All language subtitles for Secrets.of.the.Underground.S02E04.Doomsday.Volcano.Mystery.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-playWEB_track3_[eng]

THE TRAGIC ANNIHILATION
OF POMPEII IS LEGENDARY.

NOW, 2,000 YEARS LATER, BENEATH
THE SAME ITALIAN COASTLINE,

A TICKING TIME BOMB IS BREWING

THAT COULD DWARF
THE POMPEII ERUPTION.

IT'S GOING FASTER NOW!

THIS LONG-DORMANT SUPERVOLCANO

IS CONSIDERED THE MOST
DANGEROUS IN THE WORLD...

HOLY MOLY.

...AND IT'S POISED TO SHROUD
THE EARTH IN A VOLCANIC WINTER

THE LIKES OF WHICH
WE'VE NEVER SEEN.

IF CAMPI FLEGREI
EXPLODES,

IT COULD CHANGE THE COURSE
OF HISTORY FOREVER.

WE'LL DEPLOY CUTTING
EDGE TECH...

THAT'S INCREDIBLE, STEPHAN.

...IN A QUEST TO DETERMINE
HOW MUCH TIME WE'VE GOT LEFT.

THIS IS LEAKING HEAT
EVERYWHERE.

THIS IS SCARY.

BURIED DEEP BELOW
THE EARTH'S SURFACE,

THERE ARE COUNTLESS
UNSOLVED MYSTERIES.

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

THAT'S AMAZING.

IT'S SUPER DEEP!

I'M ROB NELSON,

A SCIENTIST AND EXPLORER

INVESTIGATING
OUR PLANET'S HIDDEN DEPTHS.

HUH, GETTING DEEPER.

HOLY MOLY, STEFAN!

... AND HELPING ME UNCOVER
THESE SUBTERRANEAN SECRETS

IS TECH SPECIALIST,
STEFAN BURNS.

OH, MY GOD.
LOOK AT THAT!

TOGETHER...

I'VE GOT SOMETHING!

...WE ARE UNCOVERING
NEW LEADS IN OUR QUEST TO SOLVE

EARTH'S MOST ENDURING MYSTERIES.

OH!THERE WE GO! WOO!

THESE ARE THE "SECRETS
OF THE UNDERGROUND."

Captions by VITAC--
www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

NAPLES, ITALY--

ONE OF THE MOST HEAVILY
POPULATED AREAS IN EUROPE.

IT'S A CROWDED CITY THAT'S THE
MOST DENSELY POPULATED IN ITALY,

AND A MAJOR TOURIST ATTRACTION
FOR MILLIONS MORE,

INCLUDING ME AND STEPHAN.

WHY DID YOU RENT
A CLOWN CAR?

I MEAN, TWO OF US IN HERE?

I FIGURED WE COULD USE
SOMETHING TO LAUGH ABOUT

IN THE FACE
OF IMPENDING DOOM

BECAUSE, AS BEAUTIFUL
AS IT MAY BE,

NAPLES IS SITTING ON
A SLEEPING MONSTER--

A HUGE VOLCANIC CALDERA,
OR COLLAPSED CRATER,

THAT HAS GENERATED SOME
OF THE DEADLIEST ERUPTIONS

IN HUMAN HISTORY.

OKAY, CHECK THAT OUT,
VESUVIUS!

WOW.

79 A.D.
THAT THING BLEW UP,

SENT CLOUDS OF ASH
AND HOT CINDERS

21 MILES INTO THE SKY.

IT CHANGED THE COURSE
OF HUMAN HISTORY...

OF COURSE.
...FOREVER.

IT RANKS UP THERE WITH ONE
OF THE WORST HUMAN DISASTERS

OF ALL TIME.

THE ERUPTION THAT BURIED POMPEII
MAY BE THE AREA'S MOST INFAMOUS,

BUT GEOLOGISTS FEAR THERE IS
A FAR BIGGER VOLCANIC THREAT

LURKING BENEATH THE SURFACE HERE

THAT WILL DWARF ANYTHING WE'VE
EVER SEEN IN THE HISTORY BOOKS.

AND HERE'S WHAT'S

THIS WHOLE REGION,
FULL OF VOLCANOES,

BUT THE BIGGEST ONE OF
ALL TIME IS CAMPI FLEGREI.

CAMPI FLEGREI,
WHICH MEANS "BURNING FIELDS,"

IS AN 8-MILE-WIDE CALDERA

AND IS THE WORLD'S
MOST DANGEROUS VOLCANO.

AND THIS LOOMING DISASTER
ISN'T ONLY A THREAT TO ITALY.

IT COULD BE CATASTROPHIC
FOR THE ENTIRE PLANET.

WHEN THIS SUPERVOLCANO ERUPTS,
IT COULD COVER EUROPE

IN ASH INCHES DEEP,

PLUNGE THE WORLD
INTO A VOLCANIC WINTER,

AND UNLEASH A CHAIN OF EVENTS
THAT PUTS MILLIONS,

IF NOT BILLIONS,
OF LIVES AT RISK.

SEVERE DROUGHT,
GLOBAL FOOD SHORTAGES,

ECONOMIC MELTDOWN,

AND WIDESPREAD
ANNIHILATION OF WILDLIFE--

WITH SO MUCH AT RISK
FOR THE ENTIRE PLANET,

THE BURNING QUESTION IS NOT

IF BUT WHEN WILL
THIS SUPERVOLCANO WILL BLOW?

THERE ARE ALARMING SIGNS
THAT SUGGEST

WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME.

SCIENTISTS RECENTLY
FOUND EVIDENCE

OF INTENSE VOLCANIC ACTIVITY

IN THE HEART
OF CAMPI FLEGREI.

THE THING IS,
WITH THESE VOLCANOES,

YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE
THEY'RE GOING TO GO.

BUT PEOPLE THINK
CAMPI FLEGREI,

IT'S COMING BACK TO LIFE.

YEAH.
AND IF IT EXPLODES,

IT COULD CHANGE THE COURSE
OF HISTORY FOREVER.

SCIENTISTS ARE STILL UNSURE
IF CAMPI FLEGREI

IS PART OF THE SAME
VOLCANIC SYSTEM

AS ITS MORE FAMOUS NEIGHBOR
TO THE EAST, MOUNT VESUVIUS.

BUT SOME THEORIZE THAT
WHEN ONE VOLCANO IS QUIET,

THE OTHER BEGINS TO STIR.

THE MOST RECENT ERUPTION AT
MOUNT VESUVIUS OCCURRED IN 1944,

A BLINK OF AN EYE
IN GEOLOGIC TIME.

IT'S STILL CONSIDERED
ACTIVE TODAY.

I CAN'T BELIEVE WE'RE HEADING
TO THE TOP OF MOUNT VESUVIUS.

YOU LOOK OUT AND YOU CAN SEE
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE DOWN THERE.

THIS IS
COMPLETELY DEVELOPED.

THE ERUPTION IN 79 A.D. TOOK
THE PROSPEROUS CITY OF POMPEII

BY SURPRISE.

MANY OF IT'S RESIDENTS
HAD, IRONICALLY,

ATTENDED A FESTIVAL CELEBRATING
THE GOD OF FIRE, VULCAN,

THE PREVIOUS DAY.

AT NOON ON THE 24th OF AUGUST,
WHILE SLAVES PREPARED LUNCH

AND THE RESIDENTS OF POMPEII
RELAXED IN BATHS AND LIBRARIES,

THEY SAW THE FIRST SIGN
OF IMPENDING DOOM--

A CLOUD OF ASH IN THE DISTANCE.

BUT THINGS QUICKLY ESCALATED.

BUILDINGS BEGAN TO SHAKE,
AND THE DAY MORPHED INTO NIGHT

AS BLACK CLOUDS
DESCENDED ON THE CITY.

