Original subtitles

DEEP BENEATH A POPULAR CALIFORNIA RESORT TOWN

LURKS A LONG, DORMANT SUPERVOLCANO.

BUT COULD A RECENT STRING OF DEADLY EVENTS BE A SIGN

THAT IT'S COMING BACK TO LIFE?

HOLY SMOKES. I FEEL A LITTLE BIT WOOZY.

I'LL DEPLOY CUTTING-EDGE TECH TO PEER MILES UNDERGROUND,

SEARCHING FOR NEW SIGNS OF TROUBLE.

IS THAT WHAT I THINK IT IS?

MEANWHILE, HIDDEN IN THICK BRUSH ON THE CONNECTICUT COAST

LIE A CLUSTER OF MYSTERIOUS RUINS.

COULD THEY HAVE BEEN BUILT BY ANCIENT EUROPEANS

ALMOST A THOUSAND YEARS BEFORE COLUMBUS?

THIS MAY REWRITE THE HISTORY OF BOOKS.

A REVOLUTIONARY NEW IMAGING SCAN COULD CRACK THE CASE.

THERE'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THERE.

THAT'S IMPRESSIVE.

HIDDEN JUST BELOW THE EARTH'S SURFACE,

THERE ARE COUNTLESS UNSOLVED MYSTERIES.

AND, TODAY, WE FINALLY HAVE THE TOOLS TO UNLOCK THEM.

LOOK AT THAT!WHOA.

I THINK THIS IS IT.

I'M ROB NELSON,

A SCIENTIST USING STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY

TO PEEL THE LID OFF OUR PLANET'S HIDDEN DEPTHS.

THE MOMENT OF TRUTH RIGHT HERE.

HOLY MOLY!

THESE ARE THE SECRETS OF THE UNDERGROUND.

Captions by VITAC-- www.vitac.com

MAMMOTH LAKES, CALIFORNIA.

EVERY YEAR, NEARLY 3 MILLION TOURISTS FLOCK HERE

FOR THE MAJESTIC VIEWS AND WORLD-CLASS SKI SLOPES.

AND WITH NEARBY POPULATION CENTERS SACRAMENTO, FRESNO,

AND RENO, NEVADA, THE AREA IS HOME

TO OVER A MILLION PERMANENT RESIDENTS, AS WELL.

BUT WHAT MANY DON'T KNOW

IS THAT THIS PEACEFUL OASIS SITS ATOP

THE REMNANTS OF A SUPERVOLCANO.

760,000 YEARS AGO, IT ERUPTED

IN THE SECOND-LARGEST KNOWN EXPLOSIVE VOLCANIC BLAST

IN THE HISTORY OF NORTH AMERICA.

BUT A RECENT STRING OF BIZARRE AND FRIGHTENING EVENTS

HAS LED MANY TO WONDER IF THIS SLEEPING GIANT

IS COMING BACK TO LIFE.

I NEED TO SEE THIS AREA FOR MYSELF.

I'M JUST GONNA GET AN OVERLOOK OF THIS HOT SPRING.

SINCE THE 1960s, AT A GEOTHERMAL SPRING

IN THE AREA KNOWN AS HOT CREEK,

SUDDEN SPIKES IN TEMPERATURE HAVE SCALDED

AND EVEN KILLED NUMEROUS PEOPLE.

AND IN 2006 ON NEARBY MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN,

TWO SKI PATROLLERS FELL INTO A CONCEALED CRATER

THAT WAS EMITTING TOXIC SUBTERRANEAN GASES.

TWO MORE WENT IN AFTER THEM.

ONLY ONE SURVIVED.

AND SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE THAT TRAGEDY,

AT THE BASE OF THE VERY SAME MOUNTAIN,

OVER 100 ACRES OF TREES DIED WITHIN THE SPAN OF A YEAR.

ALL THAT REMAINS IS A BARREN GHOST FOREST.

IS ALL OF THIS ACTIVITY JUST A COINCIDENCE,

OR IS SOMETHING HAPPENING UNDERGROUND?

COULD IT ERUPT AGAIN?

THE FIRST PLACE I WANT TO CHECK OUT IS HOT CREEK.

WHOA.

YOU CAN SEE IT RIGHT DOWN HERE.

LOOK AT THAT.

PRETTY IDYLLIC SCENE THAT WE'RE IN RIGHT AT THE MOMENT.

YOU GOT THE MOUNTAINS RIGHT BACK THERE,

THIS BEAUTIFUL STREAM RUNNING THROUGH IT,

AND THIS TURQUOISE BLUE SPOT RIGHT HERE

THAT'S STEAMING IS HOT CREEK.

THE WATER HERE IS REALLY DECEIVING.

THE CRYSTAL BLUE WATERS MIGHT LOOK INVITING,

BUT THEY'RE KNOWN TO BE DEADLY.

THE WATER TEMPERATURE AT THIS PARTICULAR

HOT SPRING FLUCTUATES DRAMATICALLY.

IN FACT, OVER 400 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

IT SEEMS THESE WATERS HAVEN'T ALWAYS BEEN THIS LETHAL.

THE EARLIEST KNOWN INHABITANTS OF THIS AREA

WERE NATIVE AMERICANS

WHO MAY HAVE CONSIDERED THESE POOLS SACRED

FOR THEIR SPIRITUAL AND MEDICINAL POWERS.

IN THE EARLY 1900s,

PIONEERS WOULD FLOCK TO THE AREA'S HOT SPRINGS

TO BATH IN ITS WARM, HEALING WATERS.

AND AS RECENTLY AS THE 1970s,

HOT CREEK WAS A POPULAR TOURIST DESTINATION.

SO, WHAT COULD TURN A SOOTHING NATURAL SPA

INTO A SMOLDERING CAULDRON?

HOPEFULLY, I CAN GET CLOSE ENOUGH TO FIGURE IT OUT.

I'VE WADED ACROSS A LOT OF CREEKS IN THE PAST,

BUT NONE OF 'EM QUITE SO CLOSE TO A HOT SPRING

WHERE A BUNCH OF PEOPLE HAVE ACTUALLY DIED.

WHEN I BEGIN TO CROSS... WHOO!

...I NOTICE SOMETHING ODD.

IT IS COLD. DOG IT!

OOH, PAINFULLY COLD.

HAA! HAA!

OH!

OH, MY FEET ARE POPSICLES.

IT'S LIKE AN ICE BATH.

BUT THEN, WITHIN A SPAN OF LESS THAN 100 YARDS,

THE WATER TEMPERATURE JUMPS.

OH, MY GOSH.

I CAN CLEARLY SEE WHY THIS PLACE IS SO DANGEROUS.

HOLY SMOKES. LOOK AT THIS HOT SPRING.

HOO!

OH, MY GOD. THAT WATER--

I ONLY GOT MY HAND ABOUT THIS FAR FROM IT,

AND JUST THE STEAM COMING OFF OF IT WAS SCALDING HOT.

I'VE ACTUALLY SEEN THIS ONCE BEFORE

AT ANOTHER SET OF DEADLY SPRINGS.

IN 2016 AT YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK,

A MAN FELL INTO A SCALDING HOT SPRING AND DIED INSTANTLY.

BUT THE SPRING'S EXTREME TEMPERATURE

WASN'T ITS ONLY KILLER CHARACTERISTIC.

WHEN AUTHORITIES CAME TO RETRIEVE THE BODY,

THEY FOUND NO TRACE OF HIM.

HE HAD COMPLETELY DISSOLVED IN THE SULFURIC ACID

BUBBLING UP FROM THE EARTH'S CORE.

THE HEAT SOURCE IN YELLOWSTONE

IS AN ACTIVE MAGMA CHAMBER MILES BELOW THE EARTH'S SURFACE.

