What on Earth? (2015–…): Season 3, Episode 15 - Lost Empire of the Amazon - full transcript

Narrator:
THEY'RE WATCHING YOU.

MORE THAN 4,000
SATELLITES CIRCLE THE EARTH.

EVERY DAY, THEY UNCOVER
NEW MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA.

SOME DEFY EXPLANATION.

BAM, THIS STICKS
OUT LIKE A SORE THUMB.

WHAT COULD DO THAT?

Narrator: AN ASTRONAUT
DISCOVERS
A SPARKLING CONSTELLATION

OF MYSTERIOUS LIGHTS
ON PLANET EARTH.

IT'S BASICALLY A CITY OUT
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN.

Narrator:
A SATELLITE IMAGE REVEALS

NORTH KOREA'S NEW SECRET
WEAPON.



Moran: THERE ARE VERY FEW
PLACES
IN THE WORLD

THAT COULD ACTUALLY
KICK-START WORLD WAR III.

BUT THIS IS ONE OF THEM.

Narrator: AND STRANGE MARKINGS
IN THE AMAZON WILDERNESS

HINT AT THE EXISTENCE
OF AN ANCIENT,

PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN
CIVILIZATION.

THIS COULD BE ONE OF
THE BIGGEST GAME CHANGERS

IN SOUTH AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY

THAT HAS EVER BEEN.

Narrator: BAFFLING PHENOMENA,
MYSTERIES FROM SPACE,

WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY?

A SATELLITE MAPPING IMAGE

OF A REMOTE EXPANSE
OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN

SHOWS SOMETHING STRANGE.



THE JAPANESE-OWNED ISLAND
OF MINAMI-TORI-SHIMA

HAS COMPLETELY DISAPPEARED.

Kourounis: IF YOU LOOK AT
SATELLITE IMAGES FROM 2003,

YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE
A TRIANGULAR-SHAPED ISLAND.

BUT FAST-FORWARD TO 2015.

AND THAT SAME AREA,
THE ISLAND IS GONE.

Narrator: IN ITS PLACE IS
SIMPLY
A PATCH OF DARK SEA.

WHAT COULD HAVE THAT KIND
OF EFFECT ON THE LANDSCAPE?

Narrator: MINAMI-TORI-SHIMA
IS APPROXIMATELY

1,000 MILES SOUTHEAST OF JAPAN.

RECORDS OF ITS EXISTENCE
GO BACK CENTURIES

TO THE SPANISH EXPLORERS
WHO FIRST DISCOVERED IT.

THE DARKENING OF THE SEA
IN THE AREA SUGGESTS

THAT SOMETHING CATASTROPHIC
HAS HAPPENED HERE.

THE DISAPPEARANCE
OF AN ENTIRE ISLAND

CAN SOMETIMES BE THE RESULT
OF A CATACLYSMIC VOLCANIC
EVENT.

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF AN ISLAND
IS A DRAMATIC CHANGE.

AND SOMETHING QUITE BIG
WOULD HAVE TO CAUSE IT.

THE ISLAND
OF KRAKATOA DISAPPEARED

IN A MASSIVE VOLCANIC ERUPTION.

Narrator:
THE ISLAND KNOWN AS KRAKATOA

WAS ACTUALLY THE CONE
OF A LARGE VOLCANO.

IN 1883, IT ERUPTED
SO VIOLENTLY,

6 CUBIC MILES OF ROCK
AND ASH SHOT INTO THE AIR,

TURNING DAY INTO NIGHT
ACROSS THE JAVA SEA

AND THE INDIAN OCEAN.

BUT SEISMIC DATA
FROM 2015 SHOWS NO SIGN

OF ANY SUCH ERUPTION HAPPENING
ANYWHERE IN THE AREA.

IN THE ABSENCE
OF A NATURAL EXPLANATION

FOR THE ISLAND'S DISAPPEARANCE,

EXPERTS CONSIDER
THE POSSIBILITY

IT MIGHT'VE BEEN
DELIBERATELY DESTROYED.

THE ISLAND OF NOATU
IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC

WAS ALMOST ENTIRELY
REMOVED OR DESTROYED

BY THE MINING
OF THE FERTILIZER GUANO.

THAT MIGHT BE
WHAT HAPPENED HERE.

THERE'S A PHENOMENON KNOWN
AS MOUNTAINTOP REMOVAL MINING.

THEY REMOVE THE TOP
OF A MOUNTAIN

TO GET AT THE MINERALS
THAT ARE INSIDE.

WHY NOT DO THAT WITH AN ISLAND?

Narrator: BUT WHAT COULD BE
SO VALUABLE IT'S WORTH

WIPING AN ENTIRE ISLAND
OFF THE MAP?

ASTONISHINGLY, IN 2012,

GEOLOGISTS DISCOVERED
MINAMI-TORI-SHIMA

WAS HOME TO INCREDIBLE RICHES.

SAMPLES OF DIRT TAKEN
FROM AROUND THE ISLAND

WERE FOUND TO CONTAIN PRECIOUS
RARE EARTH ELEMENTS

USED IN THE MANUFACTURE

OF COMPUTER CHIPS
AND OTHER HIGH-TECH GOODS.

FOR OVER A DECADE,
CHINA HAD A STRANGLEHOLD

ON THESE VALUABLE,
HIGH-TECH RAW MATERIALS,

SUPPLYING OVER 95%
OF THE WORLD'S DEMANDS,

BUT NOT ANYMORE.

FINDING RARE EARTH ELEMENTS
IN THESE QUANTITIES

IS A POTENTIAL GAME CHANGER
FOR JAPAN.

Marshall: JAPAN IS A MASSIVE
CONSUMER OF RARE EARTH METALS.

AND SO TO FIND THEIR OWN

AND NO LONGER HAVE
TO BE BEHOLDEN

TO THE CHINESE
FOR RARE EARTH METALS

IS, FOR THEM, A GODSEND.

Narrator:
THE SEAM THEY'VE DISCOVERED
IN THE AREA IS MASSIVE.

THERE ARE ENOUGH
TO KEEP JAPAN

IN RARE EARTH METALS
FOR THE NEXT TWO CENTURIES.

Narrator:
BUT GEOLOGICAL RECORDS

REVEAL A FLAW
IN THE MINING THEORY.

THE RARE EARTH METALS
ARE NOT ACTUALLY ON THE ISLAND

OF MINAMI-TORI-SHIMA.

THEY'RE BURIED ABOUT
20,000 FEET BELOW

THE SURFACE OF
THE SURROUNDING OCEAN.

THESE RARE EARTH MINERALS

ARE REALLY THE SEABED
AROUND THE ISLAND.

SO IF YOU WERE AFTER THEM,
YOU WOULDN'T

DIG THE ISLAND ITSELF AWAY.

Narrator: ANY MINERS WANTING
TO EXPLOIT THE MINERALS

AROUND MINAMI-TORI-SHIMA

WOULD NEED THE ISLAND AS A
BASE.

MINING CANNOT EXPLAIN
ITS DISAPPEARANCE.