MOUNT VESUVIUS RELENTLESSLY
BEGAN TO RAIN DOWN

SCORCHING HOT VOLCANIC ASH,
GAS, AND ROCKS ONTO POMPEII.

THIS ONSLAUGHT LASTED
FOR 12 HOURS STRAIGHT.

THE TOWNSPEOPLE
ATTEMPTED TO RUN,

BUT MANY WERE HELPLESS

AGAINST THIS
ALL-POWERFUL MONSTER.

ALTHOUGH THE PEOPLE OF POMPEII
HAD NO IDEA

THAT A DISASTER WAS IMMINENT,
THERE WERE SOME WARNING SIGNS.

SIXTEEN YEARS
BEFORE THE ERUPTION,

A MASSIVE EARTHQUAKE
SHOOK POMPEII.

IN FACT, DAMAGE TO THE TOWN
WAS STILL BEING REPAIRED

WHEN VESUVIUS ERUPTED.

AND, ALARMINGLY,
OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS,

ITALY HAS BEEN ROCKED
BY SIMILAR DEADLY EARTHQUAKES.

COULD THEY BE A SIGN OF TROUBLE

BREWING IN THE VOLCANIC
CHAIN BENEATH US?

TO FIND OUT, STEFAN AND I
ARE GOING TO DEPLOY A SERIES

OF SEISMIC TOOLS
ACROSS THE REGION

AND HUNT FOR SIGNS
THAT SOMETHING DANGEROUS

IS BREWING BENEATH THE SURFACE.

HERE WE GO, STEFAN.

WHAT AN INCREDIBLE VIEW.

I THINK THIS IS A GOOD SPOT
ON THE CALDERA

TO TAKE MEASUREMENTS.

YOU'RE ON HARD ROCK.
YEAH.

THAT'S GOING TO CARRY
SEISMIC SIGNALS REALLY WELL.

OKAY, HERE, LET ME BURY
THIS SEISMOMETER.

OUR FIRST TEST WILL GAUGE
GROUND STABILITY

ON THE LIP OF ITALY'S
MOST NOTORIOUS VOLCANO

TO SEE IF THERE'S ACTIVITY
THAT COULD INDICATE

POMPEII'S TELLTALE TREMORS
ARE HAPPENING AGAIN.

OUR PORTABLE SEISMOMETER
CONSISTS OF A LARGE GEOPHONE

THAT'S HOOKED UP TO A LAPTOP.

IT WILL MEASURE SEISMIC ACTIVITY
OCCURRING UNDER VESUVIUS,

INCLUDING MICROTREMORS

WHICH OFTEN SIGNAL AN EARTHQUAKE

OR ERUPTION IS IMMINENT.

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST PIECES
OF TECHNOLOGY YOU CAN USE

FOR WHAT WE'RE TRYING
TO ACCOMPLISH HERE.

AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT
TO START HERE

BECAUSE WE CAN
KIND OF UNDERSTAND

THE HISTORY
OF THIS VOLCANO.

AND, HOPEFULLY, PREDICT WHAT'S
GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE.

GREAT.IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE RECORDING,

AND EVERY 5 SECONDS

IT'S TAKING THE AVERAGE

OF EVERYTHING THAT
IT'S EXPERIENCING.

SO IF YOU WOULD TAP IT
FOR 5 SECONDS,

THEN YOU WOULD SEE
A BIG SPIKE

BECAUSE A LITTLE SOURCE
HERE IS EQUIVALENT

TO A BIG SOURCE
UNDERGROUND.

SO WE NEED TO RUN IT
FOR A PERIOD OF TIME

THAT'S LONG ENOUGH
FOR US TO,

HOPEFULLY, COLLECT SOME
OF THESE MICROTREMORS.

BUT AFTER A WEEK, YOU KNOW,
WE CAN COME BACK,

GRAB THE UNIT, ANALYZE THE DATA
AND SEE WHAT WE FIND.

WHICH IS FANTASTIC BECAUSE
THIS WILL HELP US UNDERSTAND

HOW ACTIVE THIS VOLCANO
IS RIGHT NOW.

YEAH.
ALL RIGHT.

LET'S PACK IT UP
AND GET OUT OF HERE.

ALL RIGHT.

"WIRED" MAGAZINE RECENTLY
RANKED MOUNT VESUVIUS

THE FIFTH MOST
DANGEROUS VOLCANO ON EARTH.

AND THE MOST LIKELY TO RELEASE
THE BIGGEST ERUPTION

AND AFFECT THE GREATEST
NUMBER OF PEOPLE--

IT'S LESSER-KNOWN SIBLING,
CAMPI FLEGREI.

SO NEXT, STEFAN AND I
ARE HEADING TO ITALY'S VOLCANIC

GROUND ZERO,

10 MILES TO THE WEST.

LOOK AT THAT!UH, OH!

OH, MY GOODNESS!

IT'S AN AREA
OF STEAMING MUD POOLS

AT THE HEART OF CAMPI FLEGREI

CALLED THE SOLFATARA,
MEANING "LAND OF SULFUR."

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY NUTS!

THIS PLACE IS
LITERALLY MYTHICAL.

IT'S THE TRADITIONAL HOME OF
VULCAN, THE ROMAN GOD OF FIRE,

AND IT'S EASY TO SEE
WHY ANCIENT ROMANS

VIEWED THIS PLACE
AS HELL ON EARTH.

SOUNDS LIKE A BIG STEAM ENGINE.

YEAH.
DO YOU SMELL THE SULFUR?

I CAN.

SOLFATARA IS JUST
ONE OF 24 CRATERS

THAT MAKE UP THE
CAMPI FLEGREI SYSTEM,

AND IT'S POCKMARKED
WITH STEAMING VENTS

KNOWN AS FUMAROLES,

WHICH ARE CREATED
BY VOLCANIC GASES

SPEWING OUT FROM
DEEP UNDERGROUND.

YOU CAN FEEL THE HEAT
EMANATING FROM THE GROUND.

YOU FEEL THAT?

OH, IT'S HOT.

IN FACT,
THE SOLFATARA CRATER RECENTLY

CLAIMED THE LIVES
OF THREE PEOPLE

WHO FELL INTO ONE OF
IT'S STEAMING HOT PITS,

BEGGING THE QUESTION,

IS THIS PLACE GETTING
EVEN MORE DANGEROUS?

OUR FIRST STEP IS TO COMPARE
THE CURRENT TEMPERATURE

DOWN INSIDE THE FUMAROLE
AGAINST PREVIOUS READINGS.

SO IF WE CAN BE
IN THE THERMOCOUPLE,

DON'T GET TOO CLOSE.

IF YOU FALL IN,
I DON'T WANT TO FISH OUT

YOUR DE-SKINNED BODY.

WELL, I THOUGHT YOU WE'RE GOING
TO BE THE ONE TO THROW IT IN.

YOU'RE NOT GOING TO
LIKE THIS, STEFAN,

BUT I'M BETTER AT READING
THE TEMPERATURE.

TO GET A PRECISE MEASUREMENT
OF THE WATER TEMPERATURE

WE'LL USE A HIGH-TECH
THERMOMETER THAT CAN EXTEND

INTO HARD-TO-REACH
AND DANGEROUS SPOTS.

A DECADE AGO,
THE HIGH TEMPERATURE

RECORDED IN THESE FUMAROLES

WAS 203 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

IF OUR READING IS LOWER
OR ABOUT EVEN WITH THAT,

IT WOULD SUGGEST CONDITIONS
UNDERGROUND HERE

HAVEN'T CHANGED ALL THAT MUCH,

BUT, IF THE TEMPERATURE COMES
BACK SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER,

THAT COULD BE A SIGN
OF SERIOUS TROUBLE.

