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NARRATOR:
They're watching you.
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More than 6,000 satellites
circle the Earth.
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Every day, they uncover new,
mysterious phenomena
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that defy explanation.
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Revealed from the skies,
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Indiana's phantom
mega-factory.
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It's this sort of
post-apocalyptic nightmare.
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NARRATOR:
The Russian Atlantis.
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Throughout the city,
we see
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scenes of total carnage
and destruction.
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NARRATOR: And the island
that disappeared.
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It represented one of
the darkest chapters in history.
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NARRATOR: Baffling phenomena.
mysteries from space.
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What on Earth are they?
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[theme music playing]
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October 1st, 2021.
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A satellite scans a suburban
area of Clark County, Indiana,
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and spots something out
of place.
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{\an8}This is a highly populous area,
and yet there's a whole section
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of it that's just been
overgrown, abandoned.
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It's a really bizarre sight.
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{\an8}It's really strange.
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{\an8}And then if you zoom
in closer,
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you see all
these unusual shapes.
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It looks like somebody
carved circuit boards
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into the surface of
the Earth.
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NARRATOR: The strangely-shaped
structures stretch across
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a facility the size of
7,500 football fields,
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one that is being devoured
by nature.
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{\an8}There's gotta be
some story that
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{\an8}explains why something
that's so big
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is now abandoned
to the elements.
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NARRATOR:
To investigate that story,
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Trevor Albertson
has traveled to
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Indiana to study the ghostly
compound up close.
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ALBERTSON: Man,
this place is crazy.
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{\an8}It's this sort of
post-apocalyptic,
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{\an8}abandoned, overgrown
nightmare.
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NARRATOR: Row upon row of
abandoned structures stretch
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for up to a mile
into the distance.
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This is just
an incredible place.
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You've got brick buildings
over here.
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Steel structures over here.
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I need to know
what's going on
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out there to know what
this whole facility does.
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NARRATOR: As Albertson
explores the facility,
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one structure draws
his attention.
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Whoa!
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Oh, check this out.
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NARRATOR: The massive
industrial machinery lining
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the room is several
decades old.
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ALBERTSON: They almost
have this feel of
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being something out of
a Frankenstein movie.
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Something very, very serious
was going on here.
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NARRATOR: Close by,
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Albertson finds structures
concealed by trees
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in the satellite image.
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It's like some giant
water slides or something.
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NARRATOR: Each of the slides is
grounded with a thick wire.
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ALBERTSON: That means
something serious.
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If you're trying to keep
electricity away from something,
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you're trying to keep it
from igniting, combusting,
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maybe even exploding.
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NARRATOR: As the weather clears,
Albertson reaches
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a structure at the center
of the giant compound.
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Oh, wow!
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NARRATOR:
Dozens of mixing machines
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and gantry cranes
line the corridors.
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ALBERTSON:
This is really impressive.
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It's like time
is standing still here.
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NARRATOR: A wall behind one of
the machines yields a clue.
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We have a clear indication
that what is going on
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here is military-related --
on the top of these memos,
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it says, "Indiana
Ordnance Works."
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This was
a ordnance factory.
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NARRATOR:
Declassified military records
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reveal the satellite image
has uncovered
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a facility that helped define
the course of human history.
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This factory played
a crucial role in helping
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America and the Allies win
World War II.
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{\an8}This plant is
a seriously important part
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{\an8}of the story
of the 20th century.
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NARRATOR: The groundwork
for the giant factory
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is laid in 1939.
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[shouting]
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NARRATOR: As the specter of Nazi
evil spreads across the globe,
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President Roosevelt steels
his nation for combat.
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There is a sense that
something big is coming down
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the pike, and the United States
wants to be ready.
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WALTERS: As a result of this,
the U.S. Government
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comes up with a plan,
what they call M-Day,
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the day American manufacturing
would go to war.
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[whistle blows]
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NARRATOR: Washington's plans
lead to American
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industrial production
almost doubling in size.
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And the country
manufacturers around
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2/3 of all Allied
military equipment.
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M. MORGAN: We put 16 million
people in uniform during
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the course of the conflict,
and that helps,
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but it's the contribution of
American industrial output
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that is really
a decisive factor
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in the outcome of the war.
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WALTERS: Suddenly, the U.S. is
producing tens of thousands of
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warplanes a year,
and it's not just vehicles.
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There's also a real emphasis
on weapons and munitions,
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and that is how this site here
came to be.
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NARRATOR: Construction of
the site in the image
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begins in August 1940.
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By the time it opens,
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the mega-factory employs
more than 27,000 people.
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Many of them are tasked with
manufacturing a material
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that transformed how war was
waged, smokeless gun powder.
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Smokeless gunpowder was
a revolution for warfare.
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Prior to its invention,
soldiers regularly
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had to try to fire
through clouds
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of their own smoke to hit
targets they could not see.
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{\an8}All of a sudden, you couldn't
see where that round came from,
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whether it was from a tank,
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a sniper, or somebody with
a machine gun.
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NARRATOR: During World War II,
U.S. factories produce over
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41 billion rounds
of small arms munitions,
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enough to take 20 shots at every
person on Earth at the time.
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This factory alone
manufactures 1 billion pounds
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of smokeless gunpowder,
for use in anything
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from 45-caliber pistols,
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to 16-inch naval guns.
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This is a war factory on
a scale never before seen.
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It's truly an incredible feat
of manufacturing and production.
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ALBERTSON: What you're looking
at is the factory that
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defeated Nazi Germany
and imperial Japan
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and fascist Italy
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during World War II.
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NARRATOR: More than half of
the factory workers are women,
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many of whom stitch storage
bags and pack them with
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the explosive powder.
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ALBERTSON: The reason you have
these structures with hard walls
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and soft roofs is that
if something detonates,
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it goes up rather
than out, hopefully killing
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as few people as possible
in an accident.
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NARRATOR:
At the end of World War II,
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production at the site
winds down,
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but events then unfold,
which see it
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play another crucial role
in military history.
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The United States was
facing a very different
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kind of enemy, and it roars
back into life.
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NARRATOR: Coming up,
terror in the jungle.
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The ambushes absolutely
devastate U.S. forces.
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NARRATOR: And code of
the desert serpent.
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These patterns are carved
into the ground on
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tremendous scales.
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NARRATOR: Strange shapes
revealed from the skies
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have drawn Trevor Albertson
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to an abandoned 10,000-acre
compound in Indiana.
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This is a massive facility used
to make the ordnance of war.
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RUBEN:
During the Second World War,
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{\an8}this factory was
the largest producer
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{\an8}of smokeless powder
in the world.