SEVERAL OTHER ISLANDS
IN THE PACIFIC

HAVE VANISHED BENEATH THE WAVES

BECAUSE OF RISING
SEA LEVELS.

COULD THE EXPLANATION
BE THAT SIMPLE?

THERE ARE A FEW PLACES ON EARTH

THAT ARE VERY VULNERABLE
TO SEA LEVEL RISE.

THE ISLANDS OF THE MALDIVES,
KIRABASH, TUVALU.

PEOPLE OF THESE COUNTRIES
ARE ACTUALLY STARTING TO THINK

ABOUT WHERE TO
RELOCATE THEIR NATION TO,

BECAUSE IN A HUNDRED YEARS
OR SO,

THEY MAY NO LONGER EXIST.

Narrator: IMAGE ANALYSIS OF
THE ISLAND'S TOPOGRAPHY

SUGGESTS IT COULD
BE VULNERABLE.

Fletcher: THE MIDDLE
OF THE ISLAND IS ACTUALLY

3 FEET BELOW SEA LEVEL

SURROUNDED BY A RIM
OF HIGHER GROUND.

SO IF THAT RIM WERE
SOMEHOW BREACHED,

THEN IT COULD BE
BYE, BYE FOR THE ISLAND.

Narrator:
THE THEORY SOUNDS PLAUSIBLE

EXCEPT FOR ONE
MYSTERIOUS ANOMALY.

Moran: THE WEIRD THING IS,

THERE'S A WEATHER STATION
ON THE ISLAND.

AND IT'S STILL
TRANSMITTING DATA.

IT WOULDN'T BE DOING THAT
IF THE ISLAND WERE UNDERWATER.

Fletcher: SO THE ISLAND
STILL HAS TO BE THERE.

WE JUST CAN'T SEE IT.

Narrator: PERHAPS
MINAMI-TORI-SHIMA ITSELF

HAS NOT VANISHED,

JUST PHOTOGRAPHIC
EVIDENCE OF IT.

SOME BELIEVE A SHADOWY
GOVERNMENT AGENCY HAS DECIDED

THAT IT SHOULD NO LONGER EXIST
ON SATELLITE IMAGES.

SOMEBODY HAS DELIBERATELY
WIPED THIS LOCATION OFF THE
MAP.

WHY WOULD ANYBODY DO THAT?

WHY WOULD ANYBODY
TAKE SOMETHING OFF A MAP?

WELL, THE REASON IS
POLITICAL OR IT'S MILITARY.

Hansen: SATELLITE IMAGERY
IS BEING DEGRADED

BY DIGITAL MEANS AS WE SPEAK.

Narrator: EVEN TODAY, BUILDINGS
IN SECURITY-SENSITIVE LOCATIONS

ARE PIXELATED
ON DIGITAL MAP SITES.

IT'S DONE SO THAT WE DON'T
GIVE AWAY THEIR SECRETS.

Narrator:
IT'S POSSIBLE THE ORIGINAL,

UNALTERED IMAGE
OF MINAMI-TORI-SHIMA

REVEALED SOME SECRET ACTIVITY

CONNECTED TO THE ISLAND'S
VAST HIDDEN WEALTH.

WHATEVER THEY WERE DOING THE
DAY
IT WAS OBSCURED IS RELATED

TO MILITARY
AND RARE EARTH METALS.

IT IS SO SENSITIVE
THAT IT REQUIRES COVERING UP.

THE JAPANESE SPECIAL FORCES
ARE THERE NOW.

IT IS NOW IMPERATIVE
TO GUARD THAT ISLAND.

IT'S WORTH A FORTUNE.

Narrator: THE INTERVENTION
OF SPECIAL FORCES

LENDS WEIGHT TO THE IDEA

THE IMAGE WAS
DELIBERATELY ALTERED

TO CONCEAL
CLANDESTINE OPERATIONS.

TO DATE, THE JAPANESE
GOVERNMENT

HAS NOT ISSUED
ANY STATEMENT

REGARDING ITS ACTIVITIES
ON THE ISLAND.

DEEP IN THE AMAZON RAINFOREST,
HUNDREDS OF UNNATURAL PATTERNS

ARE EMERGING
FROM THE UNDERGROWTH.

THIS IS PRETTY INCREDIBLE.

Narrator:
COULD THESE ENORMOUS EARTHWORKS

BE SIGNS OF A CITY TIME FORGOT?

Kourounis: THIS COULD BE ONE
OF THE LARGEST

ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES
IN SOUTH AMERICAN HISTORY.

Narrator: JUNE 19, 2006.

SATELLITES SCANNING
SOUTH AMERICA'S

VAST AMAZON RAINFOREST
CAPTURE IMAGES

OF UNNATURALLY STRAIGHT LINES

AND REGULAR SHAPES ON GROUND
RECENTLY EXPOSED BY LOGGING.

FURTHER IMAGES REVEAL
THERE ARE MORE THAN 400

OF THESE EXTRAORDINARY
GEOMETRIC PATTERNS

SPREAD OVER AN AREA
OF 59,000 SQUARE MILES.

IT'S ODD THAT YOU WOULD HAVE
SO MANY OF THESE SHAPES

SORT OF CLUSTERED
IN THIS ONE PART OF THE JUNGLE.

WHY ARE THEY THERE?

WE DON'T KNOW
WHO MADE THESE THINGS

OR WHEN THEY WERE MADE, UH,

EVEN LESS ABOUT
WHAT THEY REPRESENT.

Narrator: THIS AREA,
CLOSE TO THE BOLIVIAN BORDER,

WAS ONCE A VAST TRACT
OF UNTOUCHED JUNGLE

THAT MANY CONSIDER
WAS TOO INHOSPITABLE

TO HAVE SUPPORTED
A MAJOR HUMAN SETTLEMENT.

THE ASSUMPTION IS THAT
THE REGION WAS UNINHABITED

FOR MOST OF HISTORY.

THIS IS A REALLY LARGE AREA,
A VAST EXTENSION OF RAINFOREST.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT,
YOU KNOW, MILES OF WILDERNESS.

Narrator:
RECENT SATELLITE IMAGES

MAKE IT CLEAR SOMEONE
HAS BEEN HERE BEFORE.

WHOEVER CREATED THESE SHAPES
MUST'VE DONE IT HUNDREDS,

PERHAPS THOUSANDS
OF YEARS AGO.

WHY THEY DID SO IS UNCLEAR.

OTHER ANCIENT JUNGLE CULTURES
COULD OFFER CLUES.

IT'S NOT UNCOMMON
IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD

TO SEE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
MAKE INTERESTING SHAPES.

THINK OF RICE PADDIES
IN SOUTHEAST ASIA.

YOU HAVE THESE WONDERFUL
TERRACED STRUCTURES.

COULD THIS ACTUALLY BE
SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THAT?

Narrator:
THIS PARTICULAR AREA

IS ONE OF THE WETTEST PLACES
ON EARTH,

WITH OVER 80 INCHES
OF RAIN A YEAR.

PERHAPS THESE ANCIENT DITCHES

WERE DESIGNED TO HELP DRAIN
THE WATERLOGGED SOIL.

