Original subtitles

THE LOST CITY OF ATLANTIS.

THIS 2,000-YEAR-OLD MYSTERY STIRS UP IMAGES

OF AN UNDERWATER UTOPIA.

THIS COULD BE THE PLACE.

NOBODY KNOWS WHERE THIS LOST CITY IS.

IT HAS OBSESSED EXPLORERS FROM THE ANCIENT WORLD

TO MODERN-DAY MAN, WHO HAVE SCOURED THE GLOBE

LOOKING FOR ITS EXISTENCE.

ALL HAVE COME UP EMPTY.

SCIENTISTS HAVE DONE A LOT OF WORK,

BUT THERE HAVE BEEN NO CONCLUSIVE ANSWERS.

BUT WHAT IF...

- BACK INTO THE UNDERGROUND. - ...THEY WERE ALL LOOKING

IN THE WRONG PLACE?

OH, MY GOODNESS.

WE'RE EXPLORING A RADICAL THEORY THAT WILL TAKE US TO A REGION

WHERE FEW HAVE LOOKED FOR THE LOST CITY--

NORTH AMERICA.

COULD IT BE IN THE NEW WORLD? THAT'S THE BIG QUESTION.

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.

- 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 GOT SOMETHING!

...WE ARE UNCOVERING NEW LEADS IN OUR QUEST

TO SOLVE EARTH'S MOST ENDURING MYSTERIES.

- THERE WE GO. - WHOO!

THESE ARE THE SECRETS OF THE UNDERGROUND.

Captions by VITAC-- www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

THAT RIGHT THERE IS WHERE WE'RE GOING.

THAT'S BIMINI.

WE'RE TRAVELLING FROM MIAMI TO THE BAHAMAS TO EXPLORE

ONE OF THE OLDEST LEGENDS ON EARTH.

RIGHT OUT HERE IS WHERE SOME PEOPLE THINK

COULD BE THE LOST CITY OF ATLANTIS.

- EXCITED! - I'M HERE WITH STEFAN BURNS

TO HELP ME GET TO THE BOTTOM OF AN ENDURING MYSTERY.

OH, MAN! I'VE BEEN EXCITED ABOUT THIS MYTH FOR A LONG TIME.

I READ ABOUT IT AS A KID. I READ ABOUT THIS PLACE.

STRADDLING THE WORLDS OF HISTORY AND MYTH,

ATLANTIS WAS SAID TO BE A PROSPEROUS,

ANCIENT SEAFARING CIVILIZATION,

ACCORDING TO PLATO'S WORKS OVER 2,000 YEARS AGO.

BUT VIOLENT EARTHQUAKES AND FLOODS DECIMATED ATLANTIS,

AND IT WAS SAID TO DISAPPEAR INTO THE DEPTHS OF THE SEA

IN JUST ONE DAY.

FOR TWO MILLENNIA, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SEARCHING

FOR ITS RUINS FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN

IN PLATO'S BACKYARD TO PLACES AS FAR-FLUNG

AS INDIA AND THE NORTH POLE.

BUT STARTLING NEW CLUES ARE LEADING EXPLORERS

IN A RADICAL DIRECTION--

TO NORTH AMERICA.

THEY'VE POINTED TO A NUMBER OF BIZARRE SITES

ACROSS THE CONTINENT AS BEARING RESEMBLANCE

TO THE CITY PLATO DESCRIBED.

AND WE'RE GOING TO HIT THEM ALL

WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY NO ONE HAS EVER DEPLOYED BEFORE.

ARE WE ON A NEW-WORLD GOOSE CHASE,

OR COULD THE MOST FAMOUS LOST CITY OF ALL TIME

TRULY BE IN AMERICA'S BACKYARD?

IT'S REALLY EASY TO THINK THAT IT'S JUST HOGWASH.

BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF INTERESTING THINGS

ABOUT WHERE WE'RE GOING.

WE'LL START WHERE SO MUCH CONTROVERSY HAS ERUPTED.

SCIENTISTS HAVE DONE A LOT OF WORK OUT HERE.

OKAY.

BUT THERE HAVE BEEN NO CONCLUSIVE ANSWERS.

REFERRED TO AS BIMINI ROAD, A HALF-MILE LONG ROCK STRUCTURE

ON THE SEA FLOOR WAS DISCOVERED BY DIVERS IN 1968.

IT'S BEEN A HOT SPOT FOR EXPLORATION EVER SINCE,

BUT NO ONE HAS BEEN ABLE TO GLEAN CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE

CONNECTING IT TO THE LOST CITY OF ATLANTIS.

WE CAN LOOK AT IT WITH FRESH EYES.

WE'RE GOING TO USE SOME TECH

THAT NOBODY HAS EVER USED BEFORE.

YEAH.

SEE THAT HORIZON OVER THERE?

THAT'S BIMINI.

CAN YOU SEE IT?YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.

RIGHT OUT THERE.

YOU KNOW, I HAVE FANTASTIC EYESIGHT-- 20/15.

I HAVE 20/13.

YEAH, RIGHT.

I'M SERIOUS, I DO.

OH, YEAH.THAT'S WHAT THE DOCTOR SAID.

BEFORE THE END OF THE LAST ICE AGE,

AROUND 12,000 YEARS AGO, SEA LEVELS WERE AT LEAST

300 FEET BELOW WHERE THEY ARE NOW.

IT MAY NOT LOOK LIKE IT NOW, BUT BIMINI WOULD HAVE BEEN

WELL ABOVE THE WATER LINE BEFORE SEA LEVELS ROSE.

WERE THE STONES PLACED HERE BY A LONG-LOST

ANCIENT CIVILIZATION ON PAR WITH THE ANCIENT GREEKS?

OR ARE THEY PRODUCTS OF NATURE?

TO GET A GOOD LOOK, WE'RE SWITCHING TO A BOAT

STRAPPED TO THE GILLS WITH HIGH-TECH EQUIPMENT.

HEY, ERIK!

- HEY, GUYS. - HEY.

STEFAN HAS BROUGHT IN THE HELP OF ERIK ANDERSON,

WHO PROGRAMS SONAR TECH WITH SUCH HIGH RESOLUTION

IT CAN PICK UP ON EVEN THE SMALLEST CORNER OF A ROCK.

I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE TECH YOU HAVE.

ABSOLUTELY.

WE'LL BE USING THE SONAR TECH TO PRODUCE THIS FIRST-EVER,

HIGH-RESOLUTION 3-D MAP OF BIMINI ROAD.

BUT OUR GOAL GOES BEYOND THAT.

I'LL FIND THE BEST SPOT HERE TO DIVE,

AND SEE THESE STRUCTURES UP CLOSE.

HOPEFULLY, IT'LL SHOW SOMETHING COOL.

BUT MAN-MADE VERSUS GEOLOGIC--

I THINK THAT'S THE REAL KEY HERE.

EXACTLY.

AND IF ROB DOESN'T COME UP FROM THE DIVE, FIND HIM.

WE'LL FIND ROB.OKAY.

FIND ME IF I DON'T COME UP?

NO, WE WANT YOU TO COME UP.

YOU BETTER JUMP IN IF I DON'T COME UP, OKAY?

I'LL JUMP IN, FOR SURE.

WELCOME ABOARD, GENTLEMEN.

ALL RIGHT.

DIVERS HAVE BEEN COMING OUT HERE FOR YEARS

TO MARVEL AT THE ROCK FORMATIONS.

SOME HOLD STRONG TO THE VISION OF ATLANTIS,

WHILE OTHERS SUGGEST THE POSSIBILITY

OF A LOST NATIVE AMERICAN CIVILIZATION

PRE-DATING EUROPEAN CONTACT BY THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE ABOUT--

ABOUT A QUARTER MILE AWAY FROM THE SITE HERE.

