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 ]

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.

**