OKAY, BE REALLY CAREFUL
OVER THERE!

ANYWHERE RIGHT UP HERE.

AH!

I CAN'T EVEN HEAR
MYSELF TALK!

IT'S SO FREAKING LOUD.

ARE WE READY?

IS THE WORLD'S MOST
DANGEROUS SUPERVOLCANO

WARMING UP TO UNLEASH CARNAGE
ON A MONSTROUS SCALE,

AND WILL THE PEOPLE OF NAPLES
BE CAUGHT OFF GUARD

LIKE THEIR PREDECESSORS
IN POMPEII?

IT'S GOING UP NOW.YEAH, IT'S GOING UP.

155 AND RISING.

IT'S GOING UP QUICK.

AND LATER, OUR QUEST TO CRACK
THE CODE OF ITALY'S SUPERVOLCANO

TAKES US INTO THE
ANCIENT TUNNEL TO HELL.

OH, BROTHER.

HOLY MOLY, LOOK AT THIS.

WE'RE ON
ITALY'S WEST COAST

STANDING ON TOP OF THE WORLD'S
MOST DANGEROUS SUPERVOLCANO.

IF THIS VOLCANO BLOWS,
IT COULD BE MORE DEVASTATING

THAN THE ERUPTION
THAT DECIMATED POMPEII.

TO GET A BETTER IDEA
OF WHAT'S BREWING BELOW,

WE'RE MEASURING
THE WATER TEMPERATURE

INSIDE A STEAMING HOT FUMAROLE.

A DECADE AGO, IT CLOCKED IN
AT A SCORCHING

203 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT,

JUST 9 DEGREES
SHY OF THE BOILING POINT.

IF OUR READINGS ARE MUCH HIGHER,
THAT COULD SPELL DISASTER

FOR ITALY, EUROPE,
OR EVEN THE ENTIRE PLANET.

IT'S GOING UP NOW.YEAH, IT'S GOING UP.

155 AND RISING.

IT'S GOING UP QUICK.

161.
OH, WOW.

163.

JUST THE FACT THAT
THIS THING IS SO INTENSE,

IT MAKES IT VERY CLEAR

THAT THERE IT HOT MAGMA

VERY CLOSE
TO THE SURFACE RIGHT HERE.

SCIENTISTS BELIEVE
THE MAGMA CHAMBER

UNDER CAMPI FLEGREI
COULD BE MASSIVE,

AND IN THE PAST, EMITTED
MORE MAGMA THAN MOUNT VESUVIUS.

NO WONDER THE TEMPERATURE
READINGS HERE ARE SO HIGH.

173.
OH, MY GOSH.

JUST SITTING HERE
ON THESE ROCKS, IT'S SUPER HOT.

YEAH.

IT'S OVER 200, AND
IT'S STILL GOING UP!

UNBELIEVABLE.

HOLY CRAP.

IF YOU FELL IN, YOU WOULDN'T
LAST, LIKE, TEN SECONDS.

205.

WE'RE 7 DEGREES AWAY
FROM BOILING.

THE BOILING POINT
IS 212 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

IT'S GOING TO HIT IT.

YEAH.

TWO DEGREES AWAY NOW.

I DON'T KNOW WHY I'M SO EXCITED.
I WANT IT TO GET

HOTTER AND HOTTER.
POINT ONE.

212!
212!

WAY TO GO. WHOO!

INCREDIBLE.

ACCORDING TO OUR READINGS,

THE WATER BUBBLING
IN THESE MUD POOLS

IS LITERALLY BOILING HOT.

WATCHING THE NUMBERS
RISE FEELS EXCITING,

BUT IT SUDDENLY DAWNS ON US
WHAT THIS ACTUALLY MEANS.

THIS IS ONE PIECE OF
A TERRIFYING PUZZLE

THAT IS TELL US THIS MONSTER
MIGHT BE WAKING UP.

AND IT DOESN'T STOP THERE.

IT'S MOVING FASTER NOW.

HOLY CRAP!

THE FACT THAT WE HAVE
WATER AND STEAM

COMING OUT HERE AT A TEMPERATURE
GREATER THAN BOILING,

YOU KNOW, THIS HAS RISEN ALL
THE WAY FROM THE MANTLE PLUME

AND IT'S STILL THAT HOT.

IT TAKES A LOT OF ENERGY
TO MAKE WATER TURN INTO GAS.

I DON'T THINK IT'S GOING
TO GO ABOVE 220.

SO 219, WELL GIVE
OR TAKE A FEW DEGREES,

I THINK THAT'S
THE TEMPERATURE WE GOT.

SEVERAL DEGREES
ABOVE BOILING.

AND 16 DEGREES HOTTER THAN
THE READINGS TAKEN HERE

A DECADE AGO.

SCIENTISTS HAVE PREVIOUSLY SEEN

THIS KIND OF DRAMATIC
RISE IN TEMPERATURE

JUST BEFORE AN ERUPTION.

SO IS THIS A SIGN
OF IMPENDING DOOM?

IT'S CRAZY THAT PEOPLE
AREN'T AWARE

THAT THIS COULD
POTENTIALLY EXPLODE.

AND EVEN CRAZIER THAT THERE'S
HOUSES ALL OVER THIS REGION.

YEAH, ALL ON THE RIM
OF THIS CRATER HERE.

AROUND 40,000 YEARS AGO,
THE CALDERA HERE WAS FORMED

BY ONE OF THE MOST
POWERFUL ERUPTIONS OF ALL TIME.

THE BLAST EXPELLED ALMOST A
TRILLION GALLONS OF MOLTEN ROCK

AND UNLEASHED JUST AS MUCH
SULFUR INTO THE ATMOSPHERE,

DARKENING THE SKIES
ACROSS EUROPE

AND TRIGGERING
A GLOBAL VOLCANIC WINTER.

IT MAY HAVE COMPLETELY WIPED OUT
THE EUROPEAN NEANDERTHALS.

OVER THE CENTURIES,
CAMPI FLEGREI

HAS REMAINED ACTIVE

WITH MORE ERUPTIONS
OCCURRING ROUGHLY

12,000, 8,000,
AND 4,000 YEARS AGO.

THE MOST RECENT
ERUPTION OCCURRED

LESS THAN 500 YEARS AGO,

IN 1538,
LASTING 8 STRAIGHT DAYS

AND SENDING ASH
ALL ACROSS SOUTHERN ITALY.

I THINK THE THING
THAT'S REALLY DECEIVING

ABOUT THIS
WHOLE SYSTEM, TOO,

IS THAT PEOPLE ARE PROBABLY
USED TO GIANT VOLCANOES

ERUPTING FROM THE TOP,

WHAT THEY'RE NOT USED TO
ARE THESE FLATTENED CRATERS

ESSENTIALLY, LIKE,
ERUPTING AGAIN.

OR ARGUABLY...I MEAN, IT COULD ERUPT ANYWHERE.

...IT WOULD JUST BE
LIKE A BOMB GOING OFF.

IT SEEMS CLEAR THAT THE VOLCANIC
ACTIVITY UNDER THIS CRATER

IS INCREASING, AND FAST.

BUT IS THE ENTIRE
VOLCANO HEATING UP

AND GETTING READY
TO UNLEASH CARNAGE

AS DEADLY AS
THE DESTRUCTION OF POMPEII?

DURING THE ERUPTION IN 79 A.D.,

IT'S REPORTED THAT SURGES
OF SUPERHEATED GAS

SPEWED OUT OF VESUVIUS
AT 100 MILES AN HOUR.

TEMPERATURES IN POMPEII
SOARED TO 570 DEGREES.