[ LUZ SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE
]

BUT THE ELEVATION OF THE LINES
CAST DOUBT ON THE IDEA

THAT THEY ARE
DRAINAGE CHANNELS.

MANY OF THESE CIRCULAR
SHAPES HAVE BEEN FOUND ON,

YOU KNOW, SOMETHING LIKE
A 200-METER-HIGH PLATEAU.

Narrator: IF THAT'S THE CASE,

THERE WOULD BE NO NEED
TO DRAIN THE LAND.

A PEOPLE FROM THE DISTANT
PAST EXPENDED HUGE RESOURCES

TO CREATE THESE SHAPES.

BUT WHO?

THE FIRST OF
THE GREAT CIVILIZATIONS

TO COME ANYWHERE
NEAR THIS AREA WAS THE INCA.

THE INCAS HAD AN EMPIRE
THAT STRETCHED UP

AND DOWN THE SPINE OF THE
ANDES.

AND THE EASTERN
QUARTER WAS THE AREA

THAT EXTENDED DOWN
THE SLOPES OF THE ANDES

AND INTO THE AMAZON.

IS THERE PERHAPS AN OFFSHOOT

OR A SUBGROUP
OF THE INCAN PEOPLE

THAT DECIDED
TO LEAVE THE MOUNTAINS

AND TAKE UP SHOP IN THE JUNGLE?

IT'S A POSSIBILITY.

Narrator: THE INCA ONCE RULED

THE LARGEST EMPIRE
IN THE NEW WORLD,

STRETCHING MORE
THAN 2,500 MILES.

THEY WERE FEARED FOR GRUESOME
SACRIFICE AND MUMMIFICATION.

AND THEY REMAIN FAMOUS

FOR THEIR SEEMINGLY
IMPOSSIBLE FEATS OF
ENGINEERING,

LIKE THE CONSTRUCTION
OF MACHU PICCHU

ON A REMOTE MOUNTAINTOP
8,000 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL.

BUT WHILE THEY HAD THE SKILLS,

THE INCA ARE NOT KNOWN
TO HAVE CREATED ANYTHING

LIKE THE AMAZON GEOGLYPHS.

[ SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE ]

IT LOOKS TO ME LIKE
THESE ARE SUCH LARGE EARTHWORKS

THAT YOU WOULD NEED
A LARGE POPULATION

TO BUILD THEM,

NOT JUST A SMALL
BREAKAWAY GROUP OF INCAS.

Narrator: THE SHEER SCALE
OF THE GEOGLYPHS

FORCES SCIENTISTS TO CONFRONT
AN INCREDIBLE POSSIBILITY --

THE EXISTENCE OF A VAST,
PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN CIVILIZATION

HIDDEN WITHIN THE AMAZON
JUNGLE,

A TRUE EL DORADO.

IF YOU SEE THE CHRONICLES

OF THE VERY FIRST EXPLORERS
OF THE AMAZON,

THEY DESCRIBED LARGE CITIES

WITH LARGE POPULATIONS

OCCUPYING THE ENTIRE LENGTH
OF THE AMAZON RIVER.

MOST OF THOSE ACCOUNTS
WERE LATER DISCREDITED.

MAYBE THESE DESCRIPTIONS
WERE FAR MORE ACCURATE

THAN HAS BEEN THOUGHT.

Narrator: EXAMINATION
OF CORE SAMPLES

FROM THE SOIL IN THE TRENCHES
ENABLES ARCHAEOLOGISTS

TO PUT A DATE
ON THEIR CREATION.

BUT FAR FROM SOLVING THE
PUZZLE,

THE DATE ONLY DEEPENS
THE MYSTERY OF THE GEOGLYPHS.

THEY ARE 6,000 YEARS OLD.

THIS IS PRETTY INCREDIBLE.

THEY'RE AS LONG AGO,

MAYBE AS FAR BACK
AS SIX MILLENNIA,

THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO KNEW
HOW TO SURVIVE IN THE AMAZON

AND PROSPER IN LARGE NUMBERS.

Narrator: 14 CENTURIES BEFORE
THE EGYPTIAN PYRAMIDS,

A PREVIOUSLY UNHEARD OF
ANCIENT PEOPLE BUILT AN EMPIRE

THE SIZE OF GEORGIA
IN THE AMAZON BASIN.

HERE WE HAVE EVIDENCE
OF A CIVILIZATION

THAT GOES BACK
SOME 6,000 YEARS.

AND IT'S VAST.

Narrator: BUT HOW COULD
SUCH A CIVILIZATION

SUSTAIN ITSELF
IN THE AMAZON JUNGLE?

FURTHER ANALYSIS OF
THE SEDIMENT SAMPLES PRODUCES

ANOTHER SHOCKING DISCOVERY --

TRACES OF CORN PRODUCTION.

IT MEANS THAT
6,000 YEARS AGO,

THIS AREA WASN'T JUNGLE AT ALL.

IT WAS FARMLAND.

Kourounis: SO THAT SUGGESTS
THAT THE CLIMATE

WAS VERY DIFFERENT BACK THEN
THAN IT IS NOW.

AND THAT COULD CHANGE
OUR UNDERSTANDING

COMPLETELY OF WHAT
THE RAINFOREST IS LIKE.

Narrator: NO ONE
REALLY KNOWS HOW OR WHEN

THIS HUGE CIVILIZATION
COLLAPSED AND DISAPPEARED.

BUT WHILE IT FLOURISHED,

IT SEEMS TO HAVE
TRANSFORMED THE LANDSCAPE.

Van Gijseghem:
WHEN THESE PEOPLE DISAPPEARED,

THE FORESTS KIND OF
RECLAIMED THESE AREAS.

AND THE IMAGE THAT WE HAVE
OF A PRISTINE LANDSCAPE

IS ACTUALLY, PERHAPS,
A VERY RECENT ONE.

Narrator: THE GEOGLYPH'S
MYSTERIOUS CREATORS

ARE LONG DEAD,
THEIR MOTIVATIONS UNKNOWN.

BUT THE MARK THEY LEFT
ON THE LANDSCAPE

REMAINS VISIBLE FROM SPACE.

Kourounis: WE DON'T EVEN KNOW
WHO BUILT THIS.

THIS IS A HUGE MYSTERY.

THIS COULD BE ONE OF
THE BIGGEST GAME CHANGERS

IN SOUTH AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY
THAT HAS EVER BEEN.

Narrator: A SATELLITE SPOTS
A SUSPICIOUS SUBMARINE

DOCKED IN
A NORTH KOREAN SHIPYARD.

NORTH KOREA IS A COUNTRY
THAT MIGHT HURT US.

AND IF YOU FORGET ABOUT THAT,
THEY REMIND YOU.

Moran: THERE ARE VERY FEW
PLACES
IN THE WORLD

THAT COULD ACTUALLY
KICK-START WORLD WAR III.

BUT THIS IS ONE OF THEM.

Narrator: SINPO SHIPYARD,
NORTH KOREA, 2016,

A SURVEILLANCE SATELLITE
KEEPS A VIGILANT EYE

ON THE ROGUE NATION'S
MOST FEARED MILITARY COMPLEX.