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NARRATOR: Military records
reveal production at the site
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winds down at the end
of World War II,
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but it goes on to play
a role in a very
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different kind of conflict on
the other side of the world.
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CAVELL: The start of the Vietnam
conflict is going to see it
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come back to life,
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{\an8}and massive production
will start coming out of
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{\an8}this factory once again.
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NARRATOR:
During the Vietnam War,
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the U.S. sends more than
2.5 million
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military personnel
to Southeast Asia.
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But unfamiliar terrain
and enemy tactics mean they soon
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incur terrible losses at
the hands of the Viet Cong.
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[explosion blasts]
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The Viet Cong preferred
guerilla warfare,
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hit and run ambushes,
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and those absolutely
devastate U.S. forces.
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The Vietnam War
was a very different
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type of war
from World War II.
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So the U.S. shifted the type
of weapons that we use.
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NARRATOR: Unable to dominate
the ground war,
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the U.S. turns to the skies,
dropping more than
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7.5 million tons of bombs,
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more than double the total
amount used in World War II.
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In the jungle,
soldiers rely on rockets,
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artillery, and mortars to
overpower enemy forces.
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These weapons allowed
the United States to attack from
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a greater distance without
being attacked themselves,
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which negated some of the
advantages of guerilla warfare.
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NARRATOR: As the conflict
escalates, so does production
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at the plant in the image,
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with almost 20,000 workers
contributing to the war effort.
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WALTERS: At the height
of the Vietnam War,
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they are manufacturing
eight million mortar charges
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every month.
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{\an8}That rate of industrial
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{\an8}military output is
absolutely staggering.
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ALBERTSON: It's kind of sobering
to think that what came from
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here meant a lot of death
and destruction for others.
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NARRATOR: Despite
the U.S. military's
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overwhelming firepower,
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the war descends
into a bloody stalemate.
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In an attempt to break
the deadlock,
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American intelligence
operatives authorize a highly
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controversial operation,
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code named Project Eldest Son.
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{\an8}This is really a little known
operation in which the U.S.
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00:12:53,066 --> 00:12:55,667
{\an8}military was able to capture
some of
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00:12:55,767 --> 00:12:57,100
the North Vietnamese
ammunition.
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They drained out the powder
and put in high explosives
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00:13:01,066 --> 00:13:04,200
and then returned the ammo
to the North Vietnamese.
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So if they used it, it would
explode, killing the user.
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The operation also
successfully implants this idea
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amongst the Viet Cong
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that Chinese and Soviet
weapons supplies aren't to
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00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:20,200
be trusted,
they're not very well made.
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00:13:22,200 --> 00:13:24,166
NARRATOR:
When the Vietnam War ends,
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00:13:24,166 --> 00:13:28,000
thousands of workers leave,
and the factory falls silent.
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But 15 years later,
the U.S. government
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00:13:33,867 --> 00:13:36,667
calls it back into action
one final time.
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RUBEN: In the late '80s,
there were plans to close
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this site but it got a last
minute reprieve
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thanks to the war in Kuwait.
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NARRATOR: During the war,
the U.S. Navy deploys
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00:13:49,100 --> 00:13:51,367
two World War II
era battleships
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to support ground troops
in Iraq.
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You have
the U.S. battleships,
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Missouri
and Wisconsin .
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I mean, they're designed
for the Second World War,
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00:14:00,266 --> 00:14:04,367
and they still need World War II
style charges to work.
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00:14:04,367 --> 00:14:07,300
And so the plant in Indiana
went back to manufacturing
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00:14:07,367 --> 00:14:11,266
the same powder bags that they
made during World War II.
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NARRATOR: By the time
the war has ended,
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00:14:13,967 --> 00:14:16,967
the factory has produced
more than 1.5 million
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00:14:16,967 --> 00:14:20,100
tons of explosives
during its 50-year lifespan.
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00:14:22,066 --> 00:14:24,567
CAVELL: It's really amazing to
think about the fact that
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00:14:24,567 --> 00:14:27,700
this one factory was producing
propellants
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00:14:27,767 --> 00:14:30,767
for American conflicts
from World War II
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00:14:30,867 --> 00:14:33,000
all the way through
to the Gulf War.
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00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:38,367
NARRATOR: Today, the plant
is being demolished,
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00:14:38,467 --> 00:14:41,367
creating strange patterns
visible from space.
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00:14:43,300 --> 00:14:44,967
The site
that helped to defeat
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00:14:44,967 --> 00:14:48,600
Hitler and Saddam Hussein is
being redeveloped,
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00:14:48,667 --> 00:14:50,700
bringing new life
to a town that
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00:14:50,767 --> 00:14:53,467
brought so much destruction
to the world.
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00:14:53,467 --> 00:14:56,567
WALTERS: When you look at
the decaying ruins of
244
00:14:56,567 --> 00:14:58,867
the Indiana Army
Ammunition Plant,
245
00:14:58,867 --> 00:15:02,367
they're a real reminder of
the incredible military power of
246
00:15:02,467 --> 00:15:04,467
the United States
and the many,
247
00:15:04,567 --> 00:15:06,867
many conflicts that shaped
the 20th century.
248
00:15:15,166 --> 00:15:18,967
NARRATOR: Coming up,
the city being swallowed whole.
249
00:15:18,967 --> 00:15:20,700
What we're looking
at was created
250
00:15:20,767 --> 00:15:23,900
by the murderous ego
of one man.
251
00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:26,767
NARRATOR: And the strange tale
of Rabbit Island.
252
00:15:26,867 --> 00:15:29,367
It's hard to imagine
a more stark
253
00:15:29,367 --> 00:15:32,767
contrast than the past of
this island...
254
00:15:32,867 --> 00:15:34,100
and its present.
255
00:15:42,767 --> 00:15:47,567
NARRATOR:
February 12th, 2021.
256
00:15:49,200 --> 00:15:52,266
Flying over
the Ural Mountains in Russia,
257
00:15:52,367 --> 00:15:57,100
a satellite scans a city more
than 400 miles below.
258
00:15:57,166 --> 00:15:59,800
WALTERS: What we see here is
the typical infrastructure that
259
00:15:59,867 --> 00:16:02,467
{\an8}you're gonna see in any large
industrial city,
260
00:16:02,567 --> 00:16:06,000
{\an8}but it appears to have been
devoured in places.
261
00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:12,266
KOUROUNIS:
Large chunks are just gone,
262
00:16:12,266 --> 00:16:15,767
{\an8}replaced by what
looks like water.
263
00:16:18,100 --> 00:16:19,667
NARRATOR:
Some of the flooded craters
264
00:16:19,767 --> 00:16:22,000
are over 1,000 feet
in diameter.