HEAT FROM THESE WAVES
OF TOXIC ASH AND GASES,

KNOWN AS PYROCLASTIC FLOWS,
KILLED EVERYONE IN IT'S PATH--

THEY'RE BODIES ETERNALLY FROZEN
IN HORRIFYING, CONTORTED POSES.

TO FIGURE OUT WHEN
CAMPI FLEGREI MIGHT BLOW,

WE NEED TO FIND OUT IF THE HEAT
AT THE SOLFATARA CRATER

IS JUST A FREAK OCCURRENCE,

OR IF THIS SLEEPING GIANT
IS HEATING UP ANYWHERE ELSE.

WE'LL USE THE HANDHELD THERMAL
CAMERA TO GET EVEN CLOSER

TO THE HEART OF THE VOLCANO,
THE RIM OF THE CRATER,

TO DETERMINE WHAT'S GOING ON
INSIDE CAMPI FLEGREI.

WALK OVER TO THAT FUMAROLE,
SEE WHAT READING YOU GET.

PUTTING ME
IN DANGER AGAIN, ROB.

OH, YEAH.

80, 89 DEGREES.

89 CELSIUS, RIGHT?

93-- YEAH,
THIS IS ALL CELSIUS.

105.

THAT'S 221 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

THAT'S GOT TO BE
SOME SORT OF RECORD.

YOU'RE POINTING IT
RIGHT AT THAT, RIGHT THERE?

I JUST GOT 135.

I'M FOCUSED SPECIFICALLY
ON THE FUMAROLE RIGHT THERE.

135 CELSIUS IS
275 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT,

OUR HOTTEST READING YET.

THIS IS GETTING SCARY.

THE WHOLE GROUND
IS STEAMING.

OH, MAN.
IT'S LIKE THERE'S A FIRE

LIT UNDERNEATH IT.OH, MY GOD.

I MEAN, LOOK AT THE TEXTURE
THERE TOO,

JUST THE WAY THE THERMAL IMAGE
IS DIFFUSING ACROSS THE ROCK.

THE TEMPERATURE READINGS OF
THIS FUMAROLE ARE OFF THE CHARTS

AND SEEM TO BE RISING FAST.

THAT'S TROUBLING NEWS
FOR ANYONE PLANNING

TO RETIRE TO THE AMALFI COAST,

BUT THIS FUMAROLE IS
JUST ONE SMALL FLICKER

IN A RAGING INFERNO.

WE HAVE A WHOLE
CRATER BEHIND US.

IF YOU TURN AROUND HERE AND LOOK
AT THE THERMAL IMAGE

FOR THE WHOLE CRATER.

OH!

THIS IS COMPLETELY RED.

IS THIS FIELD OF FIRE
A GIANT GEOLOGICAL RED FLAG?

THIS IS PRETTY SCARY.

AND, IF SO, WHAT IS IT
TRYING TO TELL US?

IS ITALY'S COLOSSAL
SUPERVOLCANO ABOUT TO BLOW?

IF IT DOES, IT WOULDN'T BE
THE FIRST TIME.

THIS CALDERA SHROUDED EUROPE
IN A CLOUD OF ASH AT LEAST

ONCE IN THE DISTANT PAST.

AND NOW, WITH 6 MILLION
PEOPLE LIVING CLOSEBY

AND 700 MILLION ACROSS EUROPE,

THE STAKES HAVE
NEVER BEEN HIGHER.

SO STEFAN AND I ARE IN A PLACE

THE MIDDLE
OF THE SOLFATARA CRATER,

LOOKING FOR SIGNS
OF AN IMMINENT ERUPTION.

IF YOU LOOK AT THE THERMAL IMAGE
FOR THE WHOLE CRATER...

OH!
LOOK AT THIS!

THIS IS COMPLETELY RED,
PURPLE, YELLOW.

OH, MY GOODNESS.

I MEAN, IT'S...
THAT MOUND OVER THERE

WE WERE WALKING ON EARLIER,
THAT THING IS LIKE A BEACON.

IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE ON
A LAVA FIELD OR SOMETHING.

THERE'S A LAVA FIELD
BELOW US.

I MEAN,
THIS IS PRETTY SCARY.

THIS IS A GREAT INDICATION

THAT THERE'S A LOT OF VOLCANIC
ACTIVITY HERE IN ITALY.

YEAH, AND I THINK
WE'VE GOT TO MOVE

BECAUSE I'M BURNING MY
PANT LEGS RIGHT AT THE MOMENT.

CLEARLY, THIS SPOT
IS HIGHLY ACTIVE,

BUT THIS IS JUST
ONE OF 24 CRATERS

SPREAD OVER CAMPI FLEGREI'S
8-MILE DIAMETER.

TO GET A BETTER SENSE
OF HOW EXTENSIVE

AND IMMEDIATE THE DANGER IS,

WE NEED TO EXPAND OUR SEARCH TO
OTHER HOT SPOTS IN THE REGION,

SO STEFAN AND I
WILL DIVIDE AND CONQUER.

WHILE THE CITY OF POMPEII
WAS BURIED ALIVE,

VOLCANIC ACTIVITY HERE
CAUSED THE TOWN OF BAIA

TO PLUNGE DEEP
BENEATH THE WAVES

ROUGHLY 1,500 YEARS AGO.

WE'RE GOING RIGHT NOW TO BAIA.

IT'S AN UNDERGROUND
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE.

ESSENTIALLY, THIS WAS LIKE
THE LAS VEGAS OF ANCIENT TIMES.

THE ROMANS WOULD COME HERE,
HAVE SPAS.

BUT RIGHT NOW,
IT'S COMPLETELY UNDERWATER.

THIS ONCE-THRIVING RESORT
WAS A GETAWAY

FOR THE RICH
WITH VISITORS RUMORED

TO HAVE INCLUDED
JULIUS CAESAR AND CLEOPATRA.

WITH CASINOS, OUTDOOR SWIMMING
POOLS, AND GRAND VILLAS,

BAIA WAS KNOWN AS A PLACE OF
EXTREME LUXURY AS WELL AS VICE.

BUT NOW, SUNKEN DEEP UNDERWATER,

THIS STUNNING
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

IS A TERRIFYING
REMINDER OF THE POWER

AND FORCE OF A SUPERVOLCANO.

I'LL BE LOOKING FOR EVIDENCE
OF ONGOING VOLCANIC ACTIVITY,

CLUES THAT MIGHT INDICATE
WHETHER CAMPI FLEGREI

IS ABOUT TO ROAR BACK TO LIFE.

HERE WE GO.

IT'S UNBELIEVABLE,
BUT THIS TOWN IS NOW

AT LEAST 15 FEET
BELOW SEA LEVEL.

BAIA SANK BECAUSE OF THE
EMPTYING OF MAGMA CHAMBERS

DEEP BENEATH THE EARTH'S CRUST.

SCIENTISTS CALL THE RISE
AND FALL OF EARTH'S SURFACE

CAUSED BY THE MOVEMENT
OF MAGMA CHAMBERS "BRADYSEISM."

THIS DRAMATIC DROP
IN GROUND LEVEL

SHOWS THE TREMENDOUS FLUCTUATION
OF MAGMA CHAMBERS UNDERGROUND.

RIGHT AWAY, I'M STUCK BY HOW
WELL PRESERVED THE RUINS ARE.

A QUICK DUSTING AWAY
OF ROCKS AND SHELLS

REVEALS AN ELABORATE TILE FLOOR.

JUST A FEW FEET AWAY,
I SPOT AN INCREDIBLE

SET OF LIFE-SIZE STATUES.

SCULPTURES LIKE THESE WERE ONCE
A SIGN OF PROSPERITY AND LEISURE

BEFORE THEY ENDED UP
IN A WATERY GRAVE.

COULD OTHER PARTS
OF THE ITALIAN COAST

SOON FALL VICTIM
TO A SIMILAR FATE?

