
THE LATEST IMAGERY.

SO, WHAT WE CAN SEE IN THE IMAGE

NOW THAT WE HAVE
THE HIGH RESOLUTION

IS A SERIES OF VEHICLES
AND A TRACK.

YOU CAN SEE THE SHADOW OF IT
RIGHT HERE.

**

BUT WHAT ARE THEY DOING?

WHERE ARE THEY GOING?

**

BECAUSE THESE OBJECTS ARE MOVING
IN A STRAIGHT LINE,

WE CAN EXTRAPOLATE AND SEE
WHERE THEY WERE COMING FROM

AND WHERE THEY'RE HEADING TO.

Stenstrom: IT SEEMS THAT THEY'RE
COMING FROM MANMADE STRUCTURES

AND THEY'RE HEADING
TO ANOTHER ONE,

AND ON ICE LIKE THIS,

THERE'S ONLY ONE SUCH
MANMADE STRUCTURE --

A RESEARCH STATION.

Narrator:
THE VEHICLES' DESTINATION

IS A FRENCH-ITALIAN
RESEARCH BASE

CALLED CONCORDIA.

[ WIND WHISTLING ]

AT OVER 10,000 FEET
ABOVE SEA LEVEL,

SURROUNDED BY THOUSANDS
OF SQUARE MILES OF NOTHING,

THIS TRULY IS
THE END OF THE EARTH.

IT IS COMPLETELY CUT OFF
FROM THE WORLD

FOR SEVERAL MONTHS
EVERY SINGLE WINTER.

THESE PEOPLE MIGHT AS WELL BE
ON ANOTHER PLANET.

Narrator:
HERE, HELL HAS FROZEN OVER.

AS WELL AS FIGHTING
ALTITUDE SICKNESS

AND TEMPERATURES
OF MINUS 112 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT,

DURING THE WINTER,

THE SUN DOESN'T RISE
FOR FOUR MONTHS STRAIGHT.

[ WIND WHISTLING ]

Chamberlain: CONCORDIA RESEARCH
STATION IS SAID TO BE

THE MOST REMOTE,

THE MOST ISOLATED
RESEARCH STATION IN THE WORLD,

AND THIS INCLUDES
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.

**

Narrator:
LIFE HERE IS SO EXTREME

THAT THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY
USES IT TO PREPARE

AND TRAIN ASTRONAUTS
FOR THE HARDSHIPS OF SPACE.

**

Chamberlain:
SCIENTISTS GO TO CONCORDIA

TO STUDY ALL KINDS OF THINGS,

BUT A MAIN ONE
THAT'S BEING STUDIED RIGHT NOW

IS THE EFFECT OF ISOLATION
AND LIVING IN THIS ENVIRONMENT

WITH LOW LIGHT, LOW OXYGEN
IN A SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE.

THIS MIMICS SPACE FLIGHT.

Narrator: BIOMETRIC DATA SUGGEST
THE CONDITIONS HERE

CAN CAUSE
LOSS OF COGNITIVE FUNCTION

AND LEAD
TO PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS.

[ WIND WHISTLING ]

PEOPLE HAVE TO UNDERGO

STRICT MEDICAL
AND PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING

BEFORE THEY CAN EVEN BE POSTED
TO THESE KIND OF PLACES.

[ WIND WHISTLING ]

Narrator: THE SATELLITE APPEARS
TO HAVE CAPTURED

A SUPPLY MISSION
KNOWN AS THE RAID

THAT HELPS KEEP
THE SCIENTISTS SANE.

THE "MAD MAX"-STYLE CONVOY

CONSISTS OF RUBBER-TRACKED
CATERPILLAR TRACTORS

TOWING OVER 300 TONS
OF VITAL SUPPLIES.

**

IN ANTARCTICA, YOU HAVE TO BE
COMPLETELY SELF-SUFFICIENT,

AND IF YOU HAVE ALL OF
YOUR SUPPLIES BEING BROUGHT IN,

IT'S GOING TO BE
A BIG PRODUCTION.

**

Narrator:
MACHINES CALLED SNOW GROOMERS

SCOUT AHEAD OF THE CONVOY,

FORGING A PATH
THROUGH THE SNOW DRIFTS.

Man:
IT'S A DANGEROUS JOURNEY

ACROSS ONE OF THE MOST
TREACHEROUS STRETCHES OF LAND.

IT'S BARREN, FREEZING COLD.