265
00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:24,667
WALTERS: Throughout the city,
we see
266
00:16:24,767 --> 00:16:27,767
scenes of total carnage
and destruction.
267
00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:31,567
You've got schools
completely vanished,
268
00:16:31,567 --> 00:16:37,900
homes disappeared, and lakes
engulfing entire buildings.
269
00:16:41,767 --> 00:16:44,100
NARRATOR:
This is Berezniki,
270
00:16:44,166 --> 00:16:47,100
a city of over 150,000 people.
271
00:16:48,400 --> 00:16:51,567
It's become known as
the Russian Atlantis.
272
00:16:53,166 --> 00:16:55,400
RODRIGUEZ McROBBIE:
Imagine living in a city
273
00:16:55,467 --> 00:16:56,667
where, at any moment,
274
00:16:56,767 --> 00:17:00,266
{\an8}the ground beneath your feet
could just give way.
275
00:17:00,266 --> 00:17:02,400
{\an8}Must be terrifying.
276
00:17:04,867 --> 00:17:07,867
NARRATOR: Analysts turn to
Berezniki's history for clues.
277
00:17:09,867 --> 00:17:11,266
The unfolding catastrophe,
278
00:17:11,367 --> 00:17:14,467
it turns out, is one
a century in the making.
279
00:17:15,767 --> 00:17:17,467
{\an8}Declassified Soviet records
280
00:17:17,567 --> 00:17:19,767
{\an8}tell us that what we're
looking at was created by
281
00:17:19,767 --> 00:17:23,467
{\an8}the murderous ego of one man,
Joseph Stalin.
282
00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:28,400
NARRATOR:
After rising to power in 1928,
283
00:17:28,467 --> 00:17:30,400
Stalin sets a plan in motion
284
00:17:30,467 --> 00:17:32,767
to transform Russia's
rural economy.
285
00:17:34,867 --> 00:17:37,400
Known as collectivization,
286
00:17:37,467 --> 00:17:41,266
it will see 25 million farms
put under state control.
287
00:17:42,367 --> 00:17:45,000
Stalin basically wants
to free up labor
288
00:17:45,100 --> 00:17:47,300
and money to help
his country industrialize,
289
00:17:47,367 --> 00:17:50,667
but he also wants to reduce
the power of peasant landlords,
290
00:17:50,667 --> 00:17:52,467
whom he despises.
291
00:17:54,800 --> 00:17:56,166
NARRATOR:
Over the following years,
292
00:17:56,166 --> 00:17:58,867
over 90 percent of
all peasant homesteads
293
00:17:58,867 --> 00:18:03,166
are reorganized into
250,000 collective farms.
294
00:18:04,767 --> 00:18:08,467
Collectivization would see
a very large number of people
295
00:18:08,567 --> 00:18:10,600
sent out to collective farms,
296
00:18:10,667 --> 00:18:13,467
{\an8}where they would produce all
of the food that the Soviet
297
00:18:13,567 --> 00:18:15,400
{\an8}people needed for survival.
298
00:18:17,266 --> 00:18:21,300
NARRATOR: Sixty million peasants
are put to work on
299
00:18:21,367 --> 00:18:24,500
farms that can cover more than
60,000 acres.
300
00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:28,600
If he wants his new farms
to feed his entire nation,
301
00:18:28,667 --> 00:18:31,767
Stalin needs vast amounts of
fertilizer, and that's what
302
00:18:31,867 --> 00:18:34,567
gives rise to the town
in this image.
303
00:18:36,066 --> 00:18:38,100
Berezniki is rich in potash,
304
00:18:38,166 --> 00:18:41,400
which is the potassium-rich
salt used in fertilizers.
305
00:18:41,467 --> 00:18:44,000
This would have been essential
to Soviet agriculture.
306
00:18:45,567 --> 00:18:49,300
NARRATOR: The potash mine
in Berezniki opens in 1932.
307
00:18:50,700 --> 00:18:52,867
It's a place of dread
and terror.
308
00:18:54,266 --> 00:18:57,000
Berezniki was one of
Russia's gulags.
309
00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:03,100
This forced labor camp sought
convicts, from petty criminals
310
00:19:03,166 --> 00:19:04,400
to political prisoners
311
00:19:04,467 --> 00:19:07,500
put to work during the rule
of Stalin and, indeed, beyond.
312
00:19:10,300 --> 00:19:13,266
NARRATOR: Berezniki's prisoners
are forced to dig tunnels with
313
00:19:13,266 --> 00:19:16,900
bare hands in shifts that can
last for 14 hours.
314
00:19:19,367 --> 00:19:20,900
The potash
they produce is sent
315
00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:24,266
across Russia to fuel Stalin's
agricultural revolution.
316
00:19:27,867 --> 00:19:29,700
KOUROUNIS: Conditions,
of course, were terrible.
317
00:19:29,767 --> 00:19:32,400
There was no concern for
the health and safety of
318
00:19:32,467 --> 00:19:33,667
these prisoners.
319
00:19:33,667 --> 00:19:37,400
They were worked to near death
or to death.
320
00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:40,700
NARRATOR:
Despite the prisoners' efforts,
321
00:19:40,767 --> 00:19:44,100
collectivization proves
to be a disaster,
322
00:19:44,166 --> 00:19:45,800
and millions die from hunger.
323
00:19:48,266 --> 00:19:51,767
And as the inmates
continue to toil in the mine,
324
00:19:51,867 --> 00:19:54,000
the fuse is lit for
the disaster
325
00:19:54,066 --> 00:19:56,400
revealed from space.
326
00:19:56,467 --> 00:19:59,467
What Soviet policy required
was that labor camps needed to
327
00:19:59,567 --> 00:20:01,867
be set up within marching
distance of where
328
00:20:01,867 --> 00:20:03,100
prisoners worked.
329
00:20:03,166 --> 00:20:07,667
So this city was built
directly over the potash mine.
330
00:20:09,367 --> 00:20:12,166
The problem is that the walls
and supporting pillars
331
00:20:12,166 --> 00:20:15,600
within the mine were carved
from the potash itself.
332
00:20:15,667 --> 00:20:17,367
In many places,
these underground
333
00:20:17,367 --> 00:20:19,867
voids weren't reinforced
with anything.
334
00:20:19,967 --> 00:20:22,667
So it's a recipe
for disaster.
335
00:20:24,700 --> 00:20:27,867
NARRATOR: In 2006,
a freshwater spring
336
00:20:27,867 --> 00:20:30,667
leaks into
the unstable tunnels,
337
00:20:30,667 --> 00:20:33,867
setting off a decades-old
geological time bomb.