AT FIRST, I DON'T SEE
ANY EVIDENCE

OF GEOTHERMAL ACTIVITY HERE.

IT ALL SEEMS SO CALM
AND PEACEFUL.

BUT THE TRUTH IS, THERE'S
A DANGEROUS MAGMATIC MONSTER

STILL LURKING
BENEATH THE SURFACE,

AND IT MAY BE ABOUT
TO REVEAL ITSELF.

I SPOT BUBBLES CHURNING UP
FROM UNDER THE ROCKS

ON THE SEA FLOOR,
HUNDREDS OF THEM.

AND WHAT'S EVEN MORE CURIOUS,
THEY'RE WARM TO THE TOUCH.

THEN, I SPOT A MASSIVE VENT

SPEWING OUT BOILING
HOT LIQUID INTO THE SEA.

THE WATER ABOVE
THIS AREA IS SO HOT,

I CAN'T KEEP MY HAND
IN PLACE VERY LONG.

WOW.

AH!

THE WHOLE GROUND WAS BUBBLING--

HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS
OF LITTLE SMALL BUBBLES

COMING OUT ALL OVER
THIS GIANT FIELD.

AND EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE,
I WOULD PUT MY HAND DOWN

ON A ROCK,

AND IT WAS HOT.

YOU COULDN'T GET YOUR HAND
BUT MAYBE THIS FAR FROM IT.

SO THERE'S NO DOUBT IN MY MIND

THAT THIS ENTIRE AREA

IS EXTREMELY ACTIVE.

ARE THE PEOPLE OF NAPLES
IN DANGER

OF HAVING ANOTHER
SEISMIC ERUPTION?

I THINK THAT'S WHAT
WE'VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT.

WHILE I'VE BEEN INVESTIGATING
AN ABANDONED CITY,

STEFAN HAS HEARD SCIENTISTS
HAVE JUST DISCOVERED

A DANGEROUS HOT SPOT

UNDERNEATH THE BUSY
TOWN OF POZZUOLI.

DOES THIS TERRIFYING
DISCOVERY SIGNAL DISASTER

FOR THIS ANCIENT TOWN?

STEFAN AND I ARE
SEARCHING FOR CLUES

THAT VOLCANIC ACTIVITY
UNDER NAPLES

IS ON THE RISE AGAIN--

A TERRIFYING PROSPECT FOR
THE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE

LIVING IN CAMPI FLEGREI'S
LINE OF FIRE.

THIS ANCIENT MARKETPLACE
FROM THE SECOND CENTURY A.D.

IS IN THE HEART OF POZZUOLI
AND WAS ONCE UNDERWATER

JUST LIKE THE CITY OF BAIA.

LOOK AT
THE SEASHELLS ON HERE.

YOU CAN SEE HERE THAT THESE
COLUMNS USED TO BE UNDERWATER.

BUT, DUE TO
EXTRAORDINARY SEISMIC SHIFTS,

IT HAS RISEN BACK ABOVE GROUND.

STEFAN IS INVESTIGATING THE
MAGMA CHAMBERS DEEP UNDERGROUND

TO FIGURE OUT IF
POZZUOLI WILL BE TRANSFORMED,

YET AGAIN,
INTO AN UNDERWATER CITY.

AND, HE'S HEARD WORRYING NEWS
THAT SCIENTISTS HAVE JUST FOUND

A GIANT HOT SPOT
OF BOILING LIQUID

BENEATH THIS BUSTLING TOWN.

SO I HAVE THIS
G.P.S. ANTENNA HERE

AND WE'RE GOING TO TRY AND SEE

AND TRACK THE ELEVATION
CHANGE AT THIS SITE

OVER THE COURSE
OF THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

MONITORING THE GROUND MOVEMENT
HERE HELPS US UNDERSTAND

THE RISE AND FALL
OF MAGMA BELOW GROUND.

WHEN MAGMA MOVES UPWARD,
IT CAN INDICATE THAT A VOLCANO

IS READY TO BLOW,

AND A SEISMIC CATASTROPHE
IS IMMINENT.

WE WILL BE ABLE TO SEE
WHETHER THE GROUND INCREASES

IN ELEVATION

OR DECREASES IN ELEVATION
OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

AND IF WE GET A SIZABLE
INCREASE, THEN WE KNOW

THAT THERE IS SOME SERIOUS
VOLCANIC ACTIVITY

HAPPENING UNDERNEATH
OUR FEET RIGHT NOW.

LOOKING AROUND
THIS MARKETPLACE,

POZZUOLI'S HAUNTING PAST
COMES TO LIFE.

GEOLOGISTS WERE STUMPED
BY THESE THREE ICONIC COLUMNS

FOR DECADES.

THEY HAD NO IDEA
HOW THESE COLUMNS

COULD HAVE EROSION FROM THE SEA.

IT WASN'T UNTIL SCIENTISTS
FIGURED OUT THAT GROUND LEVEL

IS AFFECTED BY THE RISE
AND FALL OF MAGMA BENEATH IT

THAT THIS MYSTERY WAS SOLVED.

IT MUST HAVE BEEN HORRIFIC
FOR THE PEOPLE OF POZZUOLI,

WATCHING THEIR TOWN
SINK 22 FEET INTO THE SEA.

AND, HOPEFULLY, IT'S AN EVENT
THAT WON'T BE REPEATED.

WE'VE GOT SOME WATER
BUBBLING OUT.

THIS PLACE IS STILL VERY,
VERY GEOLOGICALLY ACTIVE.

THIS MARKETPLACE IS
A HAUNTING REMINDER

OF THE DESTRUCTIVE POWER
OF MOTHER NATURE,

AND THAT POWER HAS INFLUENCED
HUMAN CIVILIZATION

IN THIS REGION SINCE
THE DAWN OF RECORDED HISTORY.

THERE'S ANOTHER SITE NEARBY
THAT SHOWS JUST HOW DEEPLY

ITALY'S VOLCANIC DANGERS
ARE WOVEN INTO HUMAN MYTH.

THE GROTTA DELLA SIBILLA,
OR "SIBYL'S CAVE,"

IS A MASSIVE SERIES
OF ANCIENT TUNNELS

THAT SITS RIGHT IN THE HEART
OF CAMPI FLEGREI.

IT'S KNOWN TO THE LOCALS
AS THE TUNNEL TO HELL...

BUONGIORNO.

HI.
BUONGIORNO.

...AND THESE GENTLEMAN
HOLD THE ONLY KEY.

GOOD TO MEET YOU GUYS.

SO, YOU GUYS GOING TO SHOW US
TO THE ENTRANCE OF HELL?

SURE.
OKAY.

LET'S DO IT.

ACCORDING TO FOLKLORE, THERE'S
A RIVER DEEP INSIDE THE TUNNELS

THAT BOILS LIKE A CAULDRON.

SOME SAY IT'S THE
LEGENDARY RIVER STYX,

WHICH, ACCORDING
TO GREEK MYTHOLOGY,

LEADS FROM THE LAND OF THE
LIVING TO THE LAND OF THE DEAD.

BUT IS THAT JUST A MYTH,

OR COULD THERE ACTUALLY BE
A BOILING RIVER

HIDDEN INSIDE THESE TUNNELS?

AND, IF THERE IS, WILL IT'S
TEMPERATURE BE THE CRYSTAL BALL

THAT FORETELLS AN ERUPTION
DEADLIER THAN POMPEII?

BUENA FORTUNA.

OKAY.
GRAZI.

PREGO.YEAH.

THESE GUYS MAY ALREADY
KNOW THE ANSWER,

AND IT SEEMS THEY
AREN'T JOINING US.