WE'RE STARTING TO SEE THESE ROCK FORMATIONS HERE.

AH.

SO, THIS IS WHAT MOST LOCALS ARE CALLING

THE BIMINI ROAD.

THIS AREA IS SO EXPANSIVE,

THERE'S NO WAY ALL OF IT HAS BEEN EXPLORED.

PHOTOS BELIEVED TO BE THE RUINS OF ATLANTIS

WERE TAKEN IN THE 1960s BEFORE THE INVENTION OF GPS,

AND THE LOCATIONS HAVE BEEN LOST.

THIS CUTTING-EDGE MAP TAKES OUT THE GUESSWORK

AND CAN IDENTIFY UNUSUAL SPOTS THAT WARRANT A CLOSER LOOK.

HOLY MOLY.

LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THOSE ROCKS.

- THEY'RE HUGE! - OH, MY GOD.

THIS NEW SONAR IS THE ONLY WAY TO GET THE FULL PERSPECTIVE

OF WHAT'S LURKING UNDERNEATH.

IT SEEMS VERY LINEAR.VERY LINEAR.

IT HAS JUST A TREMENDOUS PATTERN TO IT.

THAT IS VERY WEIRD.

YOU DEFINITELY NEED TO DIVE ON THAT.

OUR HIGH-TECH MAP ENABLES US TO HONE IN ON A SPECIFIC AREA.

SECTIONS OF ROCK THAT APPEAR TO BE MAN-MADE

WOULD BE COMPRISED OF VERY STRAIGHT PARALLEL LINES

AND RIGHT ANGELS, INDICATING THE USE OF TOOLS.

IT IS ODD HOW IT POPS UP AND THERE'S NOTHING ELSE AROUND IT.

CAN WE SPIN THIS AROUND AND LOOK AT IT AS WE'RE COLLECTING IT?

OH, THAT'S A GREAT ANGLE.

IF IT WAS A ROAD, IT COULD HAVE BEEN LINED

WITH THE EDIFICES OF A THRIVING ANCIENT CULTURE,

A THOROUGHFARE FOR GOODS AND PEOPLE.

I THINK IF WE'RE GONNA SEE SOMETHING THAT'S MAN-MADE,

IT'S GONNA BE IN THAT AREA.

I'LL LET YOU GUYS STAY UP HERE.

I'M GONNA START GETTING ON MY DIVE GEAR

AND HOP IN THE WATER.

ZIP ME UP.

AH.

I WON'T BE TOO LONG.

YOU'RE TAKING VIDEO, RIGHT, ROB?

YEAH. I GOT MY GoPro. I WILL TAKE IT DOWN.

I WILL SHOOT ANYTHING I SEE.

IF THESE ARE ROADS, PERHAPS THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT

OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO WASN'T AS PRIMITIVE

AS WE THOUGHT IT WAS.

ANCIENT ROMAN ENGINEERS BUILT ROADS

WHEREVER THEY CONQUERED TO MOVE ARMIES, PEOPLE,

AND GOODS ACROSS THE EMPIRE.

COULD THESE PEOPLE HAVE BUILT A CIVILIZATION TO RIVAL

THE SOPHISTICATED ANCIENT WORLD

THAT PLATO AND SOCRATES INHABITED?

SEE YOU IN A LITTLE BIT.

THE SIZE AND SCOPE OF THESE ROCK FORMATIONS ARE TRULY ASTOUNDING.

BUT UP CLOSE, THEY REVEAL SOMETHING

COMPLETELY BEWILDERING.

HOLY MOLY.

COMING UP...

HERE'S THE DESCENT DOWN.

AND IT'S NOT NECESSARILY WHAT I WAS EXPECTING.

...MY UNDERWATER DISCOVERIES BLOW THE LID

ON EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT ATLANTIS...

THIS LOST CITY OF ATLANTIS COULD VERY WELL REPRESENT

SOME CIVILIZATION THAT EXISTED IN THE AMERICAS.

...LEADING US TO THE MOST UNEXPECTED CORNERS OF THE EARTH.

OH, SICK! IS THAT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE?

OH, WOW.

WE'RE AT THE SITE OF WHAT'S REFERRED TO AS

BIMINI ROAD TO FIND OUT IF THESE ROCK FORMATIONS

SHOW SIGNS OF HUMAN HANDIWORK

AND COULD BELONG TO THE LOST CITY OF ATLANTIS.

MANY HAVE COME BEFORE US SEEKING THE SAME ANSWER,

BUT NONE HAVE HAD ACCESS TO THE CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY

WE'RE USING TODAY.

NO ONE'S EVER DONE A SURVEY WITH THIS EQUIPMENT BEFORE.

THIS IS STATE-OF-THE-ART.

LOOK AT THAT. LOOK HOW STRAIGHT THAT FORMATION IS.

IT IS UNUSUAL. I CAN SEE HOW IT SPARKED UP

THESE HYPOTHESES AND THEORIES.

IT'LL BE REALLY GOOD TO SEE WHAT ROB CONFIRMS.

YEAH.

ATLANTIS WAS SAID TO BE RICH WITH GLISTENING METALS,

SOPHISTICATED ARCHITECTURE, AND ABUNDANT WILDLIFE.

ANY TRACE OF IT LEFT TODAY WOULD HAVE UNDERGONE

THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF WEATHERING AND EROSION.

AS A SCIENTIST, I'M TRAINED TO LOOK FOR

ANY CLUES THAT MIGHT LIE BENEATH--

TOOL MARKS IN THE ROCKS, SIGNS OF MORTAR,

ANYTHING THAT WOULD INDICATE THEY WERE MANIPULATED BY MAN.

WHOO! HEY, MADE IT.

THAT WAS AWESOME.

I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING QUITE LIKE THAT.

THAT WAS REALLY UNIQUE.

THE ROCK FORMATIONS OF BIMINI ARE BREATHTAKING,

BUT COULD THEY BE MAN-MADE?

AND IF SO, ARE THEY ALL THAT'S LEFT

OF AN ANCIENT CULTURE THAT ONCE EXISTED IN AMERICA?

- ALL RIGHT. - ALL RIGHT.

ALL OF IT IS ON HERE.

I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SEE IT.

LOOKING AT THE SONAR, IT LOOKS LIKE A GIANT ROAD.

IT'S NOT NECESSARILY NOT THAT.

IT'S JUST ON A MUCH LARGER SCALE THAN I EXPECTED

WHEN I WENT DOWN THERE, WHICH IS INTERESTING IN AND OF ITSELF.

SO, HERE'S THE DESCENT DOWN.

THERE WE GO. CHECK THAT OUT RIGHT THERE.

OH, WOW. THOSE STONES--

YOU SEE HOW LARGE THEY ARE?

YEAH.

IF THERE WAS A ROAD BEING BUILT,

I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU WOULD USE SUCH LARGE STONES.

THEY'RE HUGE.

ON THE SONAR DATA, YOU KNOW, THEY SHOW

VERY PRECISE, ALMOST LIKE THEY WERE DROPPED IN PLACE.

HERE, THIS LOOKS FAIRLY SCATTERED.

CHECK THIS OUT RIGHT HERE.

SO, THIS IS OFF THE EDGE OF ONE OF THEM.

AND A COUPLE TIMES I WOULD LOOK UNDERNEATH THEM,

AND THEY WERE MORE OR LESS HOLLOW.

THAT IS KIND OF A COMMON WEATHERING FEATURE,

AT LEAST, LIKE, IN UTAH.