338
00:20:36,200 --> 00:20:38,600
The water just dissolved
the pillars and walls,
339
00:20:38,667 --> 00:20:42,767
leaving nothing to support
the heavy earth above.
340
00:20:42,867 --> 00:20:46,567
Now the weight of the city
itself was bearing down on
341
00:20:46,567 --> 00:20:48,266
these voids in the earth,
342
00:20:48,266 --> 00:20:51,867
and parts of the town just
started to collapse,
343
00:20:51,967 --> 00:20:53,967
caving in on itself.
344
00:20:55,700 --> 00:20:58,467
This really is a case of
the horrors of the past coming
345
00:20:58,567 --> 00:21:00,500
back to haunt you,
because the prisoners
346
00:21:00,567 --> 00:21:04,367
that were enslaved and forced
to toil in those mines right
347
00:21:04,467 --> 00:21:08,700
beneath the city ultimately
contributed to its demise.
348
00:21:12,700 --> 00:21:14,967
NARRATOR: The giant
water-filled holes forced
349
00:21:14,967 --> 00:21:17,600
12,000 residents
to flee their homes.
350
00:21:19,100 --> 00:21:22,367
But for them,
the nightmare doesn't end there.
351
00:21:24,367 --> 00:21:27,900
What's been reported is that
some of the new buildings that
352
00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:29,467
residents have been moved to
353
00:21:29,467 --> 00:21:32,667
are actually built upon
the cemetery of where countless
354
00:21:32,767 --> 00:21:36,066
forced laborers would have been
laid to rest.
355
00:21:40,100 --> 00:21:42,567
NARRATOR: Authorities
have tried and failed
356
00:21:42,567 --> 00:21:45,066
to stabilize
the old gulag mine.
357
00:21:46,100 --> 00:21:48,667
Yet many fear
the government is abandoning
358
00:21:48,767 --> 00:21:51,500
the Russian Atlantis
to a watery grave.
359
00:21:52,967 --> 00:21:55,100
CERVENY:
To put tragedy above tragedy,
360
00:21:55,166 --> 00:21:58,100
{\an8}there's nothing
that seems to be being done to
361
00:21:58,166 --> 00:22:01,867
{\an8}stop this mine from collapsing
even more in the future.
362
00:22:10,100 --> 00:22:12,767
NARRATOR: Coming up,
the Pacific Ocean's
363
00:22:12,867 --> 00:22:15,000
weird vanishing act.
364
00:22:15,100 --> 00:22:18,367
Why would the Japanese
make an island disappear?
365
00:22:19,900 --> 00:22:23,100
NARRATOR: And monster worship
in the desert.
366
00:22:23,166 --> 00:22:26,166
There's a very thin
line sometimes
367
00:22:26,266 --> 00:22:28,266
between fear and religion.
368
00:22:38,367 --> 00:22:40,900
NARRATOR:
Spring 2022.
369
00:22:42,900 --> 00:22:44,467
An orbiting camera scans
370
00:22:44,467 --> 00:22:48,000
Okunoshima Island off
the coast of Honshu, Japan.
371
00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:50,767
WALTERS: At first,
there doesn't seem to
372
00:22:50,767 --> 00:22:52,767
be anything particularly
extraordinary
373
00:22:52,867 --> 00:22:54,600
about this island.
374
00:22:54,667 --> 00:22:56,700
MUNOZ:
It looks like a lot of
375
00:22:56,767 --> 00:22:59,667
the islands you'd see in
the Pacific Ocean.
376
00:23:00,767 --> 00:23:03,500
NARRATOR: However, local records
reveal there's something
377
00:23:03,567 --> 00:23:07,367
very strange about
this 180-acre landmass.
378
00:23:08,500 --> 00:23:12,166
There was a period of time
when this island didn't exist.
379
00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:17,166
Any nautical map,
any sort of landmass map of
380
00:23:17,266 --> 00:23:21,000
{\an8}the area, simply did not
include this particular island.
381
00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:26,100
NARRATOR:
The island is absent from all
382
00:23:26,166 --> 00:23:27,600
official Japanese documents
383
00:23:27,667 --> 00:23:31,000
for several years before
reappearing in the late '40s.
384
00:23:33,600 --> 00:23:36,767
M. MORGAN: The island is not
there, and then it's back again.
385
00:23:36,867 --> 00:23:40,367
{\an8}Why would the Japanese
make an island disappear?
386
00:23:41,667 --> 00:23:45,767
NARRATOR: The disappearing
island's location offers a clue.
387
00:23:45,767 --> 00:23:48,100
What's interesting is that
the island is close
388
00:23:48,166 --> 00:23:49,400
to Hiroshima.
389
00:23:50,567 --> 00:23:52,000
After the bombing of the city,
390
00:23:52,066 --> 00:23:54,467
{\an8}the Japanese government
needed secure locations to
391
00:23:54,467 --> 00:23:55,867
{\an8}treat survivors.
392
00:23:55,867 --> 00:23:58,467
{\an8}Perhaps that's what
we're looking at here.
393
00:24:02,100 --> 00:24:05,700
NARRATOR: The detonation of
the 15-kiloton Little Boy bomb
394
00:24:05,767 --> 00:24:09,867
1,900 feet above Hiroshima
kills or injures around
395
00:24:09,867 --> 00:24:12,300
135,000 people.
396
00:24:14,100 --> 00:24:17,100
As medics begin
treating the wounded,
397
00:24:17,166 --> 00:24:20,266
many begin to succumb
to mystery illnesses.
398
00:24:22,266 --> 00:24:24,867
SZULGIT: The Japanese government
suddenly had thousands
399
00:24:24,867 --> 00:24:26,800
and thousands of
horrifically injured people
400
00:24:26,867 --> 00:24:30,266
to treat, and the effects of
radiation were not really
401
00:24:30,367 --> 00:24:32,000
understood at all.
402
00:24:32,066 --> 00:24:35,166
MUNOZ: They wanted to keep
an eye on them to kind of
403
00:24:35,166 --> 00:24:38,166
further examine
the potential effects of nuclear
404
00:24:38,266 --> 00:24:39,800
radiation and exposure.
405
00:24:41,166 --> 00:24:43,200
NARRATOR: Authorities quickly
rushed the injured
406
00:24:43,266 --> 00:24:45,467
to secure locations
for monitoring.
407
00:24:46,767 --> 00:24:50,400
RUBEN: Could this be an island
where survivors were relocated?
408
00:24:50,467 --> 00:24:52,600
{\an8}Could it be
that the island was
409
00:24:52,667 --> 00:24:55,367
{\an8}then kept secret to protect
those people?