BUT WHILE YELLOWSTONE'S HOT SPRINGS ARE DANGEROUS,

AT LEAST THEY SEEM MORE PREDICTABLE.

HOT CREEK'S TEMPERATURES FLUCTUATE SO FREQUENTLY,

THE DANGERS ARE HARDER TO FORECAST.

I NEED TO TEST THE NATURE OF THIS WATER, THE CHEMISTRY,

HOW HOT IT IS,

AND HOPEFULLY, THAT'LL HELP ME FIGURE OUT,

YOU KNOW, WHAT'S GOING ON.

IF WE CAN ASSOCIATE THE CHEMICALS THAT ARE

COMING OUT OF THOSE GASES

WITH ONES THAT ARE VERY COMMON IN VOLCANIC AREAS,

THEN I CAN START TO PUT THE PUZZLE TOGETHER.

SO, TO FIGURE THAT OUT, I NEED THE XRF GUN.

IT'S GONNA SHOOT OUT A LASER BEAM OUT OF THE FRONT,

AND IT'S GOING TO ALLOW ME TO FIGURE OUT

WHAT CHEMICALS ARE IN THIS WATER.

AND IF I POINT IT OVER WHERE THOSE BUBBLES ARE DEGASSING,

THEN IT'S GONNA ALLOW ME TO FIGURE OUT

WHAT THE COMPOSITION OF THAT IS.

IT'S PRETTY BRILLIANT TECHNOLOGY.

OKAY, WELL, WE'VE DEFINITELY GOT CHEMICALS

THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH VOLCANIC ACTIVITY.

WE'VE GOT ALUMINUM, WE'VE GOT COPPER,

WE'VE GOT SOME GOLD.

AND ONE THAT'S MORE INTRIGUING TO ME RIGHT HERE IS HELIUM.

HOLY SMOKES.

HELIUM MAY BE FUN AT BIRTHDAY PARTY,

BUT IN THE WORLD OF VOLCANOLOGY,

IT SPELLS TROUBLE.

IN 2014, THE SECOND-HIGHEST VOLCANO IN JAPAN, MT. ONTAKE,

ERUPTED UNEXPECTED.

IT KILLED 58 PEOPLE, AND 5 ARE STILL MISSING.

IN AN EFFORT TO PREVENT FUTURE CATASTROPHES,

SCIENTISTS RE-EXAMINED THE CHEMICAL DATA IN THE REGION,

AND WHAT THEY FOUND WAS AN INCREASE

IN HELIUM GASES PRIOR TO THE BLAST.

OFTEN RIGHT BEFORE A VOLCANO ERUPTS,

YOU HAVE A HUGE DEGASSING OF HELIUM.

IS CALIFORNIA'S ANCIENT SUPERVOLCANO HEATING UP

FOR AN EXPLOSIVE COMEBACK?

AND IF SO, HOW MUCH TIME HAVE WE GO?

THERE IS SOMETHING UNDERNEATH IT

THAT'S PUSHING IT UPWARDS.

MOMENT OF TRUTH RIGHT HERE.

WHOA!

AND LATER, I'LL INVESTIGATE AN ANCIENT IRISH RUIN

ON THE COAST... OF CONNECTICUT?

CUTTING-EDGE IMAGING TECHNOLOGY WILL HELP ME

GET TO THE BOTTOM OF A MYSTERY

THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO REWRITE AMERICAN HISTORY.

I'M IN MAMMOTH LAKES, CALIFORNIA,

AN OASIS OF NATURAL BEAUTY

SITTING ATOP A DORMANT SUPERVOLCANO.

WELL, WE'VE DEFINITELY GOT CHEMICALS

THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH VOLCANIC ACTIVITY.

MY CHEMICAL TESTING AT HOT CREEK CONFIRMS

THERE'S A HIGH LEVEL OF HELIUM BUBBLING UP HERE.

COULD THIS BE A SIGN OF IMPENDING DOOM

FOR THE MILLION-PLUS RESIDENTS OF SACRAMENTO, FRESNO, AND RENO?

WHEN MAGMA MOVES UP FROM THE EARTH'S CORE,

IT RELEASES NATURAL GASES LIKE C.O.2 AND HELIUM.

IN FACT, THAT BUILD-UP OF PRESSURE IN THE HELIUM

IS OFTEN WHAT BREAKS THE CRUST

AND ALLOWS THE WHOLE THING TO START SHOOTING UP.

I THINK WE CAN SAY, WITHOUT MUCH DOUBT,

THAT THIS PARTICULAR HOT SPRING

IS ASSOCIATED WITH VOLCANIC ACTIVITY UNDERNEATH.

BUT IS THIS HOT SPRING JUST AN ODD ANOMALY

IN AN OTHERWISE QUIET GEOLOGICAL REGION?

OR IS IT THE TIP OF A SUPERVOLCANIC ICEBERG?

TO FIND OUT, I'LL NEED TO FIND MORE EVIDENCE

IN OTHER PARTS OF THE 200-SQUARE MILE CAULDRON.

I'VE HEARD ABOUT ANOTHER SPOT IN MAMMOTH LAKES

WHERE STRANGE NATURAL PHENOMENA ARE OCCURRING.

JUST ACROSS THE VALLEY FROM HOT CREEK,

THERE'S A CRATER THAT'S BEEN KNOWN

TO SPEW LETHAL LEVELS OF C.O.2.

COULD THIS BE A SIGN OF SOMETHING BIGGER

HAPPENING UNDER THE SURFACE?

I TREKKED 15 MILES WEST TO THE SITE OF AN INFAMOUS TRAGEDY

THAT TOOK PLACE IN 2006.

IN THE WAKE OF A BLIZZARD THAT YEAR,

THREE SKI PATROLLERS PERISHED IN A CRATER ON THE SLOPES.

BUT IT TURNS OUT, THIS WASN'T JUST ANY OLD CRATER.

IT WAS A FUMAROLE.

THESE ARE OPENINGS IN THE EARTH'S CRUST

THAT EMIT AN ARRAY OF TOXIC VAPORS,

INCLUDING C.O.2, WHICH TENDS TO ACCUMULATE

IN HIGHLY CONCENTRATED POCKETS NEAR THE GROUND.

THE GASES FROM THESE FUMAROLES

ARE OFTEN UNDETECTABLE TO HUMANS,

SO THEY FUNCTION AS NATURE'S CLANDESTINE KILLER

CAPABLE OF SUFFOCATING ANYONE WHO FALLS IN THEIR PATH.

FOR PEOPLE TO DIE FROM SOMETHING LIKE THAT,

THEN IT HAS TO BE JUST A LOT OF TOXIC FUMES.

THIS COULD BE A FACTOR THAT MIGHT LEAD ME TO BELIEVE

THAT THIS VOLCANO IS WAKING UP.

IT'S SOMEWHERE DOWN THIS SLOPE.

THAT MEANS WE DON'T HAVE TO HIKE UP.

WE JUST HAVE TO SKI DOWN.

IN FACT, THE ONLY WAY TO GET TO THIS THING IS BY SKIING.

AND THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GOING.

FUMAROLES AREN'T UNCOMMON IN VOLCANICALLY ACTIVE AREAS.

IN FACT, THERE ARE OVER 4,000 OF THEM SPEWING STEAM

IN YELLOWSTONE ALONE.

AND IN 1914 WHEN ALASKA'S NOVARUPTA VOLCANO ERUPTED,

IT CREATED THE VALLEY OF TEN THOUSAND SMOKES,

LEAVING THOUSANDS OF SMOLDERING FUMAROLES IN ITS WAKE.

SO, COULD THESE FUMAROLES ON MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN BE A DARK OMEN

FOR WHAT IS TO COME.

OH, WOW.

THERE IT IS.

RIGHT THERE.