YOU KNOW, YOU'LL SEE THE LARGE ROCKS

THAT ARE WEATHERED AT THE BASE AND THEY BULGE OUTWARDS--

THE MUSHROOMS.

WATER IS ONE OF NATURE'S MOST POWERFUL TOOLS,

AND OVER TIME, CAN BREAK DOWN AND SCULPT TO THE ROCK,

WHICH APPEARS TO HAVE HAPPENED HERE.

IT'S SAFE TO SAY THESE ARE NATURAL FORMATIONS,

NOT MAN-MADE WONDERS.

STEFAN AND I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO IN A MATTER OF HOURS

WHAT WOULD'VE TAKEN A TEAM OF EXPLORERS YEARS.

IT SEEMS THAT BIMINI IS NOT A LOST ROAD

THAT CONNECTED THE ARMIES, TRADE, AND PEOPLE OF ATLANTIS.

BUT THERE'S ANOTHER LOCATION ON OUR LIST

THAT'S UNDERGONE LESS EXPLORATION,

WHICH IS CURIOUS CONSIDERING IT HAS THE CHARACTERISTICS

OF PLATO'S PORTRAYALS OF ATLANTIS--

CONCENTRIC RINGS OF LAND AND SEA.

IF WE GO BACK TO PLATO'S ORIGINAL WORK,

HE TALKED ABOUT ALTERNATE ZONES OF SEA AND LAND,

LARGER AND SMALLER, ENCIRCLING ONE ANOTHER.

HE DIDN'T DESCRIBE IT SPECIFICALLY

WITH GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS.MM-HMM.

THIS LOST CITY OF ATLANTIS COULD VERY WELL REPRESENT

SOME CIVILIZATION THAT EXISTED IN THE AMERICAS.

MMM.

WHERE DID THE NOTION OF AN AMERICAN ATLANTIS COME FROM?

A RADICAL IDEA PROPOSED BY SOME IS THAT ANCIENT SEAFARERS

CROSSED THE ATLANTIC AND CONTINUED

UP THE MISSISSIPPI, ENCOUNTERING A CIVILIZATION HERE

WELL BEFORE CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS.

TALES OF THE SOCIETY WOULD HAVE GROWN

OVER THE CENTURIES INTO MYTHICAL PROPORTIONS,

SPAWNING THE LEGEND OF ATLANTIS.

THE IDEA OF PRE-COLUMBUS NATIVE-AMERICAN CONTACT,

AND THE IDEA THAT MAY HAVE HAD SOME CIVILIZATION

THAT IS LOST TO US NOW-- THAT IS REALLY INTRIGUING.

THERE ARE SITES ON THE NORTH AMERICAN MAINLAND

THAT SUGGEST THE PRESENCE OF A FAR MORE ADVANCED CULTURE

THAN WE'VE BEEN TAUGHT IN OUR HISTORY BOOKS.

ONE OF THEM IN PARTICULAR BEARS A STRIKING RESEMBLANCE

TO DESCRIPTIONS OF ATLANTIS.

THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES IS BRIMMING WITH

MODERN SUPERSTRUCTURES, BUT COULD IT ONCE HAVE BEEN HOME

TO A CIVILIZATION OF ATLANTIAN PROPORTIONS?

HERE AT POVERTY POINT IN PIONEER, LOUISIANA,

AN ANCIENT SITE SPANNING 400 ACRES,

HAS PUZZLED ARCHEOLOGISTS SINCE IT WAS SPOTTED

IN A WORLD-WAR-II-ERA ARCHIVAL PHOTO.

FREAKING HOT OUT HERE.

THESE BIZARRE, CIRCULAR EARTH RINGS

SURROUNDED BY A SERIES OF MOUNDS ARE ONE OF THE ONLY KNOWN

ANCIENT STRUCTURES IN THE WORLD

THAT FIT DESCRIPTIONS OF THE LOST CITY.

SOME CLAIM IT WAS A CENTER FOR TRADE,

WHILE OTHERS HAVE SUGGESTED IT WAS A RELIGIOUS CEREMONIAL SITE.

BUT EVERYONE SEEMS TO AGREE THAT IT WAS BUILT BY AN ARCHAIC,

HUNTER-GATHERER SOCIETY.

SO, WHY DID THEY BUILD SUCH A COMPLEX STRUCTURE?

THIS THING IS HUGE.

THIS IS SAID TO BE THE LARGEST AND MOST COMPLEX

EARTHWORK IN NORTH AMERICA.

LOOKS LIKE IT TOOK A LOT OF WORK.

YEAH, I WILL SAY BUILDING THIS WITH MODERN BULLDOZERS

AND EXCAVATION TOOLS WOULD TAKE A LONG TIME.

AND THEY WERE NOT BUILDING IT WITH MODERN BULLDOZERS.

NO. THIS MOUND ALONE

WAS MADE UP OF OVER 300,000 CUBIC YARDS OF DIRT,

ENOUGH TO FILL MORE THAN 17,000 DUMP TRUCKS.

APPARENTLY, WE'RE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CIRCLE,

SO I THINK WE SHOULD GET A BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF THIS.

OKAY.

WE NEED TO SEE JUST HOW CLOSELY THIS LOCATION

MATCHES THE ACCOUNTS OF PLATO'S ATLANTIS.

AND WE CAN'T DO IT FROM DOWN HERE.

BUT DRONE FOOTAGE ALONE MAY NOT PICK UP

ON ALL RAISED AREAS OF THE GROUND,

SO WE'RE ATTACHING TECHNOLOGY THAT WILL.

WE HAVE OUR LiDAR UNIT HERE.

WE'RE GONNA ATTACH IT TO THE DRONE

AND JUST DO A REALLY LOW HOVER,

AND JUST DO A GRID OVER THE SITE.

LiDAR WORKS BY GENERATING MILLIONS OF POINTS WITH LASERS,

CREATING A 3-D MAP.

- TAKE OFF. - ONE, TWO, THREE.

WHOO!

NICE.

OKAY, I'M GOING OVER.

THAT'S AWESOME! WHOO!

WE'LL DO A FEW PASSES OVER THE AREA,

AND THEN COMBINE ALL THE IMAGES.

ISN'T THAT COOL? IT'S AN IMPRESSIVE MOUND.

WHERE'S THE RIVER? CAN YOU SEE THAT FROM HERE?

IN ORDER TO ALIGN WITH THE IMAGE OF ATLANTIS

AS ALTERNATING RINGS OF LAND AND SEA,

THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE A WATER SOURCE NEARBY

OF WHICH, IN LOW-LYING LOUISIANA, THERE'S NO SHORTAGE.

DO YOU SEE ANY OF THE CONCENTRIC CIRCLES FROM HERE THAT POP OUT?

NOT OBVIOUSLY.

THE CONCENTRIC RINGS ARE SO SUBTLE,

THEY'RE NOT SHOWING UP ON OUR DRONE FOOTAGE.

HOPEFULLY, OUR TECH WILL REVEAL

THE TRUE CONFIGURATION OF THE GROUND.

STEFAN IS CREATING A 3-D MAP OF THE SITE,

WHICH COULD PICK UP STRUCTURES HIDDEN FROM AN ARIAL VIEW.

LET'S CHECK IT OUT.I'M EXCITED.

WE MAY HAVE JUST BROUGHT AMERICA'S LOST CITY

BACK TO LIFE.

OH, SICK! IS THAT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE?

OH, WOW.

OUR QUEST FOR THE LOST CITY

HAS LED US TO POVERTY POINT IN LOUISIANA...

LET'S CHECK IT OUT.

...WHERE A STRANGE SITE

BEARS RESEMBLANCE TO PLATO'S ATLANTIS.

I'M EXCITED!