410
00:24:57,300 --> 00:25:00,266
NARRATOR: Declassified
intelligence files confirm
411
00:25:00,266 --> 00:25:03,800
the island is indeed linked to
this country's military past,
412
00:25:05,900 --> 00:25:08,500
but its vanishing act is
the result of a different,
413
00:25:08,567 --> 00:25:10,700
equally devastating type
of weapon.
414
00:25:11,900 --> 00:25:14,567
The reason the government
tried to deny even
415
00:25:14,567 --> 00:25:16,800
the existence of this island
416
00:25:16,867 --> 00:25:19,867
was that it represented
one of the darkest chapters in
417
00:25:19,867 --> 00:25:21,000
Japanese history.
418
00:25:22,400 --> 00:25:24,200
NARRATOR:
In the early 20th century,
419
00:25:24,266 --> 00:25:26,667
the Japanese begin
researching chemical
420
00:25:26,767 --> 00:25:28,967
and biological warfare,
421
00:25:28,967 --> 00:25:31,367
reasoning that producing
bacteria is
422
00:25:31,467 --> 00:25:33,600
cheaper than making
conventional weapons.
423
00:25:36,367 --> 00:25:38,867
In 1929,
authorities establish
424
00:25:38,867 --> 00:25:41,567
a secret facility on
the island in the image.
425
00:25:42,900 --> 00:25:45,367
{\an8}The main role
of the factory was
426
00:25:45,467 --> 00:25:50,166
{\an8}to manufacture poison gas,
and specifically, mustard gas.
427
00:25:50,166 --> 00:25:52,567
The problem was that
the Japanese had
428
00:25:52,667 --> 00:25:54,767
previously signed
the Geneva Protocols,
429
00:25:54,867 --> 00:25:57,500
which banned the use of chemical
and biological weapons.
430
00:25:57,567 --> 00:25:59,467
So it's no surprise
they didn't want
431
00:25:59,567 --> 00:26:02,467
to publicize the existence of
this factory.
432
00:26:04,700 --> 00:26:08,300
NARRATOR: In 1937, Japan,
seeking to expand
433
00:26:08,367 --> 00:26:10,467
its territorial influence
in the region,
434
00:26:10,467 --> 00:26:11,767
invades China.
435
00:26:11,767 --> 00:26:14,467
[bombs whistling]
436
00:26:14,467 --> 00:26:15,700
[explosion blasts]
437
00:26:15,767 --> 00:26:18,367
During the conflict,
it deploys chemical weapons
438
00:26:18,467 --> 00:26:20,100
manufactured on the island,
439
00:26:20,166 --> 00:26:22,667
killing or injuring
80,000 people.
440
00:26:26,066 --> 00:26:29,400
M. MORGAN: The Japanese
Imperial Army used chemical
441
00:26:29,467 --> 00:26:30,667
and biological agents
442
00:26:30,767 --> 00:26:34,600
in the most inhumane
and depraved way against
443
00:26:34,667 --> 00:26:35,800
Chinese people.
444
00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:42,100
NARRATOR: During World War II,
fearing Allied forces
445
00:26:42,166 --> 00:26:44,767
are stockpiling chemical
weapons of their own,
446
00:26:45,800 --> 00:26:47,800
the Japanese government
turns the factory
447
00:26:47,867 --> 00:26:51,300
over to a secretive unit
called 731.
448
00:26:53,266 --> 00:26:56,567
At first, Unit 731
was experimenting on
449
00:26:56,667 --> 00:27:00,867
how to help Japanese soldiers
withstand chemical warfare.
450
00:27:00,867 --> 00:27:04,367
But after a while, it veered
off into a completely
451
00:27:04,467 --> 00:27:05,467
different territory,
452
00:27:05,467 --> 00:27:08,867
something that really
didn't even resemble
453
00:27:08,867 --> 00:27:10,166
scientific research at all.
454
00:27:11,567 --> 00:27:14,266
NARRATOR: Unit 731's first
experiments take
455
00:27:14,367 --> 00:27:17,367
place on animals,
such as rabbits,
456
00:27:17,467 --> 00:27:20,667
but it soon moves on
to human test subjects.
457
00:27:21,800 --> 00:27:23,800
M. MORGAN: They would,
for example, take Chinese
458
00:27:23,867 --> 00:27:25,467
prisoners of war,
tie them to a post
459
00:27:25,567 --> 00:27:28,100
in the middle of a test range,
and then they would
460
00:27:28,166 --> 00:27:32,467
expose these victims
to chemical agents.
461
00:27:32,567 --> 00:27:36,667
Another disgustingly
common practice was to expose
462
00:27:36,767 --> 00:27:39,767
prisoners to lethal
doses of X-rays.
463
00:27:39,867 --> 00:27:42,367
This is completely horrific.
464
00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:47,367
NARRATOR: Some historians
estimate that around
465
00:27:47,367 --> 00:27:51,100
600,000 people die at
the hands of Unit 731.
466
00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:56,667
They were a peasant people,
and the Japanese felt that they
467
00:27:56,667 --> 00:27:59,467
were unworthy of life
and they were nothing more
468
00:27:59,567 --> 00:28:00,800
than lab animals.
469
00:28:02,867 --> 00:28:06,166
NARRATOR: During World War II,
the island factory uses
470
00:28:06,266 --> 00:28:09,000
Unit 731's
so-called research
471
00:28:09,100 --> 00:28:12,400
to produce 6,000 tons
of poison gas
472
00:28:12,467 --> 00:28:14,000
and other chemical agents.
473
00:28:15,266 --> 00:28:17,467
The justification
for these experiments
474
00:28:17,567 --> 00:28:20,266
was to advance
military technology.
475
00:28:20,367 --> 00:28:23,867
It really was atrocities
that, nowadays,
476
00:28:23,967 --> 00:28:26,400
would equate to being
crimes against humanity.
477
00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:31,867
NARRATOR: Following its
surrender in September 1945,
478
00:28:31,867 --> 00:28:33,467
the Japanese government
attempts to
479
00:28:33,567 --> 00:28:36,467
cover up Unit 731's
brutalities
480
00:28:36,567 --> 00:28:39,600
before abandoning the island.
481
00:28:39,667 --> 00:28:42,667
They escaped from the island
with the full knowledge that,
482
00:28:42,767 --> 00:28:44,266
when the Americans get here,
483
00:28:44,367 --> 00:28:46,567
there's going to be hell
to pay.
484
00:28:46,667 --> 00:28:49,567
We're going to have
to face the music.
485
00:28:51,967 --> 00:28:54,000
NARRATOR: However,
in a twist of fate,
486
00:28:54,100 --> 00:28:57,367
many of the murderous
scientists escape punishment
487
00:28:57,367 --> 00:28:59,166
for their crimes.