THERE ARE HIDDEN CREVASSES
THAT MIGHT BE COVERED IN SNOW

THAT YOU WOULDN'T EVEN SEE
UNTIL YOU FELL INTO IT.

**

Narrator: IT TAKES 10 DAYS
TO COMPLETE THE GRUELING JOURNEY

ACROSS 700 MILES
OF FROZEN DESERT.

Chamberlain: THE DRIVERS WHO
DELIVER SUPPLIES TO CONCORDIA

HAVE A HUGE RESPONSIBILITY.

THIS CONVOY IS LIFE OR DEATH

FOR THE PEOPLE
WHO ARE ON THE OTHER END.

Narrator:
FOR THOSE LIVING AT CONCORDIA,

THE BLACK LINE SEEN FROM SPACE

IS A LIFELINE
UNLIKE ANY OTHER ON EARTH.

**

[ BEEPING ]

COMING UP, SHALLOW GRAVES
FOR THE LIVING DEAD...

THEY WERE TERRIFYING.

THEY WERE DISEASE-INFESTED.
THEY WERE HELL.

Narrator: ...AND CHINA'S
MYSTERY MEGA-QUAKE.

THE CHINESE SEND IN
RADIATION EXPERTS.

WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT?

**

[ STATIC ]

[ STATIC ]

[ BEEPING ]

Narrator:
MAY 4, 2016.

EYES IN THE SKY ORBITING HIGH
OVER SOUTHWEST WALES

CAPTURE THIS IMAGE.

**

THIS IS REALLY WEIRD.

IT'S A BUNCH OF SQUIGGLY LINES

IN THE MIDDLE
OF A BIG, GREEN EXPANSE.

THE LINES ARE CLEARLY PURPOSEFUL
AND LIKELY MANMADE.

IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE SOME SORT
OF RUDIMENTARY DRAWING.

**

Narrator:
THE PATTERN APPEARS ERODED

AND OCCUPIES
A STRATEGIC COASTAL POSITION.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS CONSIDER IF IT'S
A RELIC OF WALES' VIOLENT PAST.

THROUGHOUT HISTORY,
WALES WAS ONE OF

THE MOST FOUGHT-OVER PARTS
OF THE BRITISH ISLES.

LITERALLY EVERY FIELD IN WALES
YOU LOOK AT,

THERE WILL BE A CASTLE.

WALES IS REALLY KNOWN
FOR CASTLES

LOCATED ALONG THE COAST
IN DEFENSIVE POSITIONS.

Narrator: THIS TINY COUNTRY
ROUGHLY THE SIZE OF NEW JERSEY

CONTAINS OVER 600 STRONGHOLDS,
YET THE LOCATION OF ONE

HAS ELUDED HISTORIANS
FOR CENTURIES -- CAMELOT.

Paul: ACCORDING TO LEGEND,
THIS PART OF THE BRITISH ISLES

IS WHERE THE FAMOUS
KING ARTHUR REIGNED.

[ HORSE NEIGHS ]

THERE'S A STRONG ASSOCIATION
IN WALES WITH KING ARTHUR,

AND, IN FACT,
THE FIRST, LITERALLY,

REFERENCE TO KING ARTHUR
IS CONTAINED IN A WELSH POEM.

**

Bellinger: IT'S POSSIBLE
HE WAS A REAL HISTORICAL PERSON,

AND IF SO,
THIS AREA IS ONE OF THOSE

THAT HAS BEEN LINKED
TO HIS STORY.

Narrator: YET MILITARY HISTORIAN
GUY WALTERS FINDS EVIDENCE

TO SUGGEST THE LINES HAVE
A MORE RECENT ORIGIN.

Walters:
IF YOU COMPARE THIS IMAGE

TO IMAGES WE HAVE
OF NORTHERN FRANCE,

THESE, TO ME, LOOK VERY SIMILAR

TO THE TRENCHES WE SEE
ALONG THE WESTERN FRONT.

[ BEEPING ]

Narrator:
THE WESTERN FRONT,

A 440-MILE STRETCH OF LAND
IN FRANCE AND BELGIUM,

IS THE SETTING FOR
SOME OF THE MOST HORRIFIC

AND DEADLY BATTLES IN HISTORY.

**

ON JULY 1, 1916,
ON THE BANKS OF THE RIVER SOMME,

57,000 BRITISH TROOPS
RISE FROM THEIR TRENCHES

TO FACE AN ONSLAUGHT OF GERMAN
MACHINE GUNS AND ARTILLERY.