WE'RE MOMENTS AWAY FROM SEEING IF WE'VE UNCOVERED

HIDDEN FEATURES OF A LONG-GONE CIVILIZATION.

OH, WOW.

WE DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING FROM THE AIR,

AND LOOK AT THESE CIRCLES RIGHT HERE.

IT'S UNBELIEVABLE.

SO, IT LOOKS LIKE THESE CIRCLES

RADIATE OUTWARDS FROM THIS CENTRAL MOUND.

WHAT'S AMAZING ABOUT THIS IS THAT WE HAVE

THIS TENDRIL OF THE RIVER COMING OFF,

AND THEN THE CIRCLES FOLLOW THAT PERFECTLY.

AND THEN, WE LOSE THEM ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE RIVER.

YEAH.

THE QUESTION IS, DO THESE CIRCLES CONTINUE

TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER?

WELL, THIS IS FLOODPLAIN OVER THERE TO THE RIGHT.

ALL OF THAT IS FLOODPLAIN.

EASILY, THAT RIVER COULD HAVE BENDED

AND TWISTED THROUGH THERE AND ERASED THOSE CIRCLES.

YEAH.

SINCE LiDAR ONLY DETECTS FEATURES ABOVE GROUND,

WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO SWITCH UP OUR EQUIPMENT.

AND THAT'S WHERE STEFAN'S EXPERTISE REALLY COMES IN HANDY.

SO I THINK THE BEST THING WE COULD DO IS MAYBE

SCAN IT ALL WITH GPR AND SEE UNDERNEATH THIS FLOODPLAIN,

SEE IF WE CAN FIND THESE CIRCLES.

IF WE CAN PROVE THESE CIRCULAR EARTHWORKS

ONCE CONNECTED ALL THE WAY AROUND,

WE COULD BE ONE STEP CLOSER TO UNCOVERING

THE SOUGHT-AFTER FABLED CITY.

LET'S GO.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER IS ABOUT A MILE AWAY,

AND SINCE IT LIES ON THE FLOODPLAIN,

WOULD HAVE ERODED FASTER.

TODAY, IT LOOKS LIKE NOTHING BUT FLAT FARMLAND.

ALL RIGHT. HERE'S THE GPR.

LET ME JUST LOOK AT THE MAP HERE REAL QUICK.

IF THESE CONCENTRIC RINGS ARE ACTUALLY FULL CIRCLES,

THEY WOULD CUT RIGHT THROUGH HERE.

YEAH, I THINK IF WE JUST FOLLOW THIS ROAD

FROM THIS PANEL RIGHT HERE ALL THE WAY DOWN,

I THINK THAT'D BE GOOD.

AND THE IDEA IS I WILL FIND SIX OR SEVEN

OF THESE, YOU KNOW, CIRCULAR RING FEATURES.

THAT ARE FAIRLY EVENLY SPACED.

YEAH. I'M SURPRISED NO ONE'S EVEN SCANNED THIS AREA BEFORE.

I MEAN, THAT'D BE A HUGE DISCOVERY IF WE FOUND THESE.

THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF NATURAL CHANGES

COULD HAVE SUBMERGED ANY SIGN OF THE OTHER HALF UNDERGROUND.

AND IF IT'S THERE, THE GPR WILL DETECT IT.

- ALL RIGHT, READY? - YEAH, I'M READY.

LET'S DO THIS.

AND WE'RE OFF. OFF TO THE RACES.

SO, WE'RE GETTING, ACTUALLY, IT LOOKS LIKE

DEPTH OF ABOUT 10 FEET HERE.

YOU KNOW, THESE GUYS COULD BE A FOOT DOWN,

THEY COULD BE FIVE FEET DOWN.

THEY COULD BE BELOW 10 FEET, BUT I DOUBT THAT'S THE CASE.

SO, RIGHT NOW WE'RE WALKING THROUGH AN AREA

WHICH IS JUST INSIDE OF THE CIRCLES, IF THEY EXIST.

SO THIS WOULD BE A REALLY--

WHOA, WHOA, WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!

LOOK AT THAT.

WHAT'S GOING ON THERE?

THAT'S TOTALLY DIFFERENT.

I THINK IT'S JUST SLIGHTLY MORE SATURATED.

IT'S GOT TO BE A DRAINAGE DITCH.

I CAN SEE IT RIGHT THERE.OH, YEAH.

THAT'S A DRAINAGE DITCH, FOR SURE.

IT'S TOO SMALL, TOO.

SEE HOW IT CURVES IN THERE?

WE'RE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING THAT'S MUCH LARGER.

ALL RIGHT, LET'S KEEP GOING.

ALL RIGHT. WE'RE ALMOST DONE.

WE WOULD'VE SEEN THEM BY NOW.

THROUGH OUR GROUND-BREAKING SCANS,

WE'VE DEBUNKED THE THEORY THAT THIS IS THE SITE OF ATLANTIS.

BUT WE'RE NOT THE FIRST TO QUESTION THE ORIGINS

OF THE MYSTERIOUS MOUNDS AT POVERTY POINT.

MAINSTREAM SCHOLARS DISMISS THE ATLANTIAN CLAIMS,

BUT THEY HAVE MADE DRAMATIC DISCOVERIES

THAT COULD INDICATE THAT THERE WAS AN ADVANCED CIVILIZATION

INHABITING NORTH AMERICA BEFORE THE TIME

OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS OR EGYPTIANS.

THAT PROSPECT HAS ARCHEOLOGISTS WORKING AROUND THE CLOCK

PULLING OUT ARTIFACTS, SO MANY THAT THEY HAD TO

HOUSE THEM ALL IN A BUILDING SET UP ONSITE.

- COME ON IN. - THANK YOU.

WOW, THIS IS SOME FACILITY, HUH?

YEAH, IT IS.

HERE TO SHOW US SOME OF THEIR FINDS

IS ARCHEOLOGIST DIANA GREENLEE.

THIS IS A SHERD FROM A BOWL.

YOU CAN SEE HOW BIG IT WOULD'VE BEEN.

THERE WAS A PIT THAT THEY FOUND

ABOUT 2,700 PIECES OF THESE STONE BOWLS.

OH, MY GOSH.

IT CAME FROM GEORGIA.

THAT'S A LONG WAYS FROM HERE.

IT'S QUITE A WAYS.

YOU KNOW, THEY PROBABLY DIDN'T CARRY THOSE OVER LAND.

BUT THEY PROBABLY WENT DOWN RIVER TO THE GULF

AND THEN ACROSS, AND THEN UP THE MISSISSIPPI.

WE TEND TO THINK OF PREHISTORIC NATIVE AMERICAN SOCIETIES

AS HUNTER-GATHERERS, BUT THESE IMPORTED MINERALS

IMPLY AN ADVANCED TRADE ROUTE.

WE HAVE THESE PLUMMETS MADE OUT OF HEMATITE

AND MAGNETITE, WHICH WOULD'VE COME FROM ARKANSAS.

DO WE KNOW THE AGE OF SOME OF THESE ARTIFACTS?

YES. FROM ABOUT 1,700 TO 1,100 B.C.

WOW. WE'RE TALKING 3,100, 3,700 YEARS AGO?

YEP.TO PUT THAT IN PERSPECTIVE,

THESE GROUNDS WERE INHABITED

WELL BEFORE THE ACROPOLIS WAS EVEN BUILT.

THAT'S A LONG TIME AGO TO HAVE A--

BASICALLY, A SOCIETY THAT WAS BRINGING THINGS IN

FROM A LONG WAYS AWAY

AND BUILDING THESE GIANT STRUCTURES.