ALL RIGHT.
BEFORE WE GO IN,

EVERY SINGLE ARCHAEOLOGIST

HAS A DIFFERENT THEORY
ABOUT THIS PLACE.

ALL OF IT KIND OF LEADS
BACK TO THIS IDEA

OF AN ENTRANCE TO HELL.

THIS IDEA THAT IT CAME FROM,
SAY, DANTE'S "INFERNO"--

HE WRITES ABOUT
THE RIVER OF FIRE,

ESSENTIALLY A RIVER THAT WOULD
BOIL THE SOULS OF THE DEPARTED.

SOUNDS PRETTY SPOOKY,
BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE

THERE'S DEFINITELY GOING
TO BE WATER DOWN THERE,

ACCORDING TO THESE LEGENDS.

ALL RIGHT.
LET'S DO THIS.

OH, BOY.

THIS IS A MASSIVE
UNDERTAKING TO DIG THIS THING.

THE ESTIMATES GO BACK
TO 500 B.C.

A LONG TIME AGO.IT'S LIKE THE FOUNDING

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.WELL, BEFORE THAT.

ACCORDING TO
GRECO-ROMAN MYTHOLOGY,

THIS IS WHERE
THE TROJAN HERO AENEAS

EMBARKED ON HIS JOURNEY
INTO HADES WITH THE SIBYL,

OR FORTUNE TELLER, AT HIS SIDE.

CHECK THIS OUT.
YEAH.

THERE'S ALL OF THESE
LITTLE HOLES.

YOU THINK THEY COULD
HAVE PUT CANDLES

OR SOMETHING IN HERE?

YEAH.

THIS WAS POTENTIALLY USED
AS SOME SORT OF...

ACTUALLY, THAT MAKES SENSE....RELIGIOUS PURPOSE.

YEAH, THAT MAKES SENSE.YOU KNOW, I MEAN,

THEY'RE ALL...
EVENLY SPACED.

THE LIGHT
WOULD CAST UPWARDS.

THE SIBYL THAT LURKED
IN THESE CAVES WAS SAID

TO BE SO STRIKINGLY BEAUTIFUL
THAT THE SUN GOD,

APOLLO, FELL IN LOVE WITH HER

AND OFFERED HER ONE WISH
FOR HER VIRGINITY.

THE STORY GOES THAT SHE ASKED
TO LIVE FOREVER,

BUT SHE FORGOT TO ASK
FOR ETERNAL YOUTH.

TRUE TO HER WISH, THE SIBYL
LIVED TO BE OVER 700 YEARS OLD

BUT BECAME A TROUBLED WOMAN,
AGING, BUT SHE COULD NOT DIE.

DESCRIBED AS A MAD PROPHET,
IT'S SAID SHE COULD BE FOUND

EITHER RECLINED
ON A ROCK SINGING,

OR SCRIBBLING
PROPHECIES ON LEAVES.

THE SIBYL PLACED
THESE PREDICTIONS

AT THE ENTRANCE TO HER CAVE.

BUT THESE PRECIOUS PROPHECIES
WOULD OFTEN BE BLOWN AWAY

BY VAPORS BEFORE HER FOLLOWERS
COULD READ THEIR FATE.

AND THE LIKELY SOURCE
OF THOSE VAPORS?

STEAM FROM VOLCANIC ACTIVITY.

IF CAMPI FLEGREI, WHICH IS
DIRECTLY UNDERNEATH RIGHT NOW,

WAS MORE VOLCANICALLY ACTIVE
NEAR THE SURFACE IN THIS AREA,

YOU KNOW, THERE COULD HAVE
BEEN SUPERHEATED WATER,

SULFUROUS GASES, ET CETERA.

THERE HAD TO HAVE
BEEN AN INDICATOR

AS TO WHY THEY
SHOULD DIG DOWN HERE.

DO YOU SEE ANY WATER MARKS
ON THE WALLS, THOUGH?

YOU SEE RIGHT HERE,
ESPECIALLY.

THAT WOULD
HAPPEN WITH WATER.

IT LOOK LIKE THERE MIGHT HAVE
BEEN WATER, AT ONE POINT,

6, 7 FEET HIGH,

AND THEN WITH THIS HUGE TUNNEL
HERE YOU STILL HAVE

ANOTHER 6, 7
FEET ABOVE YOU.

OH.
YOU SEE THAT?

YEAH, IT'S LIKE A SYMBOL.

IT'S LIKE ANCIENT GRAFFITI,
IS WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE TO ME.

THIS DOESN'T LOOK
RECENT AT ALL.

YEAH.
YOU CAN TELL

IT'S NOT MODERN
BASED OFF THE FACT THAT

IF THIS WAS NEW, THAT WOULD
BE FRESH ROCK ON THE INSIDE.

IN THEIR EFFORT
TO MAKE SENSE OF THIS

ALL-POWERFUL VOLCANIC FORCE,

ANCIENT PEOPLE WOVE IT INTO MYTH

AND TURNED THIS CAVE
INTO A SACRED SITE.

IT'S ALSO GETTING QUITE A BIT
HOTTER IN HERE, DON'T YOU THINK?

YEAH.IT WAS COOL BACK THERE.

THE TEMPERATURE
AND HUMIDITY IN CAVES

TENDS TO STAY
THE SAME YEAR-ROUND

BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT AFFECTED
BY SURFACE WEATHER PATTERNS,

BUT NOT HERE.

IT'S HOT NOW.I'D SAY HOTTER AND MORE HUMID.

IT IS MORE HUMID.

TYPICALLY, THE OPPOSITE
IN A CAVE SYSTEM.

WHICH MAKES ME WONDER
IF THERE COULD BE SOME TRUTH

TO THIS LEGEND
OF THE BOILING RIVER.

OH, BROTHER.

HOLY MOLY!
LOOK AT THIS.

I'LL GO IN FIRST.

YEAH, GOOD.

THAT'S WHAT I WAS
WANTING YOU TO DO.

IT'S GETTING WARMER.

I'M COMING IN WITH YOU.

DO YOU SMELL
ANY GASES OR ANYTHING?

NO, BUT DEFINITELY
AM STARTING TO SWEAT.

IT'S PRETTY STEEP
COMING DOWN HERE.

IT STARTS GOING DOWN
REALLY QUICK.

REALLY?

LIKE, I UNDERSTAND WHY THIS
IS A JOURNEY INTO HELL.

AS WE DESCEND FURTHER,
THE TEMPERATURE KEEPS RISING

AND THE PASSAGE
NARROWS EVEN MORE.

IT FEELS LIKE IT MIGHT
BE A DEAD END.

HOLY MOLY.

WE'RE JUST
OUTSIDE OF NAPLES, ITALY

INVESTIGATING A SERIES
OF SIGNS THAT CAMPI FLEGREI,

WHICH HAS BEEN CALLED THE MOST
DANGEROUS VOLCANO ON EARTH,

IS COMING BACK TO LIFE.

STEFAN AND I ARE EXPLORING
UNDERGROUND PASSAGES

THE ANCIENT GREEKS BELIEVED WERE
A PORTAL TO THE UNDERWORLD.

I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY THIS IS
A JOURNEY INTO HELL.

LEGEND HAS IT, THERE'S
A BOILING RIVER DOWN HERE,

AND WE MAY HAVE
JUST FOUND IT.

HOLY MOLY.

WOW.
LOOK AT THAT.

THIS CONTINUES BACK, TOO.

DOES IT?
YEAH.

SO THE LEGENDS OF AN UNDERGROUND
RIVER HERE ARE TRUE.

NOW THE QUESTION IS,
HOW HOT IS IT?

I THINK WE CAN JUST START
WITH THE THERMAL CAMERA,

SEE IF WE CAN SEE
A HOT SPOT IN HERE

INDICATING VOLCANIC ACTIVITY.