SO, RIGHT HERE IS WHERE

THREE SKI PATROL LOST THEIR LIFE.

YOU CAN SEE IT SMOKING, IT VENTING.

YOU CAN ACTUALLY SMELL SOME SULFUR AT THE MOMENT, AS WELL.

THE DANGER HERE IS PLAINLY VISIBLE,

AND I'LL NEED TO BE REALLY CAREFUL

ABOUT KEEPING A SAFE DISTANCE.

MY C.O.2 MONITOR WILL HELP ME DETERMINE

HOW CLOSE I CAN GET.

SO, CARBON DIOXIDE, RIGHT AT THE MOMENT,

I'M VERY FAR FROM THIS.

IT'S 100 PARTS PER MILLION

STRONGER THAN IT NORMALLY SHOULD BE.

SO, I'M GONNA WAVE IT AROUND HERE,

SEE HOW TOXIC THE GAS IS RIGHT NOW.

THE MORE C.O.2 COMING FROM THE GROUND,

THE STRONGER IT IS,

THE MORE LIKELY IT IS

THAT THIS VOLCANO IS COMING BACK TO LIFE.

AND I HAVE TO DO THIS PRETTY QUICK

BECAUSE IT IS NOT SAFE TO BE AROUND

THESE TOXIC FUMES FOR VERY LONG.

HOLY CRAP. I'M FEELING A LITTLE BIT WOOZY.

BEFORE LONG, THE DEVICE TELLS ME

IT'S JUST TOO DANGEROUS TO GET ANY CLOSER.

I GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE.

SO, WE'VE ALREADY BEEN TO HOT CREEK

WHERE WE'VE LOCATED TOXIC METALS COMING OUT OF THE GROUND,

WHICH INDICATE VOLCANIC ACTIVITY,

AND NOW WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO SEE THAT THERE

IS A LOT OF C.O.2

COMING OUT OF THE GROUND HERE ON MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN.

SO, ARE THESE TWO HOT SPOTS 15 MILES APART

SIGNS THAT THE ANCIENT SUPERVOLCANO

IS STIRRING ONCE AGAIN?

THERE IS SOMETHING GOING ON UNDERNEATH HERE.

AND THERE'S ONE MORE SPOT ON THE MOUNTAIN

WHERE A STRANGE PHENOMENON

IS HAPPENING THAT COULD OFFER FURTHER EVIDENCE

OF AN IMPENDING APOCALYPSE.

TO GET THERE, I'LL NEED TO DITCH MY SKIS

AND HEAD OUT ON FOOT.

THE BASE OF THE MOUNTAIN IS COVERED IN DENSE FOREST,

BUT IN THE 1990s, LOCALS NOTICED THE TREES

WERE DYING AT A RAPID PACE.

CHECK THIS OUT. THIS IS COMPLETELY BIZARRE.

WITHIN THE SPAN OF A YEAR,

NEARLY 100 ACRES WORTH OF TREES JUST...DIED.

WE LOOK LIKE WE'RE IN A GHOST FOREST RIGHT NOW.

I MEAN, ALL THESE TREES, THEY'RE HUGE TREES,

THEY'RE DEAD, AND THEY'RE WHITE,

AND I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO MAKE OF THIS.

IS THIS FOREST ANOTHER CASUALTY OF WHAT'S HAPPENING UNDERGROUND,

OR COULD THERE BE SOME OTHER EXPLANATION

FOR ITS PECULIAR DEMISE?

A FEW THINGS THAT COME TO MIND.

FIRST OF ALL, COULD IT BE AN INSECT INFESTATION?

BUT THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF INSECT DAMAGE.

I MEAN, IF YOU LOOK AT THIS--

LOOK AT THIS. IT'S COMPLETELY SMOOTH BARK.

THIS IS COMPLETELY PRISTINE.

NOW, THE OTHER THING THAT COMES TO MIND IS

I'VE SEEN A LOT OF FIRES COME THROUGH,

LITTLE PATCHES LIKE THIS.

PROBLEM WITH THAT IS THAT MOST OF THE TIME

WHEN YOU HAVE A FIRE,

YOU GET JUST LIKE THE BOTTOM PART OF THESE TREES BURNT,

COMPLETELY SCORCHED.

ALSO, IF YOU LOOK UP THERE, ALL THESE LITTLE BRANCHES

WOULD PROBABLY BE COMPLETELY CHARRED AND BURNT.

THAT'S LIKE THE FIRST THING THAT WOULD HAPPEN IN A FIRE.

AS I WIND MY WAY THROUGH THIS HAUNTING LANDSCAPE,

I REALIZE THERE'S A TELLING CLUE RIGHT BENEATH MY FEET.

SO, I KNELT DOWN HERE TO TRY TO LOOK AT THE SOIL,

AND THIS IS REALLY INTRIGUING. LOOK AT THIS.

IF YOU TAKE A BIG HANDFUL OF DIRT,

AND INSIDE OF IT, LIKE,

ALL OF THESE LITTLE GRAY ROCKS. THIS IS PUMICE.

PUMICE IS A TYPE OF VOLCANIC ROCK THAT FORMS

WHEN LAVA ON THE EARTH'S SURFACE COOLS RAPIDLY.

BUT THERE'S BEEN NO MAJOR ERUPTION OF LAVA HERE

IN ALMOST 800,000 YEARS.

SO, HOW DID ALL THIS PUMICE COLLECT HERE?

COULD THERE BE A MAGMA CHAMBER BUBBLING UP HERE, TOO,

KILLING THE FOREST FROM BELOW?

I THINK THE ONLY WAY, REALLY, TO TELL IS TO DO A TEST.

FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE SOIL CHEMISTRY HERE.

MAYBE THAT WILL ANSWER SOME OF MY QUESTIONS.

ONCE AGAIN, MY TRUSTY C.O.2 DETECTOR PAINTS A GRIM PICTURE.

NORMALLY, WE'RE AT ABOUT 350 PARTS PER MILLION.

IT'S GOING UP MORE, MORE, AND MORE.

COULD THIS LITTLE-KNOWN GHOST FOREST TELL US

THAT THIS VOLCANO IS ABOUT TO BLOW?

FREAKING ZEROED OUT.

IT PEAKED OUT THE C.O.2 METER-- ALL 8s.

AND OBVIOUSLY, THE C.O.2 HAS KILLED ALL THE TREES.

I'M-- HONESTLY, I AM A LITTLE BIT OUT OF BREATH

RIGHT AT THE MOMENT.

I THINK I PROBABLY SHOULD GET BACK TO THE CAR.

I'VE NOW FOUND EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS

OF C.O.2 IN THREE DISTINCT AREAS

WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF THIS ANCIENT SUPERVOLCANO.

I NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHERE IT'S COMING FROM

AND WHAT'S TRIGGERING IT.

TO DO THAT, I NEED TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON UNDERGROUND.

AND THERE'S ONE NEW PIECE OF TECH THAT CAN TELL ME.

WHOA! IS THAT WHAT I THINK IT IS?

IS THAT A MAGMA CHAMBER?

I'M IN MAMMOTH LAKES, CALIFORNIA,

ABOUT 150 MILES NORTHEAST OF FRESNO,

INVESTIGATING ALARMING SIGNS OF POSSIBLE VOLCANIC ACTIVITY.

AND THERE ARE CLUES POINTING TOWARDS

AN IMMINENT ERUPTION SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THIS VALLEY,

WHICH IS THE SITE OF THE SECOND-LARGEST

EXPLOSIVE VOLCANIC ERUPTION IN NORTH AMERICA.

THAT MAMMOTH BLAST 760,000 YEARS AGO

WAS SO POWERFUL,

IT SENT A FLAMING COLUMN OF ASH EIGHT MILES HIGH,

DEPOSITING SOME FRAGMENTS AS FAR EAST AS KANSAS.

