All language subtitles for Secrets in the Ice S02E08 Buried Secrets of Mount Cook 1080p WEB h264-KOMPOST_track3_[eng]

[man speaking]

[suspenseful music playing]

[narrator] A strange
foundation is uncovered

on a remote Siberian Island

It would have taken
a lot of time and energy

to build
this enormous complex.

The crumbling walls and ruin

practically cover
the entire island.

[narrator]
A shocking discovery

on New Zealand's highest pea

might mean rewriting
the history books.

[Amma]
And when the men were found

their ropes were coiled up.

This suggests
that they weren't climbing

when they died.

[narrator]
Mysterious formations

on an Artic beach

lead to a grisly discovery.

It's an eerie
almost alien sight.

What could have created
these bizarre circles

on this forgotten island?

Something really horrific
must have happened

to kill off so many people.

[narrator] These are
the strangest mysteries,

trapped in the coldest
places.

Lost relics,

forgotten treasures,

dark secrets,

locked in their icy tombs
for ages.

But now, as ice melts
around the world,

their stories
will finally be exposed.

[suspenseful music playing]

[narrator] Deep in
the Sengelen mountains

of Southern Siberia,

20 mi from Russia's border
with Mongolia,

a small island in the cente
of the frigid Lake Tere-Kho

harbors a big mystery.

At 4,000 ft above sea level,

Lake Tere-Khol is high up
in the mountains.

It regularly gets down

to -50 degrees Fahrenheit
in the winter,

and the ground
surrounding the lake

is predominantly permafrost

[narrator]
Archaeologists working

in the remote mountains

come across an unusual sigh

in the middle of the lake.

Out on a small
eight and a half acre island

they see the ruined remains

of numerous large walls
and buildings.

The crumbling walls and ruins

practically cover
the entire island.

What is this place?

[narrator]
The complex is made up

of a large
rectangular external wall,

705 ft long

by 531 ft wide.

Inside, there are two
main courtyards

and the remains of a large
central structure.

A chain of smaller
interconnected walled yards

and buildings
around the perimeter.

The complex on the island
is about the size

of two football fields.

I mean, that is huge.

The exterior wall
or curtain wall

is also really thick,

about 40 ft at its widest

and also about
30 to 40 ft high.

All the walls and buildings
are made of clay bricks,

so the site has become known
as Por-Bazhyn

or the Clay House.

Based on the types
of material

and construction
methods used,

archaeologists believe
the site must be at least

a thousand years old.

It would have taken
a lot of time and energy

to build
this enormous complex,

especially in such
a cold and remote location.

But you can just imagine
how it would have looked,

this huge walled structure
standing out there

in the middle of the lake,

it would have been
really stunning.

[narrator] Bizarrely,
the archeologists find

very little evidence of huma
presence at Por-Bazhyn.

When humans spend a prolonge
period of time somewhere,

they leave behind
what archaeologists call

a cultural or occupational
layer of artifacts.

But at this site,
they find nothing.

With no evidence
to indicate who lived here,

archaeologists must now
dig deeper to determine

what this
massive structure was.

[Anthony] In the winter,
this part of Siberia is cold

And archaeologists
don't even find evidence

that they tried to heat
this place.

No fires, no hearths.

There were thick walls

which could dampen
some of the cold

but when temperatures
are well below freezing

all winter long,

this place would be
unlivable.

With no evidence of heating
and no cultural layer,

it doesn't appear that anyone
actually lived here.

Why would someone build

such an elaborate structure
on an island

in the middle of nowhere,

only to leave it unoccupied?

[Amma] At 40 ft high,

that exterior wall
was really good

for keeping people out.

And its position on the island

is similar to the classic
military tradition

of building moats
around forts and castles.

[Dr. Cantor] If it's not
a domestic structure,

then perhaps it could have
been a military site.

Who was living here
around a thousand years ago

that needed
to protect themselves?

[narrator]
During the Middle Ages,

the Uyghurs, a nomadic
Turkic speaking people,

once ruled an empire
that spanned across Mongoli

and into Southern Siberia.

They were known for their
formidable fighting skills

and dominated the area
for centuries.

[Dr. Leonard] Today, this ar
seems incredibly remote

and out of the way,

but during the Uyghur Empire

there were a number of
trading routes

and other villages nearby.

So this site could have been

a strategic location
for defense.

[Anthony]
Looking at the outer walls,

researchers do find
the remains

of a wooden fighting platfor

running along
the eastern side.

So it's possible
that this place was built

with defense in mind.

But when you look closely

at the structure
and the layout,

all of the rooms
and smaller courtyards

do not open
into the main square.