I MEAN, DO YOU HAVE ANY EVIDENCE THAT THEY WERE

WORKING WITH, LIKE, RAW METAL--

LET'S SAY LEAD, IRON, OR COPPER?

COPPER. WE DO HAVE COPPER ARTIFACTS HERE.

THIS IS A BEAD.

OH, WOW.

THE WALLS OF ATLANTIS WERE DESCRIBED AS FLASHING

WITH THE RED LIGHT OF ORICHALCUM--

LITERAL TRANSLATION BEING, "MOUNTAIN COPPER."

HISTORICALLY, RELICS OF CROWNING ARCHITECTURAL ACHIEVEMENTS

HAVE BEEN LOOTED BY SUBSEQUENT CULTURES.

ROME, ONCE ABUNDANT WITH PRECIOUS MARBLE,

WAS USED AS A QUARRY BY LATER CIVILIZATIONS

TO BEAUTIFY THEIR OWN STRUCTURES.

IF POVERTY POINT HAS BEEN SITTING HERE

FOR 350,000 YEARS AND COPPER-ADORNED STRUCTURES

ONCE EXISTED AT THE SITE, SURELY THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN

RANSACKED BY LATER SOCIETIES.

IS THERE COPPER THAT CAN BE FOUND IN THIS AREA?

NO.

IT CAME FROM A LONG WAYS AWAY.

IT HAS BEEN ASSUMED FOR A LONG TIME

THAT THE COPPER CAME FROM

THE LAKE SUPERIOR REGION OF MICHIGAN.

HOW MANY OF THESE COPPER ARTIFACTS HAVE YOU FOUND?

WELL, WE HAVE-- I THINK IT'S ABOUT 198.

THE COPPER ARTIFACTS RANGING FROM PENDANTS TO KNIVES

HAVE BEEN TRACED TO MICHIGAN.

SOME USE THIS FINDING TO SUPPORT THEIR THEORY

THAT THE GREAT LAKES REGION

ONCE SUPPLIED COPPER TO THE FABLED CITY.

OUR JOURNEY MAY HAVE LAUNCHED FROM A CURIOSITY

ABOUT AN OUTLANDISH LEGEND SPANNING THE AGES,

BUT WE MAY BE ON TO SOMETHING EVEN BIGGER THAN THAT--

THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF SEEMINGLY UNRECORDED HISTORY.

COMING UP, AND ADVANCED ARIAL SCAN...

HOLY MOLY.

...REVEALS A TREASURE TROVE LOCKED IN TIME.

I GOT SOMETHING!

WHOA. THAT IS AMAZING.

WOW.

WHAT A VIEW.

COPPER ARTIFACTS FOUND IN POVERTY POINT, LOUISIANA,

HAVE BEEN TRACED 1,000 MILES NORTH

TO THE LAKE SUPERIOR REGION OF MICHIGAN,

SUGGESTING THE EXISTENCE OF SOME PRE-COLUMBUS CIVILIZATION

WITH TRADE ROUTES SPANNING THE BORDERS OF MODERN-DAY AMERICA.

IT BEGS A CONTROVERSIAL QUESTION--

COULD THIS SOMEHOW TIE IN TO THE MOST FAMOUS

LOST CULTURE OF ALL TIME, ATLANTIS?

MAYBE NOT THE ONE PLATO WROTE ABOUT,

BUT SOME SOPHISTICATED CIVILIZATION

ONCE THRIVED AND DIED HERE.

HERE WE ARE, RIGHT ON THE END OF THE KEWEENAW PENINSULA

YOU CAN SEE ALL THE LAKES THAT ARE ON THIS MAP

SPOTTED OUT IN THE DISTANCE THERE,

AND WE'RE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF COPPER COUNTRY.

THEY SAY THE LARGEST NATIVE COPPER DEPOSITS

IN THE WORLD EXIST HERE IN THIS MINERAL RANGE.

THIS IS JUST A MASSIVE AREA.

SOME CLAIM THAT AS MUCH AS A BILLION POUNDS OF COPPER

WAS MINED FROM HERE IN ANCIENT TIMES,

MORE THAN ENOUGH TO SUPPLY THE LOST CITY OF ATLANTIS.

COULD IT HAVE BEEN TURNED INTO SPEARHEADS, SHIELDS, KNIVES,

AND LINE THE WALLS OF THE GLISTENING CITY

PLATO DESCRIBED?

I'M A LITTLE SKEPTICAL OF THAT.

I MEAN, THIS IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST

NATIVE COPPER DEPOSIT KNOWN, BUT A BILLION POUNDS?

IF THAT'S THE CASE, THIS MOUNTAINSIDE

COULD BE LITTERED WITH MINES.

AND THE REGION WOULD BE ALMOST AS EXPANSIVE

AS THE CITY OF ANCIENT ROME ITSELF.

BUT THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE RECORD OF THIS AREA

COMES FROM THIS MAP FROM 1862--

A SURVEY OF MINING PITS DONE BY ARCHEOLOGIST CHARLES WHITTLESEY.

HE TURNED UP SOME KNIVES AND SPEARHEADS,

BUT WE ARE AFTER SIGNS OF THE MOTHER LODE.

THE KEY FOR US IS TO FIGURE OUT

WHERE ALL THE COPPER PITS ARE NOW,

TRY TO GET A MORE DETAILED MAP,

AND THEN FIGURE OUT IF THIS ESTIMATE

OF A BILLION POUNDS IS ACTUALLY REAL.

YEAH.

FOLLOWING WHITTLESEY'S MAP,

WE MAKE OUR WAY AROUND THE STEEP MOUNTAINSIDE

TO SEE ONE OF THESE MINES FOR OURSELVES.

SO, A LITTLE BIT FURTHER UP.

ACTUALLY SAYS WE'RE GETTING PRETTY CLOSE RIGHT NOW.

OH, MY GOODNESS!

LOOK AT THIS!

THIS IS ONE OF THE PIT MINES.

YOU GOT ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE.

THEY'RE EVERYWHERE.

AT FIRST GLANCE, THEY DON'T LOOK LIKE MUCH--

SHALLOW, RAVINE-LIKE INDENTATIONS IN THE GROUND.

BUT THEY REPRESENT SOMETHING MUCH BIGGER.

THESE PIT MINES COULD DOT THE LANDSCAPE

OVER HUNDREDS OF ACRES,

AND STILL COULD BE JUST A SMALL SAMPLE OF WHAT ONCE EXISTED.

DID THE COPPER LEAVE FROM HERE TO ADORN

AN ANCIENT CIVILIZATION?

WHAT'S SO COOL ABOUT THIS IS THE COPPER

THAT WE SAW DOWN AT POVERTY POINT,

IT VERY LIKELY COULD HAVE COME FROM ONE OF THESE MINES

OR AT LEAST ONE OF THE MINES NEARBY.

BUT I NEVER THOUGHT OF NATIVE AMERICANS

HARVESTING COPPER,

BUT THIS WOULD'VE BEEN ONE OF THE LARGEST SITES.

YOU NEVER THOUGHT OF IT 'CAUSE YOU WERE NEVER TAUGHT IT.

PEOPLE-- WE NEVER HAD ANY IDEA THAT THIS WAS POSSIBLE.

THIS RESEARCH AND THESE DISCOVERIES

ARE BEING MADE RIGHT NOW.

IF WE FIND EVIDENCE OF COPPER MINING ON A MASSIVE SCALE

OVER 5,000 YEARS AGO,

EVERYTHING WE'VE LEARNED IN OUR HISTORY BOOKS

ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF NORTH AMERICAN CULTURE

COULD BE CHALLENGED.

I'LL LET YOU KNOW IF I FIND ANY COPPER, STEFAN.

ALL RIGHT.