FIRST, WE'LL USE
A PORTABLE ATTACHMENT

THAT TRANSFORMS
AN ORDINARY SMARTPHONE

INTO A MOBILE THERMAL CAMERA.

ALL RIGHT.
LET'S HOPE THIS THING WORKS.

THE DISPLAY CAN NOW GIVE US
A VISUAL INDICATION

OF TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCES
THROUGHOUT THE TUNNEL.

BLUE MEANS COOL, RED MEANS
WARM, AND WHITE IS WHITE HOT.

WELL, THE WATER IS
DEFINITELY HOTTER

THAN THE REST
OF THE TUNNEL.

AND THAT ACTUALLY
LOOKS LIKE A LAVA LAKE.

THE WATER TEMPERATURE IN A CAVE

WOULD NORMALLY BE AT
OR BELOW AIR TEMPERATURE,

WHICH IN HERE IS
67 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

UNLESS, OF COURSE, SOMETHING
ELSE IS HEATING THE WATER

FROM BELOW.

READY?

HOLD ON, HOLD ON.
THERE IT GOES, IT'S READING.

IT'S DETECTING THE WATER.

IT'S DEFINITELY GOING UP.

IT WAS AT 70 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT
AND IT'S GOING UP TO 74,

75, 75.9.

76.

I WOULD EXPECT THIS
TO BE MUCH COOLER

FOR AN UNDERGROUND
TUNNEL, YOU KNOW?

THIS WATER IS ACTUALLY ALMOST
10 DEGREES HOTTER THAN THE AIR.

YEAH.
THIS IS UNUSUAL.

CLEARLY, THERE'S SOME
GEOTHERMAL ACTIVITY DOWN HERE.

YEAH, I AGREE.

IT MAY NOT BE BOILING
AT THE MOMENT,

BUT THE WARM WATER IN THIS
SO-CALLED TUNNEL TO HELL

IS ANOTHER WORRYING SIGNAL
THAT CAMPI FLEGREI

IS PREPARING FOR
AN ENCORE PERFORMANCE.

BUT THE QUESTION IS,
WILL IT ERUPT ANYTIME SOON?

WE'RE STILL RUNNING TESTS AT
MOUNT VESUVIUS AND IN POZZUOLI

THAT MIGHT HELP US
ANSWER THAT QUESTION,

BUT WE NEED TO MONITOR
THIS SUPERVOLCANO

FOR A FEW MORE DAYS.

SO IN THE MEANTIME,
WE'RE MAKING THE TREK

TO THE MOTHER
OF ALL ITALIAN VOLCANOES,

SICILY'S MOUNT ETNA,

WHERE A TEAM OF SCIENTISTS
ARE USING CUTTING-EDGE ROBOTICS

TO REVOLUTIONIZE THE WAY
WE MONITOR VOLCANOES.

LAVA FLOW RIGHT
IN FRONT OF US.

GEOLOGISTS FEAR A RECENT
STRING OF ERUPTIONS HERE

COULD BE THE OMINOUS PRELUDE
OF A MUCH BIGGER BANG.

I DID NOT THINK THIS VOLCANO
WOULD BE THIS BIG, STEFAN.

LIKE, I THOUGHT WE WOULD BE
TO THE TOP FAIRLY QUICKLY.

IT JUST KEEPS GOING.

WELL, IT'S TWO AND A HALF
TIMES THE HEIGHT OF VESUVIUS,

AND THAT'S A TALL VOLCANO.

THEY'VE BEEN DOCUMENTING
THIS VOLCANO

ALL THE WAY BACK TO VIRGIL.

YEAH, THE ROMANS KEPT TRACK
OF ALL THESE THINGS,

AND VERY FEW OF THESE
OTHER VOLCANOES

HAVE THIS
HUMAN-RECORDED HISTORY.

ETNA IS KNOWN IN ARABIC
AS THE MOUNTAIN OF FIRE,

AND IT HAS BEEN
CONSISTENTLY ACTIVE

FOR THE PAST HALF MILLION YEARS,

KILLING 15,000 PEOPLE

DURING IT'S MOST
VIOLENT ERUPTION IN 1669.

THESE DAYS, ETNA SEEMS TO BE
GETTING MORE ACTIVE AGAIN.

SINCE 1998, THE CONE
OF THE SOUTHEAST CRATER

HAS GROWN BY 300 FEET,
AND JUST LAST YEAR,

A NEWS CREW WAS CAUGHT IN
AN UNEXPECTED ERUPTION ON ETNA.

THEY RAN FOR THEIR LIVES
AS BOILING HOT ROCKS

RAINED DOWN FROM THE SKY.

CLEARLY, MOUNT ETNA IS
STILL A MAJOR THREAT

TO EVERYONE AND
EVERYTHING AROUND IT.

SICILY AND NAPLES ARE SITUATED
ALONG THE SAME FAULT LINE

BETWEEN THE AFRICAN
PLATE TO THE SOUTH

AND THE EURASIAN PLATE
TO THE NORTH.

SO VOLCANIC ACTIVITY IN ONE AREA

COULD SIGNAL INCREASING
DANGER IN THE OTHER,

WHICH IS WHY STEFAN AND I
ARE ANXIOUS TO SEE IT UP CLOSE.

HAVEN'T BEEN ON
A GONDOLA IN A WHILE.

WE'RE HEADING TO AN AREA
JUST BELOW THE SUMMIT TO MEET UP

WITH A TEAM
OF ROBOTICS ENGINEERS

WHO ARE CONDUCTING
GROUNDBREAKING SURVEYS

AT MOUNT ETNA.

WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO
A PLACE THAT TOURISTS

ARE NOT ALLOWED TO GO,

SO THERE IS A LITTLE BIT
OF EXTRA DANGER

BECAUSE WE'RE KIND OF
GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND...

CLOSER, YEAH....THE SAFE LEVEL,

AND IT'S TOTALLY FORBIDDEN
TO GO TO THE TOP.

IS IT?
YEAH.

END OF THE ROAD.

YEAH?

YEAH.

OUR FIRST UP-CLOSE GLIMPSE
OF MOUNT ETNA

IS BREATHTAKING.

THE RUGGED TERRAIN,
EXTREME WIND,

AND DARK, EXPANSIVE ASH EXTEND
AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE.

IT MAKES YOU WONDER
IF THIS IS WHAT

POMPEII WOULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE
AFTER MOUNT VESUVIUS

FINISHED SPEWING A SEA OF ASH
AND MUD ONTO THE CITY.

IN FACT, POMPEII WAS BURIED
SO DEEP UNDERGROUND

THAT IT WAS LOST
FOR OVER 1,500 YEARS.

BUT THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE
WHO MANAGED TO LIVE

TO TELL THE TALE.

WITH THE FUTURE
OF ITALY, EUROPE,

AND BEYOND HANGING
IN THE BALANCE,

WE NEED TO ENSURE MORE PEOPLE
MAKE IT TO SAFETY

IF CAMPI FLEGREI'S
SUPERVOLCANO BLOWS.

THIS PUTS THE WHOLE THING
IN PERSPECTIVE, YOU KNOW?

THIS IS THE MOST ACTIVE VOLCANO
RIGHT NOW IN ALL OF EUROPE.

YEAH.

BUT THE ONLY HOPE
OF SURVIVING

A MASSIVE DISASTER LIKE THIS

IS BEING ABLE TO
PREDICT IT AHEAD OF TIME.

THAT'S SOMETHING RESEARCHERS
ARE WORKING HARD TO DO BETTER,

AND NOW THEY'VE GOT
ROBOTS ON THE CASE.

CAN THIS LITTLE DROID
SAVE THE WORLD?

IS ITALY AND ALL OF EUROPE
LIVING ON BORROWED TIME?