488
00:28:59,166 --> 00:29:01,166
Disgracefully,
you actually have
489
00:29:01,166 --> 00:29:03,266
the U.S. government
playing an active
490
00:29:03,367 --> 00:29:06,000
role in this cover-up
and giving immunity
491
00:29:06,066 --> 00:29:09,600
to some Unit 731
researchers in return
492
00:29:09,667 --> 00:29:11,567
for access to their data.
493
00:29:13,300 --> 00:29:16,500
NARRATOR: Seven decades later,
an unlikely legacy of
494
00:29:16,567 --> 00:29:20,100
the Unit 731 experiments
remains on the island.
495
00:29:22,500 --> 00:29:26,467
Around 1,000 rabbits
have taken up residence here,
496
00:29:26,467 --> 00:29:28,567
rumored to be escapees
from its
497
00:29:28,567 --> 00:29:31,100
reign of terror
all those years ago.
498
00:29:32,867 --> 00:29:35,867
It's hard to imagine
a more stark contrast than
499
00:29:35,967 --> 00:29:39,066
the horrific,
grim past of this island
500
00:29:39,066 --> 00:29:40,400
and its present.
501
00:29:47,467 --> 00:29:51,967
NARRATOR: Coming up,
the 30-mile-long desert cipher.
502
00:29:51,967 --> 00:29:55,467
NARDI: What we see are
cryptic messages, which are
503
00:29:55,467 --> 00:29:58,166
just beyond what we can
comprehend at this time.
504
00:29:59,266 --> 00:30:02,100
NARRATOR:
And the lagoons of doom.
505
00:30:02,166 --> 00:30:07,867
Their luminous color points
to a dark, global story.
506
00:30:16,367 --> 00:30:20,266
NARRATOR: May 21st, 2021.
507
00:30:20,266 --> 00:30:24,767
A satellite flying ove the
77,000-square-mile Thar Desert
508
00:30:24,867 --> 00:30:28,967
in India captures weird
patterns in the sands below.
509
00:30:28,967 --> 00:30:32,800
{\an8}What we see from
this image
510
00:30:32,867 --> 00:30:37,066
is these lines that appear
to be carved into the ground.
511
00:30:38,500 --> 00:30:43,767
{\an8}It's almost like
a gigantic toddler with
512
00:30:43,767 --> 00:30:48,667
{\an8}a crayon has carved random
patterns into the desert.
513
00:30:53,166 --> 00:30:55,367
NARRATOR: The mystery desert
carvings cover
514
00:30:55,367 --> 00:30:58,567
an area equivalent
to 38 football fields.
515
00:31:00,066 --> 00:31:02,600
HUNT:
It's so remote and isolated,
516
00:31:02,667 --> 00:31:05,000
{\an8}so you have to wonder,
517
00:31:05,100 --> 00:31:06,867
{\an8}what are these things
doing here?
518
00:31:09,200 --> 00:31:12,467
NARRATOR: Devin Dennie
has a possible answer.
519
00:31:12,467 --> 00:31:16,266
{\an8}One potential theory here is
that someone has come to
520
00:31:16,266 --> 00:31:20,100
{\an8}this area to do a seismic
survey, looking for uranium.
521
00:31:22,367 --> 00:31:24,467
NARRATOR: India's rapid
industrialization
522
00:31:24,567 --> 00:31:25,667
means its energy use
523
00:31:25,667 --> 00:31:27,867
has doubled in the past
two decades.
524
00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:33,166
80 percent of the country's
power comes from
525
00:31:33,266 --> 00:31:34,867
oil, coal, or wood,
526
00:31:36,100 --> 00:31:38,600
meaning the country
is home to 21
527
00:31:38,667 --> 00:31:42,166
of the 30 most polluted cities
on Earth.
528
00:31:42,166 --> 00:31:45,000
One of the areas
in which India
529
00:31:45,066 --> 00:31:49,000
is expanding its energy
sourcing is nuclear.
530
00:31:49,100 --> 00:31:53,166
So you need to prospect for
531
00:31:53,166 --> 00:31:56,667
uranium for this burgeoning
nuclear industry.
532
00:31:57,867 --> 00:32:00,100
DENNIE: In order to conduct
a seismic survey,
533
00:32:00,166 --> 00:32:04,700
we need to put equipment on
the ground, and we need roads
534
00:32:04,767 --> 00:32:07,467
or paths laid out in specific
535
00:32:07,567 --> 00:32:10,567
patterns in order to be able to
do this properly.
536
00:32:12,567 --> 00:32:15,166
NARRATOR: Yet when a drone
scans the giant patterns in
537
00:32:15,266 --> 00:32:16,367
more detail,
538
00:32:16,467 --> 00:32:19,467
a very different
theory emerges.
539
00:32:19,567 --> 00:32:22,567
These patterns really have
an organic quality to them.
540
00:32:22,667 --> 00:32:25,300
So that tells me that
these are geoglyphs,
541
00:32:25,367 --> 00:32:28,867
patterns intentionally
carved into the ground on
542
00:32:28,867 --> 00:32:30,667
tremendous scales,
543
00:32:30,667 --> 00:32:33,000
usually by ancient people.
544
00:32:36,367 --> 00:32:38,767
NARRATOR: Geoglyphs are
monumental carvings
545
00:32:38,767 --> 00:32:40,800
designed to be viewed
from above.
546
00:32:42,767 --> 00:32:46,166
Their purpose remains unclear,
but they appear to be
547
00:32:46,266 --> 00:32:47,800
coded messages,
548
00:32:47,867 --> 00:32:50,767
possibly to gods in
the skies.
549
00:32:50,867 --> 00:32:56,100
HUNT: In many cases, geoglyphs
are thousands of years old,
550
00:32:56,166 --> 00:33:00,700
and many of these lines
scratched in the surface here
551
00:33:00,767 --> 00:33:03,166
imitate a living creature.
552
00:33:04,667 --> 00:33:06,600
NARRATOR: A clue to
who created the giant
553
00:33:06,667 --> 00:33:09,767
carvings in India lies across
the state border.
554
00:33:12,700 --> 00:33:14,867
KOUROUNIS: Interestingly,
not far from where
555
00:33:14,967 --> 00:33:17,100
this satellite image was taken
in the nearby state
556
00:33:17,166 --> 00:33:19,500
of Maharashtra,
there are some geoglyphs there
557
00:33:19,567 --> 00:33:22,200
that date back
to the Stone Age.