WERE THE PEOPLE HERE THE FIRST TO DISCOVER

THE VALUE OF THIS METAL?

I'VE GOT MY FANCY METAL DETECTOR,

BUT HOW DID THEY COME ACROSS IT,

AND ON WHAT SCALE?

I GOT SOMETHING!

HEY, NICE WORK!

FIND ONE FOR ME!

IF THIS IS HOW MUCH COPPER IS STILL LEFT HERE,

I CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW MUCH ONCE EXISTED FOR ANCIENT MINERS.

WAS THERE A LARGE-SCALE WORKFORCE

THAT WENT MYSTERIOUSLY UNDOCUMENTED?

AT THE TIME OF THE FIRST EUROPEAN CONTACT,

MANY NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES LIVED A NOMADIC EXISTENCE

CHARACTERIZED BY THEIR SMALL FOOTPRINT ON THE EARTH.

SO, HOW COULD A CULTURE THAT LIKELY PRE-DATES

THE NATIVE AMERICANS OF THE 1500s HAVE BEEN RESPONSIBLE

FOR SUCH COMPLEX MINING CAPABILITIES?

WELL, THE ONE THING WE KNOW IS

THERE IS A WHOLE LOT OF COPPER IN THIS ROCK.

WHAT WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT

IS ABOUT HOW MUCH COPPER THEY PULLED OUT.

THEY SAID A BILLION POUNDS OF COPPER.

THAT SEEMS LIKE A LOT.

IN ORDER TO FIGURE OUT HOW MUCH COPPER

WAS ACTUALLY REMOVED FROM HERE IN ANCIENT TIMES,

WE NEED TO SEE HOW MANY MINES EXISTED.

BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM.

DENSE TREE COVER MAKES COUNTING THESE SMALL, RAVINE-LIKE MINES

ACROSS THE MOUNTAINSIDE SLOW-GOING.

- HEY, GUYS. - HEY.

- THANKS FOR COMING. ROB. - ABSOLUTELY.

SO STEFAN'S CALLED ON THE HELP OF LiDAR TECH SPECIALISTS.

THIS IS THE ONLY MAP THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW

THAT REALLY SHOWS THE LOCATION OF SOME OF THESE ANCIENT MINES.

BUT WE HAVE A SUSPICION THAT THERE MIGHT BE

A WHOLE BUNCH OF UNDISCOVERED PIT MINES

WHICH ARE NOW OBSCURED

BY ALL THE DENSE VEGETATION AROUND US.

AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET A HOLD OF.

WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW MANY THERE ARE.

WELL, TODAY WE HAVE OUR MINI-RANGER PAYLOAD.

WE'LL BE FLYING IT ON A HEXICOPTER,

SO WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO COVER A DECENT AMOUNT OF GROUND.

SWEET.

I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU GUYS, BUT I AM SUPER EXCITED

ABOUT RUNNING THIS LiDAR SCAN.WE ARE, TOO.

THIS LiDAR HAS THE CAPABILITY TO PENETRATE THROUGH LEAVES

AND BRANCHES TO SURVEY THE GROUND BELOW.

THIS ALLOWS US TO THEN STRIP AWAY THE VEGETATION

IN ORDER TO COUNT ALL THE PIT MINES ON THE MOUNTAINSIDE.

SO BEHIND US, WE HAVE OUR GPS REFERENCE STATION SET UP.

THAT'S LOGGING RAW SATELLITE OBSERVATIONS,

WHICH WE'RE ALSO GONNA BE SENDING TO OUR DRONE

IN REAL-TIME VIA BLUETOOTH.

AND THEN, WE HAVE A WIFI ANTENNA SET UP ON TOP OF OUR VEHICLE.

THAT'S GONNA BE TALKING TO THE LiDAR PAYLOAD DIRECTLY.

OKAY. LET'S FIRE THIS THING UP.

OH, WOW.

- THIS IS THE ACTUAL LiDAR UNIT. - WOW.

THIS IS THE PHOENIX MINI RANGER.

THAT'S A BIG PAYLOAD.

AS OPPOSED TO THE LiDAR WE USED AT POVERTY POINT

THAT HAD AN ACCURACY OF ABOUT THE SIZE OF YOUR HAND,

THIS UNIT HAS PRECISION DOWN TO HALF AN INCH.

NO PEBBLE WILL GO UNTURNED.

OH, YEAH!

I THINK THIS ONE WOULD DEFINITELY CHOP YOUR HEAD OFF.

AN AIRCRAFT OF THIS COMPLEXITY INVOLVES SO MANY MOVING PARTS,

IT'S ESSENTIALLY LIKE LAUNCHING A SPACE SHUTTLE.

I'M READY FOR LAUNCH, CONRAD. ARE YOU READY?

- SENSOR'S READY. - OKAY.

WE'RE LAUNCHING. - OH, YEAH.

THAT IS RIDICULOUS!

COMING UP...

ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT.

OH, IT'S COMING UP.

- OH, MY GOD. THAT IS SO COOL. - LOOK AT THAT.

I'M NOT SURE ABOUT YOU, BUT I'M SEEING A HUGE AMOUNT OF MINES.

I MEAN, THEY'RE EVERYWHERE.

OH, YEAH. THAT IS RIDICULOUS!

THE LEGEND OF ATLANTIS NORMALLY SPARKS UP

IMAGES OF RUINS UNDERWATER,

BUT OUR JOURNEY HAS TAKEN US INTO THE SKY.

THAT COULD FREAK SOME PEOPLE OUT

IF THEY SAW THAT ALL OF A SUDDEN.

OH, MY GOSH. IT LOOKS LIKE AN ALIEN SPACECRAFT.

WE'VE JUST LAUNCHED AN ADVANCED ARIAL LiDAR SYSTEM

WHICH WILL CREATE A 3-D RENDERING OF THE MOUNTAINSIDE

TO GET A TOTAL COUNT

OF THE ANCIENT PIT MINES THAT EXIST HERE.

THAT'S A BEAST.

BUT THEN IT WILL BE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING

WE'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE--

ACTUALLY STRIP AWAY ALL OF THESE TREES

TO REVEAL ANY REMNANTS OF AN ANCIENT CULTURE

THAT HAVE BEEN COVERED UP OVER TIME.

ALL RIGHT. SHE'S COMING BACK.

THIS TECHNOLOGY MAY HELP US FIND ANSWERS TO A MYSTERY

THAT REMAINS UNSOLVED--

WAS A LARGE-SCALE MINING OPERATION

SUPPLYING AN ANCIENT SOCIETY RIGHT HERE IN NORTH AMERICA?

EASE HER DOWN.

AND WHERE DID ALL THAT COPPER GO?

- NICE. - FIRST LiDAR SURVEY DONE.

GOOD JOB.

IF ENOUGH MINES SHOW UP,

IT COULD SIGNIFY A LOST WORKFORCE

THAT RIVALS THE PYRAMID BUILDERS.

IT WOULDN'T BE THE FIRST TIME ARIAL LiDAR

HAS UNEARTHED REMNANTS OF A CIVILIZATION.

IN 2015, LiDAR HELPED DISCOVER MEDIEVAL CITIES

BURIED BENEATH THE FOREST FLOOR IN CAMBODIA,

NOT FAR FROM THE FAMOUS TEMPLE COMPLEX OF ANGKOR WAT.

SO, THIS IS KIND OF THE EXCITING MOMENT, ISN'T IT?

YOU GET THE DATA. IT'S, LIKE, ABOUT TO APPEAR.

SEE IF IT LOOKS GOOD.BUT NOT YET.

ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT.

OH, IT'S COMING UP.

OH, HA.OH, MY GOD.