EVEN IF THE POWER OF THE NEXT ERUPTION

IS JUST A SMALL FRACTION OF THAT,

IT WOULD BE AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT

TO THE MILLIONS WHO LIVE IN

AND VISIT THE AREA EACH YEAR.

SO FAR, I FOUND A LOT OF SMOKE, BUT NOT MUCH FIRE,

SO I'M CALLING IN MY FRIEND GEOPHYSICIST JARED PEACOCK

TO HELP GET A READ ON WHAT'S GOING ON

DEEP BENEATH THE EARTH'S SURFACE.

ROB. HOW YOU DOING?

GOOD, HOW ABOUT YOU?

THANKS FOR MEETING ME OUT HERE.

TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF THIS PLACE IS INCREASING

IN VOLCANIC ACTIVITY.

CLEARLY, THERE'S SOMETHING DOWN THERE.

SURE. SO, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE

IS THE REMNANTS OF AN OLD VOLCANO.

YOU CAN SEE THE CALDERA BOUNDARIES

RIGHT WHERE THE HILLS START ON THAT SIDE

AND WHERE THE MOUNTAINS START ON THIS SIDE.

FROM THIS VANTAGE POINT,

JARED POINTS OUT AN ALARMING FEATURE

THAT COULD SPELL TROUBLE.

SO, WHAT WE GOT HERE IS WE GOT InSAR DATA

OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS OR SO.

InSAR, OR INTERFEROMETRIC SYNTHETIC APERTURE RADAR,

IS A A TYPE OF REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLOGY.

IT FOCUSES AN EXTREMELY NARROW BEAM

OF RADIATION ON THE TARGET,

WHICH THEN BOUNCES BACK TO A SENSOR ON THE ANTENNA.

THESE InSAR ANTENNAS ARE CAPABLE

OF CREATING ELEVATION MAPS

THAT ARE ACCURATE DOWN TO THE CENTIMETER.

AND ONE OF THE MOST TROUBLING AREAS InSAR HAS PINPOINTED

HAPPENS TO BE VERY CLOSE TO MAMMOTH LAKES.

SO RIGHT HERE IN THE MIDDLE, YOU SEE THE RESURGENT DOME.

WOW, LOOK AT THAT. RESURGENT DOME,

MEANING THAT IT'S COMING BACK

BECAUSE OF SOME MAGMA UNDERNEATH OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT?

THERE IS SOMETHING UNDERNEATH IT THAT'S PUSHING IT UPWARDS.

WOW.

YEAH, IT'S CLOSE TO A METER OVER THE LAST 20 OR 30 YEARS.

WELL, FROM WHAT I KNOW ABOUT VOLCANOS,

THEY DO UPLIFT BEFORE THEY EXPLODE.

THAT'S RIGHT.

THIS COULD BE A FRIGHTENING SIGN THAT TROUBLE IS BREWING.

SWELLING GROUND LEVELS ON VOLCANOS

HAVE OFTEN PRECEDED DEVASTATING ERUPTIONS.

THE LARGEST VOLCANO ON EARTH, HAWAII'S MAUNA LOA,

IS PRONE TO CYCLES OF SWELLING AND RECEDING GROUND LEVELS.

UNDERSTANDING THESE CHANGES HELPED VOLCANOLOGISTS PREDICT

MASSIVE ERUPTIONS IN 1975 AND 1984.

IN 1980, EXPERTS AND LAYMEN ALIKE OBSERVED A BULGE

GROWING OUT OF THE NORTHERN SUMMIT OF MOUNT ST. HELENS.

AND SURE ENOUGH, ON MAY 18th OF THAT YEAR,

THE MOUNT FAMOUSLY EXPLODED.

SO, COULD THIS ONE BE A SIMILAR HARBINGER OF DOOM?

TO TRY TO DETERMINE IF THE LONG VALLEY CALDERA

IS COMING BACK TO LIFE,

WE NEED TO SCAN FOR SIGNS OF TROUBLE DEEP UNDERGROUND,

AND JARED HAS A CUTTING-EDGE EXPERIMENT

THAT CAN DO JUST THAT.

BUT IT HAS TO BE DONE DIRECTLY ABOVE THE BULGE

REVEALED BY THE InSAR DATA.

SO, WE, BASICALLY, FROM THAT OTHER PEAK SCOUTED

OUT THIS RESURGENT DOME,

AND WE HIKED ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP.

WE MADE IT JUST BEFORE SUNSET.

WE ONLY HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME,

SO WE GOT TO SET UP BOTH OF THESE PIPES,

AND THOSE ARE GOING TO DETECT CHANGES

IN THE EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD.

WE'LL BE ABLE TO DETECT IF THERE'S LIQUID UNDERGROUND.

WE'RE GOING TO CONDUCT WHAT'S CALLED

A MAGNETOTELLURIC SURVEY.

IT USES ELECTRICAL AND MAGNETIC FIELDS

TO IDENTIFY VARIATIONS BENEATH EARTH'S SURFACE.

WITH THE DATA, IT THEN CONSTRUCTS A 3-D MAP

OF THE GEOLOGICAL LAYERS.

THIS IS A TECHNOLOGY THAT CAN PLOT OUT AREAS

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FEET DEEP,

SO I'M HOPING IT WILL FINALLY TELL ME

IF AN ACTIVE MAGMA CHAMBER

IS CAUSING THE RECENT SURGE

IN DEADLY GEOLOGIC ACTIVITY HERE.

CAN WE RUN THAT REAL QUICK AND SEE WHAT WE GOT?

YEAH.

MOMENT OF TRUTH RIGHT HERE.

AND GO.

WHOA!

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT?

IS THAT WHAT I THINK IT IS?

HOW DO YOU INTERPRET SOMETHING LIKE THAT?

WELL, IT'S COMPLICATED.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE

IS DEFINITELY SOME SORT OF LIQUID,

WE CAN TELL THAT.THAT'S RIGHT.

WOW, THIS IS IMPRESSIVE, JARED.

SO, THAT'S A WHOLE BUNCH OF DIFFERENT CHAMBERS.

THAT'S NOT ONE MAGMA CHAMBER.

RIGHT, THERE'S DEFINITELY

SOME SORT OF MAGNETIC ACTIVITY IN THIS AREA.

THIS IS BIG.

IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S A VAST, UNDERGROUND NETWORK

OF SUPERHEATED FLUIDS BENEATH THIS LONG, DORMANT SUPERVOLCANO.

AS WE ANALYZE THE DATA,

JARED SHOWS ME EACH DANGER ZONE I INVESTIGATED

OCCURRED RIGHT ABOVE ONE OF THESE POCKETS.

WE CAN SEE WHERE IT FLOWS ALL THE WAY TO HOT CREEK.

BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS THE VOLCANIC ACTIVITY

DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE CENTRALIZED.

IT'S SPARSE AND SPREAD OUT.

WE CAN SAY CONCLUSIVELY

THAT THERE'S NO GIANT MAGMA CHAMBER BELOW.

THERE ARE SMALLER, SATELLITE ONES AROUND THE AREA.

SO, IT SEEMS THE OMINOUS EVENTS

THAT HAVE BEEN HAPPENING AROUND HERE RECENTLY

AREN'T THE PRELUDE TO ANOTHER SUPERVOLCANIC ERUPTIONS,

BUT THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE HUGE RELIEF IT SHOULD BE.

BECAUSE AS WE'VE SEEN,

MOLTEN LAVA ISN'T THE ONLY LETHAL WEAPON

IN THE VOLCANIC ARSENAL.

THE M.T. SURVEY REVEALED A LITERAL MINEFIELD

OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY THAT CAN MANIFEST ITSELF

IN SUPERHEATED GROUND WATER, TOXIC-GAS EMISSIONS,

AND WORST OF ALL, SUDDEN EXPLOSIONS.