[ MACHINE-GUN FIRE ]

Bellinger: IT'S ACTUALLY
IMPOSSIBLE TO IMAGINE

WHAT IT WOULD'VE FELT LIKE

TO BE ORDERED TO GO OVER THE TOP
IN ONE OF THESE TRENCHES.

IT WAS ALMOST CERTAIN DEATH
THAT FACED YOU.

Narrator: AFTER ONE DAY OF MUD,
BLOOD, AND GORE,

THE BODIES OF OVER 19,000
BRITISH SOLDIERS

LITTER THE BATTLEFIELD.

**

AND THE FLOODED TRENCHES ECHO

WITH THE SOUND OF MILLIONS
OF RATS FEASTING ON THE DEAD.

Walters:
THEY WERE MUDDY.

THEY WERE DAMP.
THEY WERE TERRIFYING.

THEY WERE DISEASE-INFESTED.
THEY WERE HELL.

**

Narrator: DURING WORLD WAR I,
BRITISH SOLDIERS,

NICKNAMED "TOMMIES,"
DIG 6,000 MILES OF TRENCHES.

**

WITHIN THEM, UNTOLD NUMBERS
SUCCUMB TO DYSENTERY, TYPHOID,

AND LIMB-ROTTING TRENCH FOOT.

**

WAR IS NEVER PRETTY,
BUT THIS WAS REALLY BEYOND

THE COMPREHENSION
OF YOUR AVERAGE TOMMY

UNTIL HE FOUND HIMSELF
IN THIS HELL HOLE.

[ WHISTLE BLOWS ]

THE OFFICERS WOULD ORDER YOU
TO JUST JUMP UP AND WALK --

NOT RUN --
TOWARDS A WALL OF MACHINE GUNS

TO GAIN
A COUPLE INCHES OF GROUND.

**

Narrator: YET THE SIMILARITY
BETWEEN THE SATELLITE IMAGE

AND ONES TAKEN OVER NORTHERN
EUROPEAN TRENCHES IS PUZZLING.

EVEN THE MOST BASIC STUDENT
OF FIRST WORLD WAR HISTORY KNOWS

IT WASN'T FOUGHT
IN SOUTHWEST WALES.

SO, WHAT WERE THEY DOING HERE?

Narrator: HISTORIAN MARK HORTON
HAS A THEORY.

AFTER THE DECLARATION OF WAR,

SOLDIERS HAD TO BE TAUGHT
HOW TO DIG TRENCHES

BECAUSE
THE WESTERN-FRONT WARFARE

WAS ALL ABOUT FIGHTING
AND LIVING IN TRENCHES.

THESE MUST BE TRAINING TRENCHES
USED TO TRAIN THE BRITISH ARMY

BEFORE THEY WENT TO THE REAL
TRENCHES ON THE WESTERN FRONT.

**

Narrator:
ON THE 7th OF AUGUST, 1914,

LORD KITCHENER,
THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR,

ISSUES A RALLYING CRY
TO THE PEOPLE OF BRITAIN.

2 1/2 MILLION ANSWER HIS CALL.

THEY WOULD GO OUTSIDE
THE RECRUITING STATIONS --

LINES OF PEOPLE
FROM CIVILIAN LIFE --

TO ENROLL IN THE ARMY.

OF COURSE, THEY HAD TO UNDERTAKE
RIGOROUS TRAINING.

Narrator:
AT THE SITE IN THE IMAGE,

THE BRITISH ARMY PREPARES ROOKIE
SOLDIERS FOR THE HORRORS OF WAR.

Walters: YOU WOULD'VE SEEN
A LOT OF YOUNG MEN

PASSING THROUGH
THESE TRAINING TRENCHES

BEFORE THEY WENT
TO THE REAL TRENCHES

OF NORTHERN FRANCE AND BELGIUM,

BUT, OF COURSE,
NOTHING COULD'VE PREPARED THEM

FOR THE REALITY
OF THE REAL TRENCHES.

**

Narrator: LIFE EXPECTANCY
FOR THE NEW RECRUITS

IS ONLY SIX WEEKS.

BUT IF THESE ARE
TRAINING TRENCHES,

WHY ARE THEY SHAPED LIKE
CASTLE BATTLEMENTS?

ONE OF THE FEATURES
OF THESE TRENCHES

IS THIS KIND OF
SAWTOOTH FORMATION.

THIS IS A DEFENSE
AGAINST SHELLING.