WE'RE ON TOP OF MOUNT ETNA

INVESTIGATING INCREASED
GEOTHERMAL ACTIVITY UNDER ITALY,

AND MEETING WITH A TEAM
OF SCIENTISTS

WHO ARE WORKING
ON A NEW PROJECT

THEY CALL ROBOTIC EXPLORATION
OF EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS,

OR ROBEX.

AIR IS PRETTY THIN
UP HERE.

ROBEX DEVELOPS NEW WAYS

TO EXPLORE HIGHLY
INACCESSIBLE TERRAIN

LIKE MOUNT ETNA,

AND ONE DAY SOON, MAYBE EVEN
THE MOON AND OTHER PLANETS.

TODAY, WE'RE GETTING
AN EXCLUSIVE SNEAK PEAK

AS THEY TEST OUT A BRAND-NEW,

STATE-OF-THE-ART,
LIGHTWEIGHT ROVER UNIT

ENGINEERED TO GO
WHERE HUMANS CAN'T.

CHECK IT OUT,
IT'S RIGHT THERE.

THIS IS SO COOL.

THE ROBEX ROVER CAN WITHSTAND
THE HARSHEST OF CLIMATES,

ENABLING IT TO PLACE
AND RETRIEVE SEISMOMETERS

NEAR LAVA FLOWS
AND INSIDE FUMAROLES.

IT'S MAPPING THE AREA
WITH TWO STEREO CAMERAS.

SO IT'S DRIVING
AUTONOMOUSLY RIGHT NOW.

YEAH, ABSOLUTELY, YEAH.THAT'S AMAZING. VERY COOL.

KIND OF SHUFFLES IT IN?

YEAH, I WAS CURIOUS
ABOUT THAT.

THIS IS SUPER COOL.

WOW, LOOK AT THAT.

THIS IS THE FUTURE
OF SEISMOLOGY RIGHT HERE.

YEAH.

GEOPHYSICIST FRANK SOHL

IS A KEY MEMBER OF
THE ROBEX TEAM.

CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?

TEN PERCENT?Burns: FOR THE WORLD?

YES, FOR THE WORLD...
WOW.

DOCTOR SOHL HOPES
THAT ONCE THE ROBEX ROVER

EARNS IT'S STRIPES ON ETNA,

IT WILL BE ADOPTED
IN VOLCANIC HOT SPOTS

AROUND THE WORLD
AS A NEW WEAPON IN THE BATTLE

TO PROTECT MANKIND
FROM MOTHER NATURE.

PREDICTING WHEN A VOLCANIC
ERUPTION HAPPENS IS DIFFICULT.

ARE WE GETTING CLOSER,
THOUGH?

THE IDEA OF FIGHTING VOLCANOES
WITH ROBOTS IS TOTALLY FAR OUT,

BUT WE'VE GOT SOME GADGETS
OF OUR OWN ON THE CASE TOO,

AND IT'S TIME WE SEE
WHAT THEY HAVE TO TELL US.

ALL RIGHT.
LET'S HEAD TO NAPLES.

I'M HUNGRY FOR SOME PIZZA.

ME, TOO.

THE NEXT DAY, BACK IN NAPLES,

STEFAN AND I COLLECT
OUR SEISMOMETER

FROM THE TOP OF VESUVIUS

AND THE G.P.S. ANTENNA FROM
THE MARKETPLACE AT POZZUOLI.

NOW IT'S TIME TO SEE
WHETHER CAMPI FLEGREI

IS GEARING UP TO EXPLODE.

ALL RIGHT.
SO, WHAT DO WE HAVE, STEFAN?

SO, ACCORDING TO THE DATA
FROM VESUVIUS,

WE JUST RECORDED ORDINARY
MICROTREMORS

FOR A VOLCANO.REALLY?

IT LOOKS LIKE THERE HAVE BEEN
A TON OF MICROTREMORS

SINCE WE'VE BEEN HERE,
BUT BELIEVE IT OR NOT,

THAT'S PAR FOR FOR
THE COURSE AROUND NAPLES.

IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME.

SO THERE'S NOTHING
IN THE SEISMOMETER READINGS

THAT SUGGEST THIS IS THE WEEK
THE VOLCANIC WINTER ARRIVES,

AT LEAST THROUGH
MOUNT VESUVIUS.

NOW WITH THE G.P.S.
ANTENNA AT POZZUOLI,

WE JUST GOT SOME DATA
WHICH IS EXTRAORDINARY.

NOW THIS IS LESS COMFORTING.

WITH THE HELP OF A NUMBER
OF SATELLITES,

WE USED A G.P.S. UNIT
TO TRACK GROUND MOVEMENT.

AND IN JUST ONE WEEK,
WE'VE CAUGHT EVIDENCE

OF AN UPLIFT
IN THE EARTH'S CRUST.

OUR FINDINGS ARE CONFIRMED
BY ANOTHER RECENT STUDY.

THE OVERALL REGION
HAS EXPERIENCED AN UPLIFT

OF OVER 3 INCHES
IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS.

INCHES?
YEAH, 3 INCHES

DOESN'T SOUND LIKE MUCH,
YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST THIS.

BUT IF IT CONTINUES
AT THIS RATE,

WE'LL SEE A RISE OF 10 FEET
IN JUST 10 YEARS.

THAT'S THE AVERAGE HEIGHT
OF A ONE-STORY HOUSE,

WHICH IS MIND-BLOWING.

THE GROUND IS LITERALLY
RISING UP BELOW OUR FEET

DUE TO MAGMA CHAMBERS FILLING
AND SWELLING BELOW US.

THAT'S INCREDIBLE.

THIS DISCOVERY COMBINED WITH
THE BUBBLING FUMAROLES AT BAIA,

THE OMINOUS HOT WATER
IN THE TUNNEL TO HELL,

AND THE DRAMATIC TEMPERATURE
RISE AT SOLFATARA

ARE ALL CRITICAL CLUES
THAT SUGGEST THIS SUPERVOLCANO

IS GETTING SET TO UNLEASH
CARNAGE ON A TERRIFYING SCALE.

THIS IS REALLY INCREDIBLE,

AND I FEEL LIKE WE'RE SEEING
GEOLOGIC HISTORY

BEING WRITTEN RIGHT
IN FRONT OF US.

IN A NIGHTMARE SCENARIO,
THE DEATH AND DESTRUCTION

UNLEASHED ON THOSE LIVING
IN THE SHADOW OF CAMPI FLEGREI

COULD BE MUCH WORSE
THAN WHAT WAS SEEN IN POMPEII.

WHETHER ITALY WILL FALL VICTIM
TO MORE DEADLY EARTHQUAKES

OR AN EVEN DEADLIER
VOLCANIC ERUPTION

IS STILL ANYBODY'S GUESS.

BUT WHAT ISN'T IN DOUBT IS THAT
MILLIONS OF LIVES ARE AT RISK,

WHICH IS WHY
SEISMIC TECHNOLOGIES

LIKE THE ROBEX ROVER
WE SAW ON MOUNT ETNA

ARE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING
MORE ABOUT HOW VOLCANOES WORK

AND WHEN THEY WILL ERUPT.

WE'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO PREVENT
A CATACLYSMIC ERUPTION,

BUT HOPEFULLY, ONE DAY, WE'LL AT
LEAST BE ABLE TO PREDICT ONE

WITH ENOUGH LEAD TIME TO GET
PEOPLE OUT OF HARM'S WAY.

FOR NOW, THE WORLD WILL
HAVE TO WAIT AND HOPE

THAT THE CAMPI FLEGREI
SUPERVOLCANO

STAYS QUIET,

AND THAT THEY STORY OF POMPEII

DOESN'T HAVE AN EVEN MORE
CATASTROPHIC SEQUEL.