EVERYONE IS WATCHING THE SITE
--
U.S., U.K., SOUTH KOREAN,

CHINESE, RUSSIAN, JAPANESE.

Narrator: LOCATED ON THE EAST
COAST OF THE KOREAN PENINSULA,

THE SHIPYARD STRATEGICALLY
FACES
THE REGIME'S MORTAL ENEMIES --

SOUTH KOREA AND JAPAN.

French: THE PORT OF SINPO

IS OFFICIALLY A PORT
FOR FISHING VESSELS.

ALTHOUGH, WE'VE KNOWN FOR A
LONG TIME THAT IT IS, INDEED,

WHERE NORTH KOREA
KEEPS ITS SUBMARINE FLEET.

Narrator:
U.S. SPY SATELLITES MONITOR

NORTH KOREA'S FLEET
OF 70 SUBMARINES.

MOST ARE SMALL,
330-TON SUBMERSIBLES,

ONLY DANGEROUS TO OTHER SHIPS.

BUT OVER RECENT YEARS,
IMAGE ANALYST MELISSA HANHAM

HAS OBSERVED
SOME DISTURBING DEVELOPMENTS.

USING SATELLITE IMAGERY,
YOU CAN TRACK CHANGES

IN WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE.

THERE'S NEW ROOFS
GOING ON TO BUILDINGS,

MORE DRY DOCKS
BEING CONSTRUCTED.

IT'S CLEAR THAT KIM JONG-UN
IS INVESTING A LOT OF RESOURCES

IN HIS SUBMARINE PROGRAM.

Narrator: A SATELLITE
PHOTOGRAPH
TAKEN IN JANUARY 2016

SHOWS SOMETHING IN THE HARBOR

ANALYSTS HAVE
NEVER SEEN BEFORE --

A NEW CLASS OF SUBMARINE.

THE QUESTION IS,
WHAT IS THIS CAPABLE OF?

Hanham:
WHEN WE GET AN IMAGE LIKE THIS,

WHAT WE START DOING
IS TAKING MEASUREMENTS.

THEN WE IMMEDIATELY
START COMPARING IT

TO OTHER SUBMARINES
IN THE WORLD.

AND THEN FROM THERE,
WE CAN BUILD 3-D MODELS.

Narrator:
THE NEW SUB IS 220 FEET LONG

AND LOOKS BIGGER THAN ANYTHING
NORTH KOREA HAS PRODUCED
BEFORE.

HOW MUCH OF A THREAT IT POSES

DEPENDS ON THE WEAPONS
IT CAN CARRY.

IF IT'S BIG ENOUGH
TO LAUNCH BALLISTIC MISSILES,

THE SUB IS POTENTIALLY
A GLOBAL PROBLEM.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
RIGHT NOW IS LOOKING AT THE --

WHAT WE CALL THE SAIL
HEIGHT OF THE SUBMARINE.

AND WE CAN SEE A SHADOW

THAT IS CAST FROM THE
SUBMARINE.

AND BECAUSE WE KNOW
THE EXACT MOMENT

THAT THE IMAGE WAS TAKEN,

WE CAN DO JUST
A LITTLE BIT OF GEOMETRY.

AND WE CAN LEARN
THE HEIGHT OF THE SAIL.

Narrator:
SCALE ANALYSIS REVEALS

THE SO-CALLED SAIL
IS 20 FEET HIGH,

GIVING THIS SUB
A LAUNCH TUBE CAPACITY

OF AROUND 30 FEET.

IT TELLS EXPERTS THAT THE SUB

HAS BEEN DESIGNED
WITH A CLEAR PURPOSE --

TO LAUNCH THE 30-FOOT-LONG
PUKKUKSONG-1 BALLISTIC MISSILE,

RECENTLY REVEALED
IN THIS RARE FOOTAGE

FROM NORTH KOREAN
STATE TELEVISION.

Moran: WHEN WE SEE
A BALLISTIC MISSILE SUBMARINE

IN A SHIPYARD IN NORTH KOREA,
WE HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION.

Narrator:
THIS IS THE NIGHTMARE SCENARIO.

THEY COULD LAUNCH A MISSILE
ANYWHERE

THAT THEY CAN
SEND THAT SUBMARINE.

Narrator:
UNTRACEABLE BY SATELLITE,

A SUB ON SILENT
RUNNING CAN SNEAK

WITHIN RANGE
OF ANY TARGET COUNTRY.

BUT FIRING A ROCKET UNDERWATER

IS A MASSIVE
TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGE
BELIEVED

TO BE BEYOND NORTH KOREA'S
CAPABILITIES...

UNTIL NOW.

IN AUGUST 2016,
NORTH KOREAN STATE TV

BROADCAST A SUCCESSFUL
TEST LAUNCH

OF THE PUKKUKSONG MISSILE.

IF YOU WERE WATCHING THAT
LAUNCH
TEST ON NORTH KOREAN NEWS,

IT MIGHT'VE LOOKED LIKE
QUITE A SUCCESS.

THIS HUGE THING
ROARED OUT OF THE SEA.

AND THAT -- THAT'S PRETTY
HIGH-CALIBER TECHNOLOGY.

Narrator:
THE MISSILE FLEW 311 MILES

ACROSS THE SEA OF JAPAN,

DELIBERATELY VIOLATING JAPAN'S
AIR DEFENSE ZONE.

THIS KIND OF WEAPON
COULD WIPE A CITY

THE SIZE OF HIROSHIMA,

NAGASAKI OR MANHATTAN
OFF THE MAP.

AND NO ONE WOULD SEE IT COMING.

16 DAYS AFTER
THE SUBMARINE LAUNCH,

NORTH KOREA DEMONSTRATES
ITS AMBITIONS WITH

CLAIMS THAT IT HAS DETONATED

A PARTICULAR TYPE
OF NUCLEAR DEVICE.

Hanham: FOR THE FIRST TIME,
THEY REVEALED

A PURPORTED NUCLEAR WARHEAD.

IT'S DESIGNED, CLEARLY,
TO FIT INTO MANY,

MANY OF THEIR MISSILES.

THAT IS AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT
TO THE UNITED STATES

AND ANY OTHER ADVERSARY
OF NORTH KOREA.

WHAT A NUCLEAR CAPACITY
AT SEA GIVES NORTH KOREA

IS THE ABILITY TO REALLY,
REALLY HURT THE UNITED STATES

IN A WAY THAT THEY DON'T
NORMALLY HAVE.

WHEN YOU GO WATCH
SOME OF THOSE TESTS

THAT THE U.S. DID AFTER
THE SECOND WORLD WAR,

AND YOU WATCH
WHAT A NUCLEAR WEAPON

WOULD DO TO
A U.S. CARRIER TASK FORCE,

AND IT WOULD BE BRUTAL.

Driscoll:
A NORTH KOREAN SUB

ARMED WITH NUCLEAR MISSILES
IS A NIGHTMARE.

WE CANNOT AFFORD TO TAKE
OUR EYES OFF OF THIS PLACE.

Narrator: AN ASTRONAUT ABOARD
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

TAKES AN AWE-INSPIRING
PHOTOGRAPH.