IF A SHELL LANDS
IN A STRAIGHT TRENCH,

THE SHOCK WAVE IS GONNA TRAVEL
ALL THE WAY DOWN IT,

KILLING EVERYBODY.

[ EXPLOSION ]

Narrator: DURING THE FOUR YEARS
OF WORLD WAR I,

A BILLION ARTILLERY SHELLS
AND A MILLION MACHINE GUNS

KILL SOLDIERS
AT THE RATE OF 6,000 EVERY DAY.

MANY ARE TRAINED
IN CENTURY-OLD TRENCHES

LIKE THE ONES SEEN FROM SPACE.

TO ME, THEY'RE ACTUALLY
A VERY SOMBER MEMORIAL

TO ALL THOSE MEN
WHO DIED FOR OUR FREEDOM.

IT'S GREAT
THAT THEY'RE STILL THERE.

**

[ BEEPING ]

Narrator: COMING UP,
THE RED TERROR MELTDOWN.

Woman: THE CHINESE
KNOW OF SOMETHING THERE

THAT COULD BE LEAKING RADIATION.

[ STATIC ]

[ STATIC ]

Narrator:
FEBRUARY 3, 2019.

HIGH ABOVE SOUTHERN CHINA,

A SATELLITE CAPTURES
AN EERIE IMAGE --

A RUINED VILLAGE
EMERGING FROM A RIVER.

SOMETHING REALLY DRASTIC
MUST'VE HAPPENED.

OBVIOUSLY, THE PEOPLE
THAT BUILT THOSE BUILDINGS

BUILT THEM ON DRY LAND,
SO AT SOME POINT,

THERE MUST'VE BEEN SOME EVENT
TO DROWN THE TOWN.

BUT THAT JUST
BEGS THE QUESTION --

WHY WAS IT SUBMERGED
IN THE FIRST PLACE?

Narrator: RANDY CERVENY THINKS
THE REGION'S UNDERLYING GEOLOGY

IS SIGNIFICANT.

THIS AREA OF CHINA IS KNOWN
FOR HAVING

SOME REALLY BAD EARTHQUAKES,

BECAUSE WE HAVE AN ENTIRE
SUBCONTINENT CRASHING INTO ASIA.

[ RUMBLING ]

**

Narrator: ON AVERAGE,

CHINA EXPERIENCES
20 EARTHQUAKES PER YEAR.

**

THE TWO DEADLIEST QUAKES
EVER RECORDED HAPPENED HERE,

KILLING A COMBINED
1 1/2 MILLION PEOPLE.

**

ONE WAY THAT THIS RIVER VALLEY
COULD'VE BEEN FLOODED

IS THROUGH NATURAL LANDSLIDE,

PERHAPS ONE CAUSED
BY AN EARTHQUAKE.

SOMETIMES MOUNTAINS WILL DETACH

AND SLIDE MILLIONS OF TONS
OF DEBRIS

INTO A VALLEY,
BLOCKING A STREAM,

AND AS WATER PILES UP BEHIND IT,

IT CREATES A LAKE,
MUCH LIKE OUR IMAGE HERE.

Narrator: ANALYSIS OF
THE GHOST VILLAGE'S BUILDINGS

SUGGESTS IT WAS SUBMERGED
FOR SEVERAL YEARS

BEFORE RISING FROM THE WATERS.

GEOLOGICAL RECORDS CONFIRM

THAT FIVE YEARS BEFORE
THE VILLAGE EMERGES,

A MASSIVE TREMOR MEASURING 8
ON THE RICHTER SCALE

ROCKS THIS REGION.

**

ON MAY 12, 2008,
CHINA EXPERIENCED

ONE OF THE MOST MONUMENTAL
EARTHQUAKES ON RECORD.

70,000 PEOPLE WERE KILLED,

AND IT DID A LOT OF DAMAGE
TO THE LANDSCAPE.

IT'S HIGHLY PROBABLE THAT THIS
EARTHQUAKE CREATED THE LANDSLIDE

THAT BLOCKED THIS VALLEY,

FORMING THIS LAKE
AND FLOODING THIS VILLAGE.

Narrator:
THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT CLAIMS

THAT THIS
SEISMIC ACTIVITY SPAWNS

AROUND 30 SO-CALLED QUAKE-LAKES,
SUCH AS THE ONE IN THE IMAGE.

NOW, AS THIS STARTED TO RISE,

PEOPLE WERE FORCED TO EVACUATE
FROM THIS RAPIDLY GROWING LAKE.