WE STILL HAVE A LOT MORE TO LEARN

ABOUT VOLCANIC ACTIVITY

BEFORE WE CAN ACCURATELY PREDICT IT

AND PREVENT ITS MOST DIRE CONSEQUENCES.

BUT NEW TECHNOLOGY IS NOW GIVING US

AN UNPRECEDENTED GLIMPSE OF THE TURBULENT AND FIERY WORLD

THAT LIES DEEP BENEATH OUR FEET.

NOW FROM THE HIGH COUNTRY OF EASTERN CALIFORNIA,

I'M HEADING TO THE SHORES OF RURAL CONNECTICUT.

IN THE HISTORIC TOWN OF GROTON LIES A LITTLE-KNOWN,

BUT POTENTIALLY EXPLOSIVE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MYSTERY.

EVEN THE SITE'S NAME, GUNGYWAMP, IS AN ENIGMA.

SOME CLAIM IT COMES FROM THE MOHEGAN TERM

FOR "PLACE OF LEDGES,"

WHILE OTHERS BELIEVE IT REFERS TO AN ANCIENT GAELIC PHRASE

FOR "THE CHURCH OF THE PEOPLE."

WHAT IS THE REAL STORY BEHIND THIS PLACE?

I'M HIKING THROUGH 100-ACRE STRETCH OF FOREST

WHERE A COLLECTION OF BIZARRE STAR STRUCTURES

LIE BURIED BENEATH THE FRESHLY FALLEN SNOW.

FOR DECADES, ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE BEEN INTRIGUED BY THIS PLACE.

LOOK AT THAT. CHECK THIS OUT.

OH, MY GOD.

WHOA.

I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO INTERPRET THIS STRUCTURE.

IT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE ANYTHING I HAVE EVER SEEN.

WHO BUILT THESE STRUCTURES AND WHY?

WAS THIS A COLONIAL SETTLEMENT,

A SACRED NATIVE-AMERICAN SITE,

OR IS THERE, AS ONE ARCHAEOLOGIST BELIEVES,

ANOTHER, MORE SURPRISING EXPLANATION--

THAT IT WAS BUILT ALMOST 1,000 YEARS BEFORE COLUMBUS

BY A COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED GROUP OF SETTLERS.

WHAT THIS REMINDS ME OF IS SOME SORT OF MEDIEVAL STRUCTURE.

ARE THESE RUINS HARBORING AN INCREDIBLE SECRET?

TO FIND OUT, I'LL USE CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY

TO DETECT DETAILS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN SEEN IN CENTURIES.

THIS WILL BE SOMETHING

THAT WILL COMPLETELY CHANGE THE HISTORY BOOKS.

I'M AT THE GUNGYWAMP ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

IN GROTON, CONNECTICUT,

WHERE SCHOLARS HAVE STRUGGLED TO EXPLAIN

THE PRESENCE OF A HISTORIC COMPLEX OF RUINS.

WERE THEY BUILT BY COLONISTS, NATIVE AMERICANS,

OR MAYBE EVEN A MYSTERIOUS GROUP OF MEDIEVAL SETTLERS?

I'M BATTLING HEAVY SNOW COVER TO LOOK FOR HIDDEN CLUES

WITHIN THESE SUBTERRANEAN STRUCTURES,

AND HOPEFULLY UNEARTH THEIR ANCIENT SECRETS.

OH, WOW!

YOU CAN LOOK RIGHT DOWN INTO A CAVITY RIGHT DOWN THERE.

THIS OPENS UP INTO A ROOM.

HERE, LET'S GO DOWN RIGHT THROUGH HERE,

SEE IF WE CAN GET THE OTHER SIDE OF IT.

LOOK AT THIS!

OH, MY GOSH. THIS IS A STRUCTURE.

THAT'S WHAT WE SAW RIGHT THERE. THAT WAS THE WINDOW.

AS I EXPLORE THIS BIZARRE STRUCTURE,

I'M CURIOUS WHAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN USED FOR.

LOOK AT THAT.

AND IT'S NOT LONG BEFORE I UNCOVER AN EVEN STRANGER DETAIL.

OHH, BUDDY!

OH, WOW!

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE IS A TINY CRAWL SPACE,

BASICALLY BRANCHING OFF OF THE SIDE OF THE MAIN CHAMBER.

BASICALLY, YOU'RE LOOKING AT SOMETHING

THAT'S MAYBE FOUR FEET WIDE IN DIAMETER,

MAYBE THREE FEET TALL.

BUT I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THIS IS FOR.

PRACTICALLY SPEAKING, IT SEEMS TOO SMALL

FOR ANY REAL PURPOSE,

SO I'M WONDERING IF IT COULD BE CEREMONIAL IN NATURE.

SO, THAT'S WHAT REALLY INTRIGUES ME.

WHAT WAS THIS STRUCTURE USED FOR,

WHY WAS IT BUILT,

AND FOR THAT MATTER, WHO BUILT IT?

I'VE CALLED IN A LOCAL ARCHAEOLOGIST

WHO MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP ME FIGURE IT OUT.

HEY. HEY.

HOW YOU DOING? I'M VANCE.

VANCE TIEDE HAS BEEN INVESTIGATING

THE GUNGYWAMP SITE FOR YEARS.

WHY DO YOU THINK THIS STRUCTURE

COULDN'T BE, SAY, A NATIVE-AMERICAN STRUCTURE?

THE PROBLEM WITH THAT EXPLANATION,

IF WE LOOK AT SOME OF THE STONES

THAT HAVE BEEN USED HERE,

SOME OF THEM HAVE BEEN QUARRIED.

OHH. AND THAT SUGGESTS

SOME SORT OF METAL TOOL,

MADE EITHER OF BRONZE OR PERHAPS IRON.

AS FAR AS WE KNOW, THESE STONE-WORKING TOOLS

WERE NOT AVAILABLE IN NORTH AMERICA

UNTIL THE PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD.

IS IT REASONABLE TO THINK THAT THIS COULD HAVE BEEN

SOMEBODY FROM ENGLAND THAT CAME OVER HERE, SETTLED,

BUILT THIS, YOU KNOW, POST-COLUMBUS?

IT IS POSSIBLE.

AT FIRST GLANCE, THE CHAMBER SEEMS

TO RESEMBLE THE ROOT CELLARS THAT COLONIAL FARMERS

TYPICALLY BUILT INTO THE LANDSCAPE

TO STORE VEGETABLES AND OTHER PERISHABLES.

BUT VANCE BELIEVES IT HAS A MORE STRIKING SIMILARITY

WITH ANOTHER KIND OF STRUCTURE.

THEY'RE, IN FACT, MORE CONSISTENT

WITH WHAT WE CALL ORATORIES,

OR SMALL CHAPELS THAT ARE FOUND

IN IRISH MONASTIC SETTINGS.

ACCORDING TO VANCE, STONE STRUCTURES

EERILY SIMILAR TO THESE

ARE FOUND ON THE WEST COAST OF IRELAND,

WHERE THEY WERE BUILT BY EARLY CHRISTIAN MONKS

1,500 YEARS AGO.

IF VANCE'S THEORY IS TRUE,

THIS WOULD BE YET ANOTHER CASE

OF SOMEONE BEATING COLUMBUS TO THE NEW WORLD.

IN RECENT YEARS, NEW EVIDENCE

HAS REVEALED THAT OTHERS FROM THE OLD WORLD

LIKELY REACHED THESE SHORES LONG BEFORE THE SPANIARD SET SAIL.

ONE AUTHOR BELIEVES THAT A CELEBRATED CHINESE MARINER

NAMED ZHENG HE CROSSED THE PACIFIC

AND LANDED ON THE WEST COAST IN THE EARLY 15th CENTURY,

MORE THAN 70 YEARS BEFORE COLUMBUS.