558
00:33:23,600 --> 00:33:26,700
NARRATOR: Thousands of geoglyphs
and petroglyphs are found
559
00:33:26,767 --> 00:33:28,300
across Maharashtra,
560
00:33:28,367 --> 00:33:31,667
legacies of a civilization
that ruled these lands
561
00:33:31,667 --> 00:33:33,367
12,000 years ago.
562
00:33:35,367 --> 00:33:38,700
Many depict predators,
such as tigers and sharks.
563
00:33:40,567 --> 00:33:43,000
The society or societies
that created
564
00:33:43,100 --> 00:33:45,767
them would have been
hunter-gatherers.
565
00:33:47,467 --> 00:33:51,200
HUNT: It's fascinating to see
how many of these are of animals
566
00:33:51,266 --> 00:33:52,266
that were feared,
567
00:33:52,266 --> 00:33:54,500
animals that might
hunt humans,
568
00:33:54,567 --> 00:33:56,700
animals that posed great risk.
569
00:33:58,567 --> 00:33:59,600
NARRATOR:
Some of the carvings in
570
00:33:59,667 --> 00:34:02,000
the desert appear to
represent serpents.
571
00:34:04,667 --> 00:34:06,767
Analysts speculate
this could shed light on
572
00:34:06,867 --> 00:34:09,266
the belief systems of people
who once lived here.
573
00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:12,300
HUNT:
In many languages,
574
00:34:12,367 --> 00:34:17,000
the same word for fear is
the word for worship.
575
00:34:17,066 --> 00:34:20,266
So there's a very thin line
576
00:34:20,266 --> 00:34:23,200
sometimes between fear
and religion.
577
00:34:25,300 --> 00:34:28,867
According to Hindu mythology,
the underworld is home to
578
00:34:28,867 --> 00:34:30,367
a race of half-serpent,
579
00:34:30,467 --> 00:34:32,767
half-human beings
called nagas.
580
00:34:35,367 --> 00:34:37,367
Snakes in India
are also worshiped
581
00:34:37,467 --> 00:34:39,967
as symbols of both death
and rebirth.
582
00:34:41,467 --> 00:34:45,767
These creatures were
no doubt venerated by
583
00:34:45,767 --> 00:34:48,367
the people of this region
584
00:34:48,367 --> 00:34:50,567
many thousands of years ago.
585
00:34:50,667 --> 00:34:52,400
Could we be seeing here
586
00:34:52,467 --> 00:34:57,166
the beginnings of the worship
of animals who are feared?
587
00:34:58,767 --> 00:35:03,300
NARRATOR: The serpent-like
symbols are up to 7 miles long.
588
00:35:03,367 --> 00:35:06,266
Yet when archaeologists
study them up close,
589
00:35:06,266 --> 00:35:08,567
the mystery deepens.
590
00:35:08,667 --> 00:35:10,467
As it turns out,
these patterns in
591
00:35:10,567 --> 00:35:14,166
the Thar Desert are much
younger than we thought.
592
00:35:14,266 --> 00:35:17,567
AUERBACH: These particular
carvings are not as old
593
00:35:17,567 --> 00:35:19,266
as the ones in Maharashtra,
594
00:35:19,266 --> 00:35:21,767
but they're
no less impressive.
595
00:35:23,667 --> 00:35:26,400
NARRATOR: It appears the symbols
were created by an unknown
596
00:35:26,467 --> 00:35:28,967
group of people who once lived
in this desert.
597
00:35:30,567 --> 00:35:34,767
But why and how remains
a mystery.
598
00:35:34,867 --> 00:35:38,000
There are so many
unanswered questions.
599
00:35:38,100 --> 00:35:42,200
Were these lines part of
some ritual or ceremony?
600
00:35:42,266 --> 00:35:47,467
Did the artists truly intend
them to be viewed from above?
601
00:35:47,567 --> 00:35:50,367
{\an8}What we see are cryptic
messages, which are
602
00:35:50,367 --> 00:35:52,867
{\an8}just beyond what we can
comprehend at this time.
603
00:35:57,567 --> 00:36:00,400
NARRATOR: Coming up,
blood lakes.
604
00:36:00,467 --> 00:36:04,567
You would not want
to go swimming in this lagoon.
605
00:36:13,667 --> 00:36:16,767
NARRATOR:
August 19th, 2019.
606
00:36:18,266 --> 00:36:20,467
A satellite sweeping
over the region of
607
00:36:20,467 --> 00:36:24,700
Patagonia in Argentina scans
the featureless landscape below.
608
00:36:28,367 --> 00:36:29,867
{\an8}For miles and miles,
609
00:36:29,967 --> 00:36:34,567
{\an8}you see nothing but arid
and dusty desert.
610
00:36:34,667 --> 00:36:36,166
A. MORGAN: And then,
out of nowhere, there are
611
00:36:36,266 --> 00:36:39,467
{\an8}these lagoons with water
the color of bubblegum.
612
00:36:42,166 --> 00:36:44,166
NARRATOR:
The weird bodies of water are
613
00:36:44,266 --> 00:36:46,100
each over half a mile long.
614
00:36:47,767 --> 00:36:51,667
It's as though somebody
will cut open the earth.
615
00:36:53,767 --> 00:36:56,200
NARRATOR: A clue to the origin
of the pink waters
616
00:36:56,266 --> 00:36:58,867
could lie in further aerial
images captured
617
00:36:58,867 --> 00:37:00,867
7,000 miles away.
618
00:37:01,967 --> 00:37:04,000
RODRIGUEZ McROBBIE:
My immediate thought is that
619
00:37:04,100 --> 00:37:05,300
the color of these lagoons
620
00:37:05,367 --> 00:37:08,900
{\an8}is the same as that of
Lake Hillier in Australia.
621
00:37:11,100 --> 00:37:14,266
NARRATOR:
First discovered in 1802,
622
00:37:14,266 --> 00:37:17,100
the garish waters of
the 53-acre
623
00:37:17,166 --> 00:37:19,667
Lake Hillier have long
puzzled scientists.
624
00:37:20,867 --> 00:37:23,867
{\an8}For years, no one could work
out why Lake Hillier
625
00:37:23,867 --> 00:37:25,367
{\an8}has such a strange color,
626
00:37:25,467 --> 00:37:27,700
but recently, they started to
think that it has something to
627
00:37:27,767 --> 00:37:30,467
do with the unusual high salt
concentrations in the water.
628
00:37:33,066 --> 00:37:36,867
NARRATOR: Lake Hillier is
10 times saltier than the ocean,
629
00:37:36,967 --> 00:37:39,500
making it lethal
to most forms of life.
630
00:37:41,367 --> 00:37:42,433
But not all.