Cerveny: WHAT I'M LOOKING AT IS
A FAR DISTANT GALAXY

OF THOUSANDS OF STARS.

THE SCALE IS MIND-BOGGLING.

Narrator:
BUT THERE'S A BAFFLING PROBLEM.

THE CAMERA ISN'T POINTING
OUT INTO DEEP SPACE.

IT'S POINTING DOWN
TOWARDS EARTH.

Narrator: MAY 2015,

ITALIAN ASTRONAUT
SAMANTHA CRISTOFORETTI

UPLOADS A STRANGE PHOTOGRAPH

SHE'S TAKEN FROM THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION...

...A STAR-SPANGLED MILKY WAY
THAT ISN'T OUT IN SPACE.

IT'S ON THE SURFACE
OF THE EARTH.

SO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE
IS AN IMAGE THAT LOOKS LIKE

A LONG STRIP OF LOTS
OF BRIGHT LIGHTS.

YOU THINK TO YOURSELF,
"WHERE ON EARTH IS THAT?"

WHATEVER THIS PHENOMENA
IS, IT'S MASSIVE.

Narrator: THE GATHERING
OF THE STRANGE LIGHTS

HAS PROVOKED WILD SPECULATION

OF UNIDENTIFIED CRAFT
IN THE SOUTH SEAS.

BUT THERE ARE NO REPORTS
OF UFO SIGHTINGS IN THE AREA.

IMAGE ANALYST MARC D'ANTONIO
EXAMINES THE POSSIBILITY

THE LIGHTS MIGHT SIMPLY BE
A WEATHER-BASED OPTICAL
ILLUSION

CALLED LIGHT PILLARS.

LIGHT PILLARS ARE FORMED
BY ICE CRYSTALS IN THE AIR,

CATCHING THE LIGHT FROM BELOW

AND REFLECTING IT BACK TO YOU.

Narrator:
FOR LIGHT PILLARS TO FORM,

THE ICE CRYSTALS
IN THE AIR HAVE TO BE FLAT.

THEY ARE FLAT AND HEXAGONAL.

AND WHEN THEY FALL
TOWARDS THE EARTH,

THEY SORT OF FALL
LIKE A -- A FEATHER.

Narrator: TO SEE A LIGHT
PILLAR,
AN OBSERVER HAS TO BE

AT JUST THE RIGHT ANGLE
TO THE ICE CRYSTALS.

AT FIRST, YOU MIGHT THINK,
"WOW,

MAYBE IT'S THESE GUYS
SEEN FROM ABOVE.

WOULDN'T THEY JUST
LOOK LIKE DOTS?"

THE ANSWER IS,
"NO, THEY WOULDN'T."

THIS COLUMN OF LIGHT
THAT YOU SEE HERE

IS ACTUALLY JUST AN ILLUSION.

THESE HEXAGONAL CRYSTALS OF ICE
REFLECT THE LIGHT BACK TO YOU.

SO WE'RE NOT ACTUALLY
SEEING A COLUMN OF LIGHT.

WE'RE SEEING A SHAFT OF LIGHT.

SO IF IT'S NOT LIGHT PILLARS

THAT WE'RE SEEING
IN THIS NIGHTTIME IMAGE,

WHAT IS CREATING THIS SERIES
OF LITTLE LIGHT BEAMS

THAT WERE CAPTURED ON
THIS PARTICULAR PHOTOGRAPH?

Narrator: THERE'S NO NATURAL
EXPLANATION FOR THE PATTERN.

AND WHEN NASA SATELLITES
CAPTURE IMAGES

OF THE SAME PHENOMENON,

THE LOCATION MAKES IT
CLEAR THE LIGHTS

CAN'T BE COMING
FROM ANY HUMAN SETTLEMENT.

THEY'RE IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE OCEAN,

HUNDREDS OF MILES
NORTH OF THE FALKLAND ISLANDS.

WE KNOW THAT THERE'S
NO CITIES OUT THERE

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN.

SO WHAT COULD IT BE?

Narrator: THE NASA IMAGES
ALSO POSE A PUZZLE.

Kourounis: IF YOU LOOK AT
THE SATELLITE IMAGES

OVER A PERIOD OF A FEW DAYS,

YOU CAN SEE THAT THE LIGHTS
ACTUALLY MOVE AROUND.

Narrator:
COULD THE LIGHTS BE COMING

FROM MYSTERIOUS CRAFT AFTER
ALL?

WHEN INVESTIGATORS MAP

THE COORDINATES
ONTO LOCAL CHARTS,

THEY REALIZE THE LIGHTS FORM

A PATTERN THAT EXACTLY MATCHES

THE TERRITORIAL WATERS
OF THE FALKLAND ISLANDS.

D'Antonio:
THIS IS THE SMOKING GUN.

THIS SHOWS US
THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT

A HUMAN OPERATION
ON THE OCEAN'S SURFACE.

Muller-Karger: THE ONLY THING
THAT IT CAN BE

ARE SHIPS WITH LIGHTS.

THE ONLY THING THAT THEY
CAN BE DOING IS FISHING.

Narrator:
THE BRIGHT LIGHTS ARE PART
OF A HIGH-TECH FISHING METHOD

THAT GUARANTEES
AN ENORMOUS CATCH.

AT NIGHT, IF YOU SHINE
BRIGHT LIGHTS,

CERTAIN SPECIES WILL BE
ATTRACTED TO THE SURFACE.

THE PLANKTON COMES
TO THE SURFACE.

THE SMALLER FISH GO
AFTER THE PLANKTON.

THE LARGER FISH GO
AFTER THE SMALLER FISH.

THE SQUID GO AFTER
THE EVEN LARGER FISH.

Narrator: SOUNDS CONVINCING,

BUT THERE ARE MANY
HUNDREDS OF LIGHTS OUT THERE.

AND ONLY 100 LICENSES
PER YEAR ARE ISSUED

TO FISH THESE WATERS.

Kourounis:
THERE ARE FAR MORE LIGHTS

THAN YOU WOULD IMAGINE
FOR THOSE LICENSES.

SO WE'VE GOT HUNDREDS,

IF NOT THOUSANDS OF UNLICENSED,

UNREGULATED FISHERMEN OUT THERE

JUST STRIPPING THE OCEAN
OF FISH COMPLETELY ILLEGALLY.

Narrator: ILLEGAL FISHING IN
THIS AREA IS BIG BUSINESS.

ONE NIGHT'S CATCH OF SQUID
CAN NET UP TO $72,000.

THESE PEOPLE COULD BE
TAKING 300,000 TONS

OF ILLEGAL FISH

FROM THE OCEANS
EVERY SINGLE YEAR.

Narrator: IN MARCH 2016,

TWO ILLEGAL FISHING BOATS
WERE CAUGHT IN THE AREA.

ONE WAS SUNK.

WITHOUT
CRISTOFORETTI'S PHOTOGRAPH,

THE ENORMOUS ILLEGAL ENTERPRISE

MIGHT NEVER HAVE
BEEN DISCOVERED.

IT'S REALLY INCREDIBLE
THAT WE CAN'T POLICE

A FISHING FLEET ON THE GROUND.