AND IN NEWFOUNDLAND, CANADA,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE DISCOVERED

THE REMAINS OF A VIKING SETTLEMENT

DATING BACK MORE THAN 400 YEARS BEFORE THAT.

BUT COULD IT BE POSSIBLE

THAT THERE WERE EUROPEAN VISITORS HERE EVEN EARLIER,

AND THAT THEY WERE ACTUALLY IRISH MONKS?

YOU HAVE UNIQUE ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES HERE.

THERE'S SOME INTERESTING THINGS THAT HAPPEN WITH THE LIGHT

THAT MAKE THIS CHAMBER FUNCTION

LIKE A SUNDIAL NOT FOR THE HOUR OF THE DAY,

BUT FOR THE DAY OF THE YEAR.

VANCE BELIEVES THE STRUCTURE'S DESIGN INDICATES

IT WAS ACTUALLY AN ASTRONOMICAL TOOL,

BUT NOT FOR ANY OF THE KNOWN INHABITANTS OF THE AREA.

IF NATIVE TRIBES CONSTRUCTED IT, THEY MIGHT HAVE ALIGNED IT

WITH THE LATE SUMMER CORN HARVEST,

BUT THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A CORRELATION,

AND THE VIKING STRUCTURES RARELY LINE UP

WITH HEAVENLY BODIES AT ALL.

SCANDINAVIA IS HOME TO JUST ONE ANCIENT STRUCTURE

THAT'S THOUGHT TO ALIGN WITH THE HEAVENS--

ALE'S STONES IN SOUTHERN SWEDEN.

BUT ACCORDING TO VANCE,

ANCIENT IRISH STRUCTURES SIMILAR TO THIS CHAMBER

WERE BUILT TO ALIGN WITH THE WINTER SOLSTICE--

THE SHORTEST DAY OF THE YEAR,

WHICH HAPPENS TO FALL JUST BEFORE

ONE OF THE CHRISTIAN CALENDAR'S HOLIEST DAYS--

CHRISTMAS.

IT'S EITHER A FORTUITOUS ALIGNMENT

TOTALLY BY CHANCE,

OR THE DESIGNER KNEW EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS DOING.

TO TEST THIS THEORY, VANCE AND I SET UP AN EXPERIMENT

WITH JUST A FEW SIMPLE TOOLS.

USING AN APP ON MY PHONE THAT TRACKS SOLAR MOVEMENTS,

I CAN CALCULATE THE EXACT TRAJECTORY

ON ANY GIVEN DAY OF THE YEAR.

IT'S GONNA BE IN THIS DIRECTION.

SO ESSENTIALLY WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR IS THE SUN

TO COME UP SOMEWHERE OVER HERE

AND POINT INTO THE CAVITY.

YES.

ACCORDING TO VANCE, SOMETHING VERY UNIQUE HAPPENS

WHEN THE SUN HITS THE CHAMBER

ON THE DAY OF THE WINTER SOLSTICE.

IS THE KEY CLUE ABOUT THE PURPOSE

OF THIS CHAMBER HOVERING IN THE SKY ABOVE?

AS THE SUN RISES...WOW, LOOK AT THAT.

I'M AT THE GUNGYWAMP ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

IN GROTON, CONNECTICUT,

WHERE SCHOLARS HAVE STRUGGLED TO EXPLAIN

THE PRESENCE OF A HISTORIC COMPLEX OF RUINS.

WERE THEY BUILT BY COLONISTS, NATIVE AMERICANS,

OR MAYBE EVEN A MYSTERIOUS GROUP OF MEDIEVAL SETTLERS?

I'VE TEAMED UP WITH ARCHAEOLOGIST VANCE TIEDE

TO SET UP A SIMPLE TEST THAT MIGHT PROVIDE A KEY CLUE.

OH, MY GOODNESS.Tiede: THE SUN GOES IN,

AND AS THE SUN CONTINUES TO RISE,

IT ENTERS THE SIDE CHAMBER AND GOES OUT.

THAT'S SO COOL.

THE SMALLER CHAMBER WITHIN THE CHAMBER

LITERALLY FILLS WITH LIGHT JUST DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS.

AND THAT REALLY ONLY HAPPENS

AT SUNRISE ON THE WINTER SOLSTICE.

BUT THIS CHAMBER'S ALIGNMENT WITH THE WINTER SOLSTICE

IS ONLY HALF OF THE STORY.

VANCE THEN TAKES ME TO THE SMALL WINDOW

AT THE BACK OF THE CHAMBER.

OKAY, CAN YOU SEE THAT THERE?

OH, YEAH, OKAY.

WE'VE PLACED THE FLASHLIGHT AT AN ANGLE

TO MATCH THE SUNSET ON THE SPRING EQUINOX.

BETTER KNOWN ON THE CHRISTIAN CALENDAR AS EASTER.

THEN VANCE AND I BUILD A FIRE TO GET A BETTER SENSE

OF HOW THIS WILL PLAY OUT.

LIGHTING IT UP.

WHEN THE SMOKE'S UP,

YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SEE REALLY CLEARLY

THIS BEAM OF LIGHT COMING THROUGH THE WINDOW.

OH, MY GOODNESS,

AND IT'S SHINING RIGHT DOWN THERE AT THE CAVITY.

ON THE SPRING EQUINOX, THE LIGHT BEAMS IN

THROUGH THE SMALL WINDOW AND HITS THE SMALL SIDE CHAMBER,

JUST AS IT DOES ON THE WINTER SOLSTICE,

BUT THIS TIME FROM THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.

SO IT SEEMS THE SUN'S TRAJECTORY THROUGH THE STRUCTURE

COULD BE A POWERFUL RELIGIOUS SYMBOL

MARKING THE TWO MAJOR EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST.

SO, DURING EASTER, THE LIGHT ESSENTIALLY--

IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S COMING OUT OF THE CAVE.

YES.

AND THEN DURING, ESSENTIALLY, CHRISTMASTIME,

IT LOOKS LIKE THE LIGHT'S GOING INTO THE CAVE.

CORRECT. IT'S LIKE THE BEGINNING AND THE END,

THE BIRTH, AND THE RESURRECTION.

FOR AN IRISH MONK OR ANY CHRISTIAN

IN ANY CENTURY SINCE THEN,

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A VERY POWERFUL METAPHOR.

AND PARTICULARLY FOR THE IRISH

BECAUSE THE IRISH CHURCH CHARACTERIZED CHRIST

AS THE TRUE SUN, THE SOLAR SUN.

I HAVE TO ADMIT-- VANCE'S ARGUMENT IS INTRIGUING.

THIS WOULD HAVE TO BE A HUGE COINCIDENCE.

BUT TO USE THIS AS THE BASIS TO CLAIM

THAT MEDIEVAL IRISH MONKS CROSSED THE ATLANTIC

AND BUILT THIS SITE STILL SEEMS A BIT FAR-FETCHED TO ME.

AFTER ALL, MOST AMERICAN COLONISTS WERE CHRISTIANS

WHO CELEBRATED CHRISTMAS AND EASTER, TOO.

BUT VANCE ISN'T READY TO REST HIS CASE JUST YET.

HE ASSURES ME THAT THERE ARE MORE CLUES NEARBY.

WHAT YOU SEE IS THERE'S A STONE WALL.

IT LOOKS LIKE AN INSCRIPTION.

ALL I SEE ARE A COUPLE OF SLICES IN THE ROCK.

IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE IN NATURAL LIGHTING.

YOU CAN FEEL IT WITH YOUR HANDS.

YOU CAN KIND OF FEEL IT THERE.

THERE'S DEFINITELY A LINE DOWN HERE.