**

Narrator:
YET A DOSSIER COMPILED

BY AN AMERICAN INTELLIGENCE
ANALYST AFTER THE QUAKE

THROWS THE MYSTERY OF
THE FLOODED VILLAGE WIDE OPEN.

Chamberlain: HERE'S WHERE
IT GETS EVEN WEIRDER.

AFTER THE QUAKE, THE CHINESE
DON'T SEND IN GEOLOGISTS.

THEY SEND IN RADIATION EXPERTS.

WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT?

**

Moran: THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT
SENDING IN RADIATION TECHNICIANS

SUGGESTS THAT
THEY KNOW OF SOMETHING

THAT WAS DESTROYED THERE
THAT COULD BE LEAKING RADIATION.

Narrator: OFFICIALLY, CHINA'S
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS ARE LOCATED

MANY HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY
TO THE SOUTH AND EAST.

A 2008 REPORT ON THE COUNTRY'S

STATE-RUN CCTV NETWORK
OFFERS A CLUE.

Chamberlain:
CHINA HAS ADMITTED

THAT THERE ARE
UNDERGROUND TUNNELS,

AND THESE ARE BEING USED
TO STORE NUCLEAR WEAPONS.

**

Narrator: THE REPORT CLAIMS
THE LABYRINTHIAN NETWORK,

DUBBED THE UNDERGROUND
GREAT WALL OF CHINA,

CONTAINS 3,000 MILES OF TUNNELS.

IT SUGGESTS THE COMMUNIST STATE

IS STOCKPILING
A VAST NUCLEAR ARSENAL.

Moran:
FOR MANY YEARS,

WE BELIEVED THAT THE CHINESE
HAD ABOUT 400 NUCLEAR WEAPONS.

WE NOW BELIEVE
THAT CHINA MAY HAVE

UP TO 3,000 NUCLEAR WEAPONS,

WHICH IS BASICALLY
ALMOST AS MUCH AS WE HAVE.

**

Narrator: RUMORS CIRCULATE THAT
THE EARTHQUAKE MAY BE CONNECTED

TO SECRET WEAPON TESTS
IN THE SUBTERRANEAN VAULTS.

Moran: IT DOES STAND TO REASON
THAT CHINA MIGHT WANT

A TUNNEL NETWORK
TO TEST ITS NUCLEAR WEAPONS

BECAUSE ANYTHING
THAT HAPPENS UNDERGROUND

CANNOT BE DETECTED
BY SATELLITE IMAGERY.

[ HORN HONKS ]

Narrator: IN 2017,

A 160-KILOTON SUBTERRANEAN
NUCLEAR TEST IN NORTH KOREA

GENERATES A MAGNITUDE
6.3 TREMOR.

UNDERGROUND NUCLEAR TESTS
DO CREATE EARTHQUAKES.

IN FACT, THAT'S HOW WE KNOW

WHEN NUCLEAR TESTS
HAVE OCCURRED UNDERGROUND.

WE LISTEN TO THE EARTHQUAKES AND
SOUNDS THAT THE GROUND PRODUCE.

AND THAT WOULD EXPLAIN
THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT'S UNUSUAL

AND UNEXPECTED RESPONSE
IN THE AFTERMATH.

Narrator: WITHOUT INDEPENDENT
VERIFICATION,

WE MAY NEVER KNOW WHAT TRIGGERED

THE EARTH-SHATTERING QUAKE
THAT DROWNED THIS VILLAGE.

WHATEVER THE CAUSE,
ONE QUESTION REMAINS.

WHY IS IT REAPPEARING NOW?

[ THUNDER RUMBLING,
WIND WHISTLING ]

Narrator: IN JULY 2013,
JUST BEFORE THE VILLAGE EMERGES,

AN INTENSE RAINSTORM
STRIKES THE REGION.

**

THE RESULTING FLOODS,
THE WORST IN 50 YEARS,

CLAIM AROUND 200 LIVES.

**

EXPERTS SPECULATE
THE DELUGE WEAKENS

THE WALLS OF THE LAKE
CREATED BY THE EARTHQUAKE.

**

EVENTUALLY, IT WOULD BE LIKE
POPPING A CORK,

AND THE WATER WOULD
COME CASCADING THROUGH

AND DRAIN OUT OF THE LAKE,

AND THE BUILDING'S
ALLOWED TO REAPPEAR.

Narrator: A ZOMBIE VILLAGE,
BACK FROM THE DEAD,

CAPTURED FROM SPACE.

**