BUT FROM 250 MILES UP IN SPACE,

WE CAN CATCH THE ILLEGAL
ACTIVITY JUST LIKE THAT.

Narrator: SOMETHING WEIRD IS
HAPPENING IN HONG KONG HARBOR.

LOOKING AT THE IMAGE,
I'VE GOT NO IDEA WHAT THIS IS.

Narrator: FREAK OF NATURE
OR ELABORATE HOAX?

THIS WAS PROBABLY ONE
OF THE, UH, CRAZIEST CASES

I'VE EVER HAD TO LOOK AT.

Narrator: 2013, HONG KONG,
CHINA, A SATELLITE SPOTS

AN ODD YELLOW FLOATING
OBJECT IN THE HARBOR,

TOTALLY OUT OF PLACE
WITH ITS SURROUNDINGS.

SO WHAT IS THIS THING?
IT'S BIG. IT'S YELLOW.

IT'S IN THE MIDDLE
OF HONG KONG HARBOR,

ONE OF THE BUSIEST PORTS
IN THE WORLD.

Narrator:
IT BEARS NO RESEMBLANCE

TO ANY OF THE NEIGHBORING
BOATS.

LOOKING AT THE IMAGE,
I'VE GOT NO IDEA WHAT THIS IS.

Nelson: THIS IS A PRETTY
UNUSUAL, ROUND BLOB

IN THE MIDDLE
OF HONG KONG HARBOR.

WHAT ON EARTH COULD IT BE?

Narrator:
IF YOU SEE A LARGE,

YELLOW OBJECT BOBBING
AROUND IN THE OCEAN,

THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE

IT'S A PIECE OF
WEATHER-RECORDING EQUIPMENT.

WE HAVE 1,200 WEATHER BUOYS

STATIONED ALL AROUND
THE WORLD'S OCEANS.

IF I WERE TO SUDDENLY SEE
SOMETHING IN AN UNUSUAL PLACE

THAT'S BIG AND YELLOW,
MY FIRST INCLINATION WOULD BE,

"YEAH, IT'S PROBABLY
A BROKEN-AWAY WEATHER BUOY."

Narrator: THESE SPECIALIZED
BUOYS GATHER DATA

ON OCEAN CURRENTS
AND TEMPERATURES

TO HELP FORECASTERS
PREDICT WEATHER PATTERNS.

WE CAN TRACK THEM.
SO EVEN IF THEY BREAK FREE,

WE CAN FOLLOW WHERE THEY ARE
AND BE ABLE TO DETERMINE

WHERE THEIR PRECISE
LOCATION IS.

Narrator: BUT THERE ARE NO
RECORDS OF MISSING WEATHER
BUOYS

IN THE AREA AT THE TIME
THE IMAGE WAS TAKEN.

THEIR SHEER SIZE
MAKES THEM HARD TO LOSE.

WEATHER BUOYS
ARE ACTUALLY QUITE LARGE.

BUT IN THE MIDDLE OF A HARBOR?

CAN'T BE THAT, IT HAS
TO BE SOMETHING ELSE.

Narrator: THE COLOR OF THE
MYSTERIOUS OBJECT INSPIRES

AN ALTERNATIVE THEORY.

ANYBODY WHO GREW UP
LISTENING TO BEATLES SONGS

IS TOTALLY FAMILIAR
WITH THE YELLOW SUBMARINE.

SO THAT'S KIND OF ONE
OF THE FIRST THINGS

THAT POPPED INTO MY MIND,
IS MAYBE THAT IT'S A SUBMARINE.

Narrator: YELLOW SUBMARINES DO
EXIST OUTSIDE OF CARTOONS.

IN FACT, IT'S ONE OF
THE MOST POPULAR COLORS

FOR PRIVATELY OWNED SUBS.

YELLOW'S A REALLY GOOD COLOR
FOR A SUBMARINE

BECAUSE YOU WANT TO BE ABLE

TO SEE THE SUBMARINE
IF IT'S FLOATING AROUND,

WAITING TO BE
PICKED UP BY A SHIP.

Narrator:
BY STRANGE COINCIDENCE,

A YELLOW SUBMARINE HAS BEEN
SPOTTED IN THE AREA.

Dr. Capps: PAUL ALLEN,
COFOUNDER OF MICROSOFT,

HE'S GOT THIS $200 MILLION
YACHT

AND A YELLOW SUBMARINE
HE GOES DIVING,

LOOKING FOR SHIPWRECKS.

SO POTENTIALLY, HE DOCKED
THAT SUBMARINE RIGHT THERE.

Narrator:
THE SEAS AROUND THE AREA

WHERE THE IMAGE WAS TAKEN
ARE RICH HUNTING GROUNDS

FOR WRECK FINDERS
LIKE PAUL ALLEN

AND THE CREW OF HIS SUB,
THE PAGOO.

THERE ARE MORE THAN 500
WORLD WAR II SHIPS SUNK

IN THE NEIGHBORING
SOUTH CHINA SEA.

THE PAGOO IS A LEGITIMATE
WRECK FINDER.

IT'S OPERATING IN THE PACIFIC,

WHICH IS EXACTLY
WHERE HONG KONG HARBOR IS.

Narrator: ALLEN'S YELLOW
SUBMARINE HAS LOCATED

SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
WRECKS IN NAVAL HISTORY,

INCLUDING THE MUSASHI,

A MASSIVE WORLD WAR II
JAPANESE BATTLESHIP

THAT CARRIED THE BIGGEST GUNS
EVER MADE FOR A WARSHIP.

THE ONLY PROBLEM WITH THIS
THEORY OF THE YELLOW SUBMARINE

IS SIMPLY THAT THE TIME LINES
DON'T MATCH UP.

YOU SEE, PAUL ALLEN'S SUBMARINE

WAS EXPLORING THE AREA IN 2015.

AND THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN
2 YEARS BEFORE THAT, IN 2013.

SO IT HAS TO BE SOMETHING ELSE.

Narrator: DIGITAL ENHANCEMENT
OF THE IMAGE REVEALS

THE MYSTERY OBJECT LOOKS
SURPRISINGLY FAMILIAR.

WHEN I THINK YELLOW, FLOATS,
I HAVE LITTLE KIDS.

IT'S A RUBBER DUCKIE, RIGHT?

Narrator:
WHAT WOULD A RUBBER DUCK

BE DOING IN HONG KONG HARBOR?

AN ACCIDENT MANY YEARS AGO
COULD OFFER AN ANSWER.

JANUARY 10, 1992, UH,
A CONTAINER SHIP TRAVELING

FROM HONG KONG
TO TACOMA, WASHINGTON,

LOSES 12 CONTAINERS OVERBOARD.

ONE OF THEM SETS LOOSE

THOUSANDS OF TINY
YELLOW PLASTIC DUCKS

ON THE CURRENTS
OF THE NORTH PACIFIC.

Narrator: THE CURRENTS CARRY
THE DUCKS ALL OVER THE WORLD.

SO MONTHS LATER,
THEY START WASHING UP

ON THE COAST OF ALASKA,

TURNING THIS TOY SPILL
INTO AN ACCIDENTAL EXPERIMENT.