I'M NOT CONVINCED THAT WHAT I'M SEEING

IS REALLY A PETROGLYPH, BUT IF IT IS, WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

VANCE BELIEVES IT BEARS A STRIKING RESEMBLANCE

TO A WIDELY USED RELIGIOUS SYMBOL.

THOSE THREE LINES ARE TOTALLY CONSISTENT

WITH WHAT COULD BE SEEN IN EARLY IRISH CHRISTIAN MANUSCRIPTS,

UNIQUELY TO IRISH EARLY CHRISTIAN MANUSCRIPTS.

THESE ARE OGOM OR OGHAM LETTERS.

IT'S A WRITING SYSTEM THAT'S MADE WITH STRAIGHT LINES

BECAUSE IT'S EASY TO CHISEL INTO WOOD,

OR IN THIS CASE, STONE.

OGHAM IS AN ANCIENT IRISH ALPHABET

THAT WAS USED IN THE ENGLISH ISLES.

IT IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN USED IN IRELAND

FROM THE 4th THROUGH THE 10th CENTURIES.

TODAY, ABOUT 400 KNOWN OGHAM INSCRIPTIONS SURVIVE,

MAINLY IN SOUTHERN IRELAND.

OVER 100 OF THEM ARE CONCENTRATED

IN THE COUNTY OF KERRY--

A DISTRICT ON THE EDGE OF IRELAND THAT FACES DUE WEST

TOWARDS THEIR NEW ENGLAND COAST.

THIS UPRIGHT'S CONSISTENT WITH THE LETTER "B."

AND THESE TWO UPRIGHTS TOGETHER

ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE LETTER "L."

THIS WHAT LOOKS LIKE AN "I"

AND THE LETTER "C" WITH THIS OVER BAR

IS RECOGNIZED UNIVERSALLY IN CHRISTIANITY

AS THE NAME SPELLED IN GREEK LETTERS

FOR "JESUS," "IESOUS."

IF VANCE IS RIGHT, THIS ETCHING COULD BE

AN OGHAM SIGN FOR "LORD."

BUT COULDN'T SOMEONE WITH KNOWLEDGE OF THESE SYMBOLS

HAVE CARVED THEM HERE LATER?

VANCE THINKS IT'S HIGHLY UNLIKELY,

BELIEVING THIS COMBINATION OF GREEK AND OGHAM

IS SO SPECIFIC THAT IT'S DOUBTFUL

ANYONE OTHER THAN THESE LEARNED IRISH MONKS

WOULD HAVE HAD KNOWLEDGE OF IT.

BUT FOR THEM TO HAVE LEFT THESE MARKINGS

IN CONNECTICUT 1,500 YEARS AGO,

THEY WOULD HAVE NEEDED A MEANS OF GETTING HERE.

THE 6th CENTURY IRISH WERE EXPERT SEAFARERS,

LIKELY SAILING SEAMLESSLY BETWEEN THE IRISH ISLES.

BUT COULD THEY HAVE MADE IT ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE ATLANTIC?

IN THE 1970s, RENOWNED EXPLORER TIM SEVERIN

BUILT A TYPICAL IRISH VESSEL OF THE TIME

WITH ONLY LEATHER, WOOD, AND PRIMITIVE TOOLS.

SHOCKINGLY, HE COMPLETED THE 4,500 MILES VOYAGE,

PROVING IT WAS ENTIRELY POSSIBLE.

BUT DID IT REALLY HAPPEN

ALMOST A 1,000 YEARS BEFORE COLUMBUS?

THESE MARKINGS ARE TOO FAINT

FOR ME TO DECIPHER WITH ANY CERTAINTY.

IS THIS ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE THAT WILL REWRITE HISTORY,

OR JUST A FORTUITOUS CRACK IN THE ROCKS?

TO GET A BETTER LOOK, I'M GOING TO DEPLOY A NEW TECHNOLOGY

THAT CAN LITERALLY LET ME SEE THE CARVING

IN A WHOLE NEW LIGHT.

SO THIS IS THE MOMENT OF TRUTH.

OH, MY GOSH. WOW.

I'M IN THE SMALL TOWN OF GROTON, CONNECTICUT,

INVESTIGATING A RADICAL CLAIM

THAT THE FIRST SETTLERS IN NORTH AMERICA

WERE ACTUALLY MEDIEVAL IRISH MONKS.

IT MAY SEEM A BIT UNBELIEVABLE,

BUT THAT THEORY IS BECOMING MORE PLAUSIBLE BY THE MINUTE.

I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS IN MY WHOLE LIFE.

THERE ARE TWO STONE CHAMBERS ON THE GUNGYWAMP GROUNDS

THAT BEAR A STRIKING RESEMBLANCE

TO EARLY CHRISTIAN CHAPELS ON THE EMERALD ISLE.

AND MYSTERIOUS MARKINGS ON NEARBY MARKS

MAY BE OF MEDIEVAL ORIGIN, AS WELL.

AND IF YOU RUN YOUR FINGERS OVER IT,

YOU CAN ACTUALLY FEEL THE LETTERS.

I NEED TO GET A BETTER LOOK AT THESE ETCHINGS,

SO I'M BRINGING IN RICH HOUSE,

A SPECIALIST IN A NEW TECHNIQUE

CALLED REFLECTANCE TRANSFORMATION IMAGING, OR RTI.

YOU SEE THAT LITTLE INDENTATION IN THE ROCK?

KIND OF UP AND AROUND?

HONESTLY, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.

I'M HOPING THAT THE TECHNOLOGY THAT YOU HAVE

MIGHT JUST ALLOW US TO SEE IT MORE CLEARLY.

RTI IS ALMOST KNOWN AS POLYNOMIAL TEXTURE MAPPING.

IT WAS INVENTED BY RESEARCH SCIENTISTS IN 2001.

IT STITCHES TOGETHER A SERIES OF PHOTOS

TAKING BY A CAMERA IN A FIXED POSITION

WITH A ROTATING LIGHT SOURCE.

THIS ELIMINATES SHADOWS ON THE SURFACE

AND BRINGS OUT DETAILS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE

WITH THE NAKED EYE.

WE SET UP AT THE FIRST CARVING,

GRADUALLY MOVING THE LIGHT SOURCE

BETWEEN EACH PHOTOGRAPH.

WHEN YOU GET THE FLASH OFF TO THE SIDE,

AND YOU SNAP A PHOTO,

YOU REALLY CAN SEE THE IMAGE A LITTLE BIT BETTER

THAN YOU CAN JUST LOOKING AT IT ON THIS FLAT LIGHT.

THIS TEST WILL SHAVE CENTURIES OF WEAR OFF THESE MARKINGS

AND GIVE US A CLEARER PICTURE

OF WHAT THE ORIGINAL CARVER INTENDED.

GET RID OF THE DISTRACTING COLOR,

AND THEN I'M GONNA ADD CONTRAST ON THE LEVELS.

SO, THAT'S REALLY JUST READING THE 3-D SURFACE INFORMATION.

WOW.

WELL, THAT'S-- THERE'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THERE

WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT LIKE THIS.

I DEFINITELY SEE A REALLY STRONG LINE HERE.

THE RTI IMAGE SEEMS TO CONFIRM VANCE'S INTERPRETATION.

WHAT WE CAN SEE, IT LOOKS LIKE, BASICALLY,

ONE, TWO, THREE SLASHES,

A "J," AND A "C."

I'M STARTING TO BELIEVE.

BUT BEFORE I EMBRACE THIS THEORY WHOLEHEARTEDLY,

I WANT TO SEE A PHYSICAL ARTIFACT LEFT

BY ONE OF THESE MERRY MONKS.

OVER 500 ARTIFACTS HAVE BEEN RECOVERED HERE.