THAT IS SO COOL.LOOK AT THAT.

THIS IS THE PRELIMINARY RENDER OF THE FIRST-EVER 3-D LiDAR MAP

USED TO SEARCH FOR THESE ANCIENT MINES,

AND THE IMAGES ARE INCREDIBLE.

THIS IS MILES AHEAD OF ANY LiDAR THAT WE'VE USED.

WE'VE ONLY DONE ONE PASS, AND ALREADY WE'RE SEEING

FASCINATING GLIMMERS OF WHAT LIES BENEATH.

I'M NOT SURE ABOUT YOU,

BUT I'M SEEING A HUGE AMOUNT OF MINES.

I MEAN, THEY'RE EVERYWHERE.

BUT WE'RE NOT STOPPING HERE.

WITH SUCH ENCOURAGING EVIDENCE OF LARGE-SCALE MINING ACTIVITY,

WE'RE GOING TO SCAN A FAR LARGER STRETCH

AND USE THE TECH TO STRIP AWAY THE VEGETATION

TO GET A PRECISE COUNT.

I MEAN, IT REALLY IS IMPRESSIVE HOW LARGE OF AN AREA

THESE PIT MINES COVER.

THE INITIAL 3-D MODEL SUGGESTS WE MAY BE UNCOVERING

A MISSING CHAPTER OF AMERICAN HISTORY--

EVIDENCE OF A NATIVE POPULATION

FAR MORE TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED

THAN WE PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT.

BUT WHO'S TO SAY THAT THESE AREN'T PITS JUST DUG OUT

BY TURN-OF-THE-CENTURY PROSPECTORS?

WE REALLY NEED TO FIGURE OUT THE AGE RANGE OF THESE MINES.

THAT'S THE NEXT KEY.

LAKE MEDORA-- NOW AN IDYLLIC SETTING FOR LOCALS AND TOURISTS

LOOKING TO RELAX IN NATURE.

IT WAS FORMED ALMOST 12,000 YEARS AGO

AS THE RESULT OF GLACIAL RUNOFF,

AND IT'S BEEN FILLING UP WITH SEDIMENT EVER SINCE.

HEY!

WE'RE MEETING UP WITH GEOLOGISTS DAVID POMPEANI

AND KATHERINE VOLL

TO DATE THE COPPER-MINING ACTIVITY IN REGION.

- GOOD TO SEE YOU. - YEAH, GOOD TO SEE YOU.

- HEY, KAT. - HEY, STEFAN.

THIS PLACE IS BEAUTIFUL, HUH?

YEAH, IT'S A BEAUTIFUL LAKE.

WE'RE GONNA HEADING OUT TO THE DEEP SPOT.

WE'RE GONNA ANCHOR OUT THERE AND HOPEFULLY GET A GOOD CORE.

SO, WHAT MAKES THIS LAKE PARTICULARLY WELL SUITED

TO DATING THE COPPER FROM THIS REGION?

THE CHARLES WHITTLESEY MAP PLACES PREHISTORIC MINE PITS

ALL ALONG THIS AREA.

SO WHEN YOU MINE AND WORK METALS,

THEY EMIT A POLLUTION IN THE ENVIRONMENT.

AS THE METALS ARE DEPOSITED IN THE LAKE,

THEY FALL TO THE BOTTOM AND THEY'RE STUCK TO THE SEDIMENT.

AND THEY ACCUMULATE OVER TIME.

AND WE CAN GO THROUGH AND ANALYZE THOSE LAYERS,

AND DATE THEM WITH RADIOCARBON

IN ORDER TO GET AN AGE OF THE POLLUTION.

ALL RIGHT. LET'S GET OUT THERE, HUH?

YEP, SURE.

IF WE CAN PROVE THAT LARGE-SCALE MINING

WAS HAPPENING HERE OVER 6,000 YEARS AGO, AS SOME HAVE SAID,

THAT COULD MEAN THERE WAS A SOPHISTICATED CIVILIZATION

HERE IN NORTH AMERICA BEFORE THE PEAK OF ANCIENT EGYPT OR GREECE.

SOME HAVE POSITED THAT ANCIENT SEAFARERS

ACTUALLY TRAVERSED THE ATLANTIC TO NORTH AMERICA

AND CONTINUED UP THE MISSISSIPPI.

THEY WOULD'VE COME ACROSS THIS COMPLEX SOCIETY AT ITS PEAK,

AND RETURNED TO EUROPE WITH TALES OF THEIR JOURNEY.

IF THAT'S TRUE, DID THEY TRADE FOR COPPER

WITHOUT LEAVING EVEN A TRACE

OF THIS TRANSCONTINENTAL ENCOUNTER BEHIND?

SO, WE'VE SUCCESSFULLY TRIANGULATED OURSELVES

IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR ANCHORS.

SO WE'RE VERY STABLE, ROCK-SOLID,

READY TO CORE, RIGHT?RIGHT.

CARBON DATING THE BOTTOM OF THE LAKE WILL HELP DETERMINE

IF A NATIVE POPULATION

EVEN EXISTED AT THE SAME TIME AS THE ANCIENT GREEKS.

IF IT DID, WE WILL HAVE UNLOCKED A SOCIETY LARGELY MISSING

FROM OUR HISTORY BOOKS.

KIND OF COOL TO KNOW THAT THIS LAKE BED

IS KEEPING TRACK OF TIME?

AND HUMAN ACTIVITY IN THE REGION.

WHAT KIND OF WORLD DID THE INHABITANTS HERE CREATE?

METALLURGY DOESN'T OCCUR WITHOUT ADVANCED TOOLS

AND A MASSIVE LABOR FORCE.

STONE HAMMERS WOULD HAVE BEEN USED TO CHIP AWAY

AT THE HARD BEDROCK TO GET TO THE COPPER.

THEN THE ROCK FRAGMENTS WOULD BE HEATED

TO TEASE OUT THE COPPER VEINS--

ALL THIS AN UNIMAGINABLY SLOW AND PAINSTAKING PROCESS.

IT RAISES FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS--

WHAT WERE THESE PEOPLE USING THE COPPER FOR,

AND WHERE DID IT ALL GO?

IT SEEMS UNLIKELY THEY WOULD HAVE GONE

THROUGH ALL THIS EFFORT

WITHOUT IT SERVING SOME CENTRAL PURPOSE FOR THEIR SOCIETY.

ALL RIGHT. WE'RE ALL READY TO GO.

WE'VE GOT THE CORE SET. ROB, YOU HAVE IT?

LET'S GET IT IN.

I GOT THE RODS.

THE RODS.

GATHERING THIS CORE IS EFFECTIVELY LIKE PUSHING

A GIANT STRAW INTO THE LAKE.

START LOWERING DOWN.

IT WILL DESCEND INTO THE DEPTHS OF THE WATER.

ONE MORE ROD, STEFAN.

THERE YOU GO.

AND WE'RE GONNA GO DOWN. KEEP GOING.

COULD THE BOTTOM OF THIS LAKE HOLD THE KEY TO A CIVILIZATION

MISSING FROM THE HISTORY BOOKS?

THIS IS THE LAST PUSH.

- KEEP GOING. - STEFAN AND I ARE ON

LAKE MEDORA, MOMENTS AWAY FROM GATHERING

WHAT COULD BE THE MISSING LINK TO THEY MYSTERY OF ATLANTIS.

- THIS IS THE LAST PUSH. - SLOW AND STEADY, ROB.

- SLOW AND STEADY. READY? - HERE WE GO.

HERE GOES.

KEEP GOING.

I CAN FEEL IT GOING ALL THE WAY IN.

THAT'S AS FAR AS IT'S GOING.

EVERYONE GET A HAND ON IT.