SO FROM THE DUCKIE STUDY,

YOU GET REAL-TIME DATA

ABOUT THE CURRENTS
IN THE NORTH PACIFIC.

Narrator:
THE ACCIDENTAL DUCK EXPERIMENT

IS STILL PROVIDING
INFORMATION TODAY.

THEY'RE ALMOST INDESTRUCTIBLE.

I MEAN, LITERALLY 20 YEARS
AFTER THEY HIT THE OCEAN,

THEY'RE STILL WASHING UP
ON BEACHES AROUND THE WORLD.

[ DUCK QUACKS ]

Narrator: AFTER TWO DECADES OF
SLOWLY CIRCULATING THE PACIFIC,

ONE OF THE DUCKS COULD'VE
WASHED UP IN HONG KONG.

BUT THERE'S AN ELEPHANT
IN THIS PARTICULAR HARBOR.

AS AN ANALYST, ONE OF THE
THINGS
WE LIKE TO DO

IS TRY TO FIGURE OUT
THE DIMENSIONS OF THIS OBJECT.

NOW THE THING IS,
WE LOOK AT THIS DUCK.

AND IT TURNS OUT,
THIS SHIP RIGHT HERE

IS JUST OVER 50 FEET WIDE.

SO THIS DUCK APPEARS
TO BE ABOUT 50 FEET WIDE.

Narrator: A GIANT,
50-FOOT-WIDE RUBBER DUCKIE

IN HONG KONG HARBOR?

SURELY, THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE.
IT HAS TO BE A FAKE.

Dr. Capps: THE INTERNET IS
COVERED WITH IMAGE HOAXES.

YOU THINK OF THE HELICOPTER
BEING ATTACKED BY A SHARK.

PHOTOSHOP AND IMAGERY
GO REALLY WELL ON THE INTERNET

AND CREATE A LOT OF EXCITEMENT.

HERE'S A GREAT EXAMPLE
OF A FAKE.

THIS FAKE IS
AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN

AS CRABZILLA AND WAS CREATED

BY QUINTON WINTER,
A BRITISH ARTIST.

AND HE PUT THIS CRAB
INTO THE IMAGE.

IF YOU MAKE SURE
THAT YOU COVER IT

WITH A GREENISH HUE
OF ANOTHER LAYER,

IT PUTS DISTANCE

BETWEEN THAT CRAB
AND THE SURFACE OF THE WATER,

MAKING IT LOOK
LIKE IT'S SUBMERGED.

Narrator:
BUT THE IMAGE CONTAINING
THIS MYSTERIOUS YELLOW OBJECT

DOESN'T COME FROM
ANY TABLOID SOURCE.

IT COMES DIRECT FROM ONE
OF THE WORLD'S PREMIER
PROVIDERS

OF SATELLITE IMAGERY --
DIGITAL GLOBE.

Dr. Capps: WHICH IS A VERY
WELL-RESPECTED SATELLITE
AGENCY.

THEY PROVIDE IMAGES
TO MILITARY, LAW ENFORCEMENT.

THEY DIDN'T SEND OUT
A HOAX SHOT.

Narrator: THIS UNIDENTIFIED
WEIRD ENTITY IS REAL

AND MUST HAVE HAD PERMISSION
TO BE IN THE HARBOR.

AND THAT CAN ONLY
MEAN ONE THING.

IT IS A GIANT RUBBER DUCK,

BIG ENOUGH TO BE
SEEN FROM SPACE.

Narrator:
HONG KONG'S FLOATING DUCK

IS A GIANT ART INSTALLATION

BY DUTCH ARTIST
FLORENTIJN HOFMAN.

SINCE 2007, THE DUCKS

HAVE BEEN SHOWN
ALL AROUND THE WORLD.

WHEN ONE CAME TO HONG KONG,

MORE THAN 8 MILLION PEOPLE
WENT TO SEE IT.

THIS WAS PROBABLY ONE OF THE,
UH, CRAZIEST CASES

I'VE EVER HAD TO LOOK AT.

BUT IT WAS ONE
OF THE MOST FUN.

WE'RE GONNA NEED A BIGGER BATH.

Narrator: A MYSTERY AS OLD
AS AMERICA ITSELF.

WHEN YOU FIRST LOOK DOWN AND
YOU
SEE THE BAHAMA BANKS FROM
SPACE,

YOU HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF,
"WHAT IS THAT?"

Narrator: THESE WEIRD,
OTHERWORLDLY SHAPES

ARE NOT LAND IN
ANY ORDINARY SENSE OF THE WORD.

THEY LOOK LIKE A MANIFESTATION
OF A SEAFARER'S LEGEND.

IT DOESN'T LOOK
LIKE LAND AT ALL.

IT'S THIS COLLECTION
OF DARK MARKS AND SHAPES.

IT'S VERY STRANGE.

Narrator: THE BAHAMAS LIE
ABOUT 150 MILES

SOUTHEAST OF THE FLORIDA COAST.

AT SEA LEVEL, THESE ISLANDS

LOOK LIKE A PICTURE-PERFECT
TROPICAL PARADISE.

Stott: IT SUCKS YOU IN.
IT'S HYPNOTIC.

IT'S THE TURQUOISE
AND THE WHITE AND THE BLUES.

IT'S JUST SPECTACULAR.

Narrator: BUT WHEN YOU VIEW
THESE ISLANDS FROM SPACE,

IT BECOMES CLEAR THERE'S
SOMETHING QUITE DIFFERENT.

THEY LOOK LIKE THEY
COME FROM ANOTHER WORLD.

WHEN YOU FIRST LOOK DOWN AND
YOU
SEE THE BAHAMA BANKS FROM
SPACE,

YOU HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF,
"WHAT IS THAT?"

IT DOESN'T LOOK
LIKE LAND AT ALL.

Narrator: TO THE SOUTH,

THE ISLANDS
OF THE CARIBBEAN RISE

ABOVE THE WAVES
LIKE MOUNTAIN PEAKS.

THE CONTRAST
TO THE LOW-LYING BAHAMAS

IS STRIKING
AND POSES A MYSTERY.

Stott: THEY DON'T HAVE THAT
SAME ISLAND LOOK TO THEM.

THERE'S SOMETHING UNIQUE AND --

AND JUST DIFFERENT ABOUT THE
WAY
THEY LOOK FROM SPACE.

Porges: IT'S THIS COLLECTION
OF DARK MARKS AND SHAPES.

IT'S VERY STRANGE.

Narrator: THERE'S
NO GEOLOGICAL EXPLANATION

FOR THE FORMATION
OF THE BAHAMAS.

THEY SHOULDN'T EXIST.

SO HOW WERE THESE
ISLANDS CREATED?

MOST ISLANDS IN THE CARIBBEAN

ARE FORMED BY VOLCANOES
SPEWING OUT SEARING MAGMA,

WHICH COOLS TO FORM NEW LAND.

Oehlert: LOT OF THE ISLANDS
IN THE CARIBBEAN

ARE MADE FROM VOLCANIC
PROCESSES

BECAUSE THEY'RE SITUATED ALONG
AN ACTIVE TECTONIC MARGIN.