MANY OF THEM ARE PRESERVED

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT,

SO I'M HEADING THERE TO MEET WITH BRIAN JONES,

CONNECTICUT'S STATE ARCHAEOLOGIST

TO GET A FIRSTHAND LOOK.

I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN THIS IDEA

OF KIND OF AN IRISH BACKGROUND TO THAT PARTICULAR SITE.

MAYBE PRE-COLONIAL.

RIGHT. WE HAVE AN OVERWHELMING AMOUNT OF MATERIAL

FROM THE MID-18th CENTURY

UP UNTIL EVEN THE MID-20th CENTURY OUT THERE.

NOW, THERE IS A VERY ANCIENT NATIVE AMERICAN PRESENCE

ON THE LANDSCAPE, THOUGH.

AND RIGHT BEHIND YOU, YOU'VE GOT SOME ARTIFACTS

THERE ON THE TABLE.

WE'VE GOT SOME PROJECTILE POINTS.

FROM THE PERIOD, IT'S PROBABLY A JAVELIN OR DART TIP.

THERE ARE SOME FASCINATING ANCIENT FINDS HERE,

BUT NOTHING THAT SEEMS CONNECTED TO THE EMERALD ISLE.

SO, I'M WONDERING IS THERE ANY CHANCE

THE MEDIEVAL ARTIFACTS I'M HUNTING FOR

COULD HAVE BEEN LOST OR OVERLOOKED.

IF YOU WERE LOOKING FOR SOME SORT

OF 5th CENTURY ARTIFACT, WHAT WOULD YOU BE LOOKING FOR?

WELL, IF YOU THINK OF THAT PERIOD IN IRELAND,

YOU'VE GOT SOME ACTUALLY BEAUTIFUL ORNATE

METALWORK GOING ON, BEAUTIFUL BRIDGES.

I DON'T KNOW IF SOME POOR MONK COMING OVER HERE

WOULD BE WEARING A FANCY BROOCH THAT MAYBE SOME LORD WOULD.

WHAT ABOUT THE SYMBOLS, THE PETROGLYPHS IN THE ROCK?

I MEAN, HOW WOULD YOU EXPLAIN THAT?

LOOKING AT THE TYPE OF STONE,

IT'S COARSE, IT'S FOLDED,

AND THERE'S A LOT OF INTERESTING CRACKS

AND WEATHERING HAPPENING THERE.

I CAN'T SEE WHAT VANCE SEES.

WE KNOW THERE'S SURVEYORS MARKS OUT THERE,

SO THERE'S SOME REALLY LEGITIMATE CARVING

HAPPENING IN THE LANDSCAPE.

I CAN SEE SOME OF THE IMAGES ON THE ROCK

NOW THAT WE HAVE RTI,

AND I THINK WHAT I NEED TO DO IS TAKE THOSE IMAGES

AND TRY TO LOOK BACK IN THE LITERATURE,

SEE IF THEY MATCH UP IN SOME WAY.

YEAH, THAT'S IT.

DO THE RESEARCH AND SEE WHAT YOU COME UP WITH.

SO, WE HAVE THIS CURIOUS SET OF CARVINGS

THAT COULD HAVE ANCIENT IRISH ORIGINS,

BUT NO OTHER ARTIFACTS TO SUPPORT THAT THEORY.

STILL, IT'S POSSIBLE ANY ARTICLES LEFT BY THE IRISH

WERE CARRIED OFF BY LATER VISITORS,

OR EVEN REMAIN BURIED AT THE SITE.

AND THE IMAGES PRODUCED BY THE RTI PHOTOGRAPHY

INDICATES THE MARKINGS WERE MANMADE.

BUT WHOSE TO SAY IF THEY WERE UNIQUELY IRISH,

AS OPPOSED TO JUST RANDOM ETCHINGS ON A ROCK?

I NEED TO DIG A BIT DEEPER

INTO THIS MYSTERIOUS SECT OF IRISH MONKS,

AND IT JUST SO HAPPENS A PRISTINE EXAMPLE

OF THEIR CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT

IS JUST A QUICK DRIVE FROM BRIAN'S OFFICE.

FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY IS HOME TO A RARE COPY

OF IRELAND'S NATIONAL TREASURE,

THE BOOK OF KELLS.

THIS IS AN OLD IRISH BIBLE.

IT IS VERY RARE.

HENCE, I'M USING GLOVES.

SO, THIS IS THE BOOK OF KELLS.

THE ORIGINAL BOOK OF KELLS

IS HOUSED IN DUBLIN'S TRINITY COLLEGE

AND IS SO FRAGILE, THAT EVEN TURNING ITS PAGES

CAN CAUSE IRREPARABLE DAMAGE.

IN THE LATE '80s, A SWISS PUBLISHING HOUSE

PRODUCED A SMALL NUMBER OF EXACT COPIES

VALUED AT $15,000 EACH.

WHAT I'M LOOKING AT NOW

IS A TRUE FACSIMILE OF THE ORIGINAL.

EVERY DETAIL IS PRESERVED,

EVEN DOWN TO THE WORMHOLES BORED INTO IT

WHEN IT WAS BURIED FOR SAFEKEEPING

IN THE MIDDLE AGES.

IF THE IRISH DID REACH NORTH AMERICA,

THEY MAY HAVE BELONGED TO THE SAME ORDER OF MONKS

THAT CREATED THIS BOOK.

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR IN THIS TEXT IS ANYTHING

THAT RESEMBLES THE CARVINGS IN THE ROCK.

AND BEYOND THAT, IS THERE ANYTHING

THAT POINTS TO IT BEING UNIQUELY IRISH?

AS I REACH THE BOOK OF MATTHEW, I FIND A FAMILIAR SIGN.

THIS RIGHT HERE IS HIGHLY UNUSUAL.

THIS IS "C.H.," SPACE,

AND THEN YOU HAVE THE TWO LINES,

AND ANOTHER SPACE, AND THEN A LINE.

YOU INTERPRET THIS AS CHRIST OR LORD.

IT'S NOT THE SAME, NECESSARILY, AS WHAT WE SAW AT GUNGYWAMP--

A "J.C.," WHICH WOULD BE "JESUS LORD."

I THINK THAT'S FAIRLY SIMILAR.

BUT AS I TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT ONE OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS,

I FIND SOMETHING MUCH MORE TELLING

THAN I COULD HAVE IMAGINED.

HOLD ON A SECOND.

HERE YOU HAVE A DEPICTION OF CHRIST

BASICALLY TALKING TO THE DEVIL.

BUT WHAT'S MORE INTERESTING TO ME

IS YOU HAVE THIS KIND OF CHAMBER-LIKE THING RIGHT HERE

WITH A WINDOW IN IT.

NOW, AROUND THE WINDOW, TWO SLASHES, A SPACE, AND A SLASH.

THERE ARE DIFFERENCES.

THE POSSIBLE INSCRIPTIONS AT GUNGYWAMP

WEREN'T ON THE CHAMBER, BUT A FEW FEET AWAY.

HOWEVER, THE ILLUSTRATION OF A STONE CHAMBER

IS STRIKINGLY SIMILAR TO THE ONE I INVESTIGATED.

IT'S A COINCIDENCE THAT I'M NOT SURE WE CAN DENY.

SO, COULD MEDIEVAL IRISH MONKS

HAVE REALLY SET FOOT IN NORTH AMERICA

A THOUSAND YEARS BEFORE COLUMBUS?

WITH SO MUCH OF GUNGYWAMP STILL SHROUDED IN MYSTERY,

IT'S A COMPELLING POSSIBILITY

THAT NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED FURTHER.

BECAUSE IF THIS TURNS OUT TO BE TRUE,

IF THE IRISH WERE HERE IN THE AMERICAS IN THE 500s,

THEY WOULD REWRITE THE HISTORY BOOKS.

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