ROB, YOU GET A HAND.YEP, YEP.

ONE UNIT, THE WHOLE TIME.THERE WE GO.

NOW WE GOT IT.

DATING A CORE OF LAKE SEDIMENT

CAN TELL US EXACTLY WHEN AN ANCIENT MINING SOCIETY

INHABITED THE AREA.

READY FOR THE NEXT ONE.

IF ANCIENT MINERS WERE HERE THOUSANDS OF YEARS

BEFORE WE EVER THOUGHT, COULD THEY HAVE PULLED

A BILLION POUNDS OUT OF THIS EARTH?

AND DID THAT COPPER SERVE AND AMERICAN ATLANTIS?

PERFECT.

- THIS IS THE MOMENT OF TRUTH. - GO FOR IT.

ROB, GO SLOW.

OH, WOW.

LOOK AT THAT.

KEEP GOING. I GOT IT, I GOT IT.

MOVE IT OVER ON TO THE DECK.

- YEP, RIGHT HERE? - YEP.

- SWEET. GOT IT. - THAT'S IT.

- WOW. THIS IS AMAZING. - THIS IS SUPER COOL.

HERE'S THE LAKE WATER.

THIS IS WHERE THE SEDIMENT BEGINS,

AND IT ACCUMULATES LAYER BY LAYER OVER TIME.

THE CORE RECORDS AGE WITH EACH LAYER OF DIRT,

ALMOST LIKE A TREE TRUNK DOES WITH ITS RINGS.

HOW MANY YEARS IS REPRESENTED HERE IN THIS CORE?

THERE'S SEVERAL THOUSAND,

MAYBE UP TO 7,000 YEARS OF SEDIMENT IN THIS CORE.

NO KIDDING.

THE FINAL PIECE TO THIS PUZZLE THAT HAS ELUDED US

FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS LIES IN THAT CORE.

COULD A LARGE-SCALE MINING OPERATION

SHOW UP THOUSANDS OF YEARS BEFORE THE ANCIENT GREEKS

LAID THEIR FIRST STONE,

BEFORE THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS ENTOMBED

THEIR FIRST PHARAOH?

THE LORE OF ATLANTIS MAY HAVE SPAWNED THIS JOURNEY,

BUT THE REALITY WE MAY HAVE UNCOVERED

COULD BE EVEN MORE MIND-BLOWING THAN THE MYTH.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE LOST CITY OF ATLANTIS.

COULD IT BE IN THE NEW WORLD? THAT'S THE BIG QUESTION.

ATLANTIS WAS SAID TO BE COVERED IN ORICHALCUM,

OR "MOUNTAIN COPPER."

SOME BELIEVERS CLAIM THIS AREA OF MICHIGAN PROVIDED

A BILLION POUNDS TO SERVE A LOST CIVILIZATION.

IF THERE WAS ANY NUMBER THAT WE DEVELOPED

WHICH IS CLOSE TO A BILLION POUNDS,

I THINK WE'VE HIT A HOME RUN.

SO THE FIRST STEP IS GETTING A CALCULATION

ON HOW MUCH COPPER THERE IS.

THE SECOND THING IS WE NEED TO TRY TO DATE THIS.

WE NEED TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHEN IN HISTORY

THIS COPPER WAS BEING MINED,

AND DOES THAT RELATE TO WHAT WE UNDERSTAND OF ATLANTIS?

THE PURPOSE OF THE ARIAL LiDAR WE DEPLOYED OVER THE MOUNTAIN

WAS TO GET A COUNT OF THE ANCIENT PIT MINES,

AND THE RESULTS ARE IN.

CHECK THIS OUT.

THIS IS ANIMATION OF THE LiDAR DATA.

OH, MY GOODNESS.

FINALLY, WE'RE ABLE TO USE THIS TECHNOLOGY

FOR ITS GROUND-BREAKING CAPABILITIES.

STRIPPING THE VEGETATION TO EXPOSE THE LAND BELOW

REVEALS A TRULY ASTOUNDING IMAGE.

NEVER BEFORE WOULD WE HAVE BEEN ABLE

TO GET THIS PERSPECTIVE OF WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN

THE GREATEST MINING LANDS ON EARTH.

I MEAN, THIS RIDGE IS RIDDLED WITH PIT MINES.

APPLYING OUR LiDAR FINDINGS FROM ONE MOUNTAIN RIDGE

TO CONSIDER THE ENTIRE AREA AROUND THIS LAKE,

WE'VE APPROXIMATED THAT THOUSANDS OF MINES COULD EXIST.

CONSIDERING ALL THE VARIABLES,

WE RAN THE CALCULATIONS TO APPROXIMATE

HOW MUCH COPPER WE THINK CAME OUT OF THIS REGION,

AND FOUND THAT IT COULD'VE PROVIDED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS

IF NOT MILLIONS OF POUNDS TO ANCIENT MINERS.

IT'S AN INCREDIBLY IMPRESSIVE NUMBER.

THAT'S A LOT OF COPPER.

THIS IS EXCITING.

WHERE DID ALL THE COPPER GO?

COULD THESE BE THE ORICHALCUM RICHES DESCRIBED BY PLATO?

TO MAKE A CLAIM THAT HUGE, WE NEED TO DATE THE CORE SAMPLE.

LOOK AT THIS RIGHT HERE. RIGHT AROUND 6,030 YEARS AGO,

YOU HAVE A HUGE INCREASE IN THE LEVELS.

WOW. THAT'S INCREDIBLE.

THAT'S BASICALLY A TIME SIGNATURE, A STAMP,

ON WHEN THE SMELTING TOOK PLACE.

6,000 YEARS AGO.

THE EGYPTIAN PYRAMIDS WEREN'T CONSTRUCTED

FOR ANOTHER 1,500 YEARS.

THE INVENTION OF THE WHEEL HAPPENED 500 YEARS

AFTER THIS COPPER-MINING SOCIETY.

THIS WAS LIKELY ONE OF THE FIRST PLACES

COPPER WAS EVER WORKED ON THE PLANET.

SO, HOW DID SUCH A SIGNIFICANT PIECE OF OUR WORLD HISTORY

JUST DISAPPEAR?

SO, WHAT DO YOU THINK?

COULD THIS BE THE LOST CIVILIZATION

THAT PEOPLE THINK BUILT ATLANTIS?

WELL, I DON'T THINK WE'VE FOUND

ENOUGH EVIDENCE FOR ATLANTIS.

BUT I THINK THROUGHOUT HISTORY,

THIS IDEA OF A MEGA-CIVILIZATION

MIGHT'VE GONE THROUGH A GAME OF TELEPHONE.

AND IF THERE WAS SOME PRE-COLUMBUS CONTACT

WITH NORTH AMERICA,

THAT MESSAGE COULD'VE SPREAD OVER INTO EUROPE

AND THE MEDITERRANEAN AND BLOWN INTO A STORY OF ATLANTIS.

THE QUEST TO FIND ATLANTIS HAD LED US

TO A MIND-BLOWING DISCOVERY OF AN ADVANCED CIVILIZATION

IN AMERICA THOUSANDS OF YEARS BEFORE WE EVER KNEW.

WHAT LOST, SOPHISTICATED CULTURE EXISTED HERE

WITH TECHNOLOGY RIVALING

THAT OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS AND EGYPTIANS?

WHEN DID THEY DIE OUT?

AS ARCHEOLOGISTS CONTINUE TO UNCOVER CLUES AND TECHNOLOGY

CONTINUES TO REVOLUTIONIZE, WE MAY SOON BE ABLE

TO FULLY FILL IN THIS VITAL MISSING CHAPTER

OF OUR AMERICAN HISTORY.