Dr. Brand:
THE REASON THERE ARE VOLCANIC
ISLANDS IN THE CARIBBEAN

IS BECAUSE YOU HAVE ONE PLATE

THAT SUBDUCTS
UNDERNEATH THE OTHER.

Narrator: BUT THE BAHAMAS
ARE NOT VOLCANIC.

THEY LIE NORTH
OF THE ACTIVE PLATE ZONE.

SOMETHING ELSE IS CREATING

THE SWIRLING SHAPES
WE SEE FROM SPACE.

THEIR BIZARRE OUTLINES

HAVE EVEN PROVOKED
SPECULATION THE ISLANDS

MIGHT NOT BE
A NATURAL PHENOMENON.

Muller-Karger:
MAN-MADE ISLANDS ARE NOT
A FAR-FETCHED IDEA AT ALL.

UH, WE CONSTRUCT
AND TRY TO GAIN TERRITORY

FROM THE OCEAN ALL THE TIME.

Narrator: BUT THE BAHAMAS
WERE ALREADY THERE

WHEN CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
RECORDED THEIR EXISTENCE

IN 1492.

SO SURELY,
THEY CAN'T BE MAN-MADE.

ACTUALLY, THE TECHNOLOGY
FOR BUILDING NEW LANDMASSES

HAS EXISTED FOR MUCH LONGER
THAN PEOPLE REALIZE.

THE QING DYNASTY IN CHINA

DID IT SEVERAL
HUNDRED YEARS AGO.

AND EVEN BEFORE THAT,
IN MESOAMERICA,

THERE WERE EFFORTS
TO DO RECLAMATION

OF LANDS IN CENTRAL AMERICA.

Narrator:
OVER 600 YEARS AGO,

THE AZTECS IN NEARBY MEXICO

WERE RECLAIMING VAST LAKES
TO GROW CROPS

BY BUILDING MASSIVE PLATFORMS
IN THE WATER.

NOT EVEN MODERN ISLAND
BUILDERS HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY

TO BUILD SOMETHING
AS BIG AS THE BAHAMAS.

Muller-Karger:
THE BAHAMAS IS HUGE.

THERE'S NO EVIDENCE
THAT IN THE HISTORY OF HUMANITY

HAVE WE HAD THE CAPABILITY

TO DO ENGINEERING
AT THESE SCALE.

Narrator:
BUT THE BAHAMAS ARE HOME

TO OTHER LIVING CREATURES

THAT ARE CAPABLE OF LAND
CONSTRUCTION ON THIS SCALE.

THESE ARE STROMATOLITES,

A WEIRD, VERY RARE
KIND OF LIVING ROCK.

THEY'RE CONSTANTLY GROWING
AS TINY ORGANISMS

WITHIN THEM PROCESS MINERALS
IN THE WATER.

THESE ARE BIG
ROCK STRUCTURES

BUILT BY LITTLE, TINY MICROBES.

Narrator:
A TYPE OF CYANOBACTERIA CREATES

THE PERFECT CONDITIONS
FOR CALCIUM CARBONATE,

OR LIMESTONE, TO PRECIPITATE
OUT OF THE WATER.

AT A RATE OF LESS
THAN A 50th OF AN INCH A YEAR,

LAYERS OF NEW ROCK FORM.

IT'S AGONIZINGLY SLOW.

BUT OVER MILLIONS OF YEARS,
THE PROCESS CAN FORM NEW LAND.

THESE STRUCTURES
ARE ACTIVELY GROWING NOW.

THEY'RE REEFS BUILT
BY CYANOBACTERIA.

AND EVENTUALLY,
THOSE PLATFORMS MAKE REEFS

THAT CAN BE TENS TO HUNDREDS
OF KILOMETERS LONG.

ALL OF THIS ISLAND
IS CALCIUM CARBONATE.

THIS IS CALCIUM
CARBONATE BEACHES,

CALCIUM CARBONATE DUNES.

WE'RE STARTING
TO LEARN THAT TINY,

LITTLE BACTERIA PLAY
AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN MAKING

THE GREAT BAHAMA BANK.

Narrator: IT APPEARS
THAT TINY CYANOBACTERIA

ARE BUILDING THE BAHAMAS.

BUT THERE'S ONE BIG PROBLEM
WITH THE IDEA.

MICROORGANISMS, LIKE ALL OF US,

NEED NUTRIENTS TO GROW,

VERY SPECIFICALLY IRON.

THE AMAZING THING
ABOUT THE BAHAMAS

IS THESE ARE
VERY NUTRIENT-POOR WATERS.

THE MAIN PROBLEM IS THERE'S NOT
A NATURAL SOURCE OF IRON HERE.

Narrator: WITHOUT FOOD
FOR THE CYANOBACTERIA,

THE CALCIUM CARBONATE
THAT FORMS THE ISLANDS

WOULDN'T BE LAID DOWN.

SO IRON MUST SOMEHOW
BE REACHING THESE WATERS.

SO THE QUESTION IS,
WHERE IS IT COMING FROM?

Narrator: SATELLITE IMAGERY
REVEALS THE ANSWER.

AND IT'S ONE OF THE WONDERS
OF THE NATURAL WORLD.

THE ONLY KNOWN MATCH
FOR THIS PARTICULAR IRON

IS ACTUALLY THE SAHARA DESERT
3,000 MILES AWAY.

Dr. Brand: IF YOU LOOK
AT A SATELLITE IMAGE

OF THE OCEAN JUST OFF
THE COAST OF AFRICA,

YOU'LL SEE THIS PLUME
OF RED DUST

THAT BLOWS FROM THE CONTINENT
OUT ACROSS THE OCEAN

AND ACTUALLY IS TRANSPORTED
ALL THE WAY

ACROSS TO THE BAHAMAS.

THE REASON THIS DUST

THAT'S BLOWING
FROM THE DESERT IS RED IS

BECAUSE IT'S REALLY
RICH IN IRON.

SO THE IRON IN THE DUST ACTS
TO FERTILIZE THE CYANOBACTERIA

LIVING IN THE WATER COLUMN,

CAUSING THEM TO
GO INTO OVERDRIVE

IN TERMS OF PRODUCING
CARBONATE.

Narrator: THEY'VE BEEN DOING IT
ON A MONUMENTAL SCALE.

OVER 100 MILLION YEARS,
THE BEAUTIFUL,

TWISTING BAHAMAS HAVE BEEN
RISING ABOVE THE WAVES,

SHAPED BY THE WIND.

Stott: ONE OF THE REALLY
MIND-BOGGLING THINGS

ABOUT SEEING THE EARTH
FROM THE SPACE VANTAGE POINT

IS THAT YOU SEE
THIS INTERCONNECTIVITY.

IT'S SO COOL THAT THE SAND
THAT'S HELPED BUILD THEM

IS COMING FROM SAND IN AFRICA.

THOSE BUGS ARE STILL DOWN
THERE.

THEY'RE STILL WORKING.
THEY ARE NOT DONE YET.

THE BAHAMAS ARE STILL
UNDER CONSTRUCTION.