631
00:37:43,667 --> 00:37:45,667
KAYS: There are some parts
of Planet Earth that are
632
00:37:45,667 --> 00:37:49,467
so toxic that almost no life
can survive there.
633
00:37:49,467 --> 00:37:52,767
But often,
we do find some life,
634
00:37:52,867 --> 00:37:55,867
and those species,
we call extremophiles.
635
00:37:58,367 --> 00:38:01,900
NARRATOR: There are almost
500 species of extremophile in
636
00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:04,467
Lake Hillier,
including bacteria,
637
00:38:04,467 --> 00:38:07,000
viruses, and purple
and red microbes.
638
00:38:08,266 --> 00:38:09,867
Normally,
you don't even notice them.
639
00:38:09,867 --> 00:38:13,600
But if something causes their
population to boom or to bloom,
640
00:38:13,667 --> 00:38:15,767
you can get all kinds of
extraordinary colors.
641
00:38:17,600 --> 00:38:19,567
NARRATOR:
Swarming in their trillions,
642
00:38:19,567 --> 00:38:22,367
it seems these microbes
turn the hyper-saline
643
00:38:22,367 --> 00:38:26,066
waters of Lake Hillier
a permanent shade of pink.
644
00:38:30,367 --> 00:38:32,567
But local reports
reveal this can't
645
00:38:32,567 --> 00:38:34,900
explain the lagoons in
South America.
646
00:38:36,367 --> 00:38:37,700
If you look at older images,
647
00:38:37,767 --> 00:38:39,467
you see that
they weren't always pink.
648
00:38:40,500 --> 00:38:43,066
{\an8}These lagoons have
turned pink a number of times,
649
00:38:43,066 --> 00:38:46,300
{\an8}but most of the time, they're
typically blue or green.
650
00:38:47,800 --> 00:38:50,000
NARRATOR: What's more,
one of the lagoons
651
00:38:50,066 --> 00:38:51,600
has a nauseating odor.
652
00:38:53,367 --> 00:38:57,667
Locals report that it
has this rotten smell, like
653
00:38:57,767 --> 00:39:03,567
old food, and it's attracting
large swarms of insects.
654
00:39:03,567 --> 00:39:05,266
KAYS: Whatever is going on
in these lagoons,
655
00:39:05,266 --> 00:39:08,000
it must be something more
serious than just some excess
656
00:39:08,066 --> 00:39:09,100
bacteria or algae.
657
00:39:10,800 --> 00:39:12,900
NARRATOR: Analysts dial up
the magnification.
658
00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:16,667
There's definitely some
kind of manmade activity,
659
00:39:16,767 --> 00:39:19,867
and there are some structures
in between the two lakes.
660
00:39:19,967 --> 00:39:22,767
It looks like
some type of industry.
661
00:39:22,867 --> 00:39:24,767
I'm seeing
infrastructure here.
662
00:39:27,100 --> 00:39:29,567
NARRATOR: It transpires
the land around the lagoons
663
00:39:29,667 --> 00:39:32,467
is home to dozens of
fish factories,
664
00:39:32,567 --> 00:39:36,500
part of Argentina's $2 billion
dollar a year fishing industry.
665
00:39:41,000 --> 00:39:43,166
As a byproduct of
their processes,
666
00:39:43,166 --> 00:39:47,367
fish factories can produce
vast amounts of toxic effluent.
667
00:39:51,567 --> 00:39:53,500
A. MORGAN: The factories
have been driving truckloads
668
00:39:53,567 --> 00:39:55,500
of this waste
through a nearby town
669
00:39:55,567 --> 00:39:58,100
to a treatment
facility to dispose of it.
670
00:39:58,166 --> 00:40:02,000
KAYS: Locals were sick of
the constant stream of toxic,
671
00:40:02,066 --> 00:40:04,367
foul-smelling traffic
coming through their town,
672
00:40:04,367 --> 00:40:06,800
so they protested
and blocked the road.
673
00:40:08,200 --> 00:40:10,600
NARRATOR: Unable to get
to the treatment plants,
674
00:40:10,667 --> 00:40:12,400
the fish companies
look for another
675
00:40:12,467 --> 00:40:14,700
place to dump
their stinking waste.
676
00:40:16,767 --> 00:40:20,000
Local activists claim that
the color is the result of
677
00:40:20,066 --> 00:40:22,166
fish factories letting
the toxic runoff
678
00:40:22,266 --> 00:40:25,700
flow into the lagoon, and, as
a consequence, turning it pink.
679
00:40:28,367 --> 00:40:30,667
NARRATOR: The discoloration
may be caused by
680
00:40:30,667 --> 00:40:32,767
the chemical sodium sulfite.
681
00:40:34,900 --> 00:40:38,700
Sodium sulfite is used
in fish processing,
682
00:40:38,767 --> 00:40:42,100
mainly to preserve
shrimp and prawns.
683
00:40:43,567 --> 00:40:47,266
KAYS: It's the chemical used to
help foods maintain their color,
684
00:40:47,266 --> 00:40:50,900
so that, for example,
frozen foods still look fresh,
685
00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:53,266
but it can be toxic
in high concentrations.
686
00:40:56,266 --> 00:40:59,567
NARRATOR: If it is sodium
sulfite in these lurid waters,
687
00:40:59,667 --> 00:41:02,867
local lives are
being put at risk.
688
00:41:02,867 --> 00:41:04,867
KAYS:
As sodium sulfite decomposes,
689
00:41:04,967 --> 00:41:07,867
it turns into
sulfur dioxide gas,
690
00:41:07,967 --> 00:41:10,767
which smells really bad
and can also cause
691
00:41:10,767 --> 00:41:12,266
respiratory problems.
692
00:41:13,767 --> 00:41:17,000
The irony of it all is that
something so bright
693
00:41:17,066 --> 00:41:20,000
and colorful actually
represents something that is
694
00:41:20,100 --> 00:41:21,767
dangerous and toxic.
695
00:41:26,867 --> 00:41:29,100
{\an8}NARRATOR: Worldwide, we catch
and kill around
696
00:41:29,166 --> 00:41:32,500
{\an8}200 million tons of fish
and seafood each year.
697
00:41:35,166 --> 00:41:37,767
{\an8}It's a $400 billion
dollar industry,
698
00:41:40,066 --> 00:41:41,767
{\an8}and the people of
Patagonia may
699
00:41:41,767 --> 00:41:44,000
{\an8}risk paying for it
with their lives.
700
00:41:46,066 --> 00:41:49,000
{\an8}These lagoons may be
bright to look at,
701
00:41:49,066 --> 00:41:54,500
{\an8}but their luminous color
points to a dark, global story.