[Dr. Leonard] If troops
suddenly needed to mobilize

on short notice,

this design feature
would create a bottleneck,

it would be a total disaster.

[Amma] And remember,
it's surrounded by water.

So quickly,
getting out of there

is gonna be a challenge.

But maybe that was the point.

The tall walls
would have been good

for keeping people out,

but could maybe also be use
to keep people in.

It's possible that this place

was built to be used
as a prison.

Islands are used
as prisons all the time.

I mean, think of Alcatraz
or Rikers Island.

And a remote location
on a lake would have been

a huge deterrent for
prisoners hoping to escape.

[narrator] Archeologists
find traces of repairs

to the plaster walls,

suggesting that the site
had been kept up

and maintained
for a long period of time.

Some of the interior walls
were painted

with red and black stripes

and even have evidence
of painted fresco.

So clearly,
whoever built this place

was also invested
in how it would look.

But you wouldn't go through
all that trouble

of making it look nice

just to keep prisoners there.

Maybe, looking
at the construction

of the building itself,

and the materials
that were used

can give us a clue

as to the origin
and the function.

[Dr. Leonard] Building on su
a remote island

would be extremely
challenging.

The walls appear to be made

by an ancient
construction method

called Hang t'u,

also known
as rammed earth construction

Clay rich soil is mixed
with gravel or sand

and pressed into wooden form
to create bricks.

[narrator]
Uncovered at the site,

preserved in the cold ground

researchers find
decorative tiles

with intricate patterns
and dragon faces on them.

This suggests
that the builders

could have been Chinese

or maybe they'd studied
Chinese building methods.

Hang t'u is a traditional

Tang Dynasty style
of building

and decorated roof tiles
like these

were popular in China
during the Middle Ages.

[Anthony]
This area has been lived in

and ruled over by many
different groups and culture

over the years.

So until
this material is dated,

it's gonna be really hard
to get an accurate assessment

of who actually built
this place.

[narrator] But in 2020,

an international team
of researchers announced

that they have made
a discovery

that could solve the myster
of Por-Bazhyn

once and for all.

[narrator] On a remote
Siberian Island,

known as Por-Bazhyn,

archaeologists may have
finally uncovered a clue

that will solve
the centuries old mystery

of who built this place.

They have uncovered
a well-preserved

wooden timber beam deep

in the site's foundations.

The walls were primarily made
of clay bricks,

and wood was just a secondary
construction material.

But because this beam
was found

in the base layers
of the wall,

it means it was placed
early on during construction

But if archaeologists
can date the wood,

it'll give us much more
precise information

about when the structure
was built,

and who built it.

[narrator]
Scientists have determined

that on very rare occasions

radio carbon
in the atmosphere

can inexplicably rise.

A largest jump like this
occurred in the year 775.

This excess carbon
is often seen

in the rings of trees
that were alive

during that era.

On the wooden beam
from Por-Bazhyn,

researchers were able
to identify the growth ring

that was formed in 775.

From there, they simply
counted the tree rings

to the bark edge
to find out exactly

when it was cut.

Two more rings formed
after that year,

so this tree must have been
felled and used

in the summer of 777 AD.

[narrator] This date places
the construction

of Por-Bazhyn
to the reign of Uyghur ruler

Tengri Bogu Qaghan.

[Dr. Leonard]
He was really interesting,

most of the Uyghurs
at the time

practice Buddhism.

But Bogu Qaghan had converted
to Manichaeism,

and he made it the official
religion of his empire.

He was actively trying
to convert his subjects

and may have needed a place
for them to study and pray.

Could this strange
Island complex

be a Manichaean monastery?

[Amma]
The layout of the buildings

on the island are similar

to a walled Buddhist temple
or a monastery.

There's a grand
central courtyard

that's surrounded
by smaller structures

where the monks live
and study.

But Bogu Qaghan was killed
in 779 AD,

and under the next ruler,

the official religion
was changed yet again.

[Dr. Leonard] The constructi
of the Por-Bazhyn site

had only started
a couple of years

before Bogu Qaghan died.

So there would have been
virtually no time

for it to be used
as a monastery.

This could explain
why there is no evidence

that the site
was ever occupied.

While there isn't
a definite answer

on the true purpose
of the building,

researchers don't have
much time

to continue studying
the site.

The island itself
is a plug of permafrost

and so as temperatures rise
it will thaw and soften.

That means
that in about 80 years,

its walls will collapse
into the lake,

taking its secrets with it.

[suspenseful music playing]

[narrator]
Running hundreds of miles

across New Zealand
South Island

is the intimidating
Southern Alps mountain range

And at over 12,000 ft
above sea level,

looms the indomitable peak
of Mount Cook.

As the tallest mountain
in the range,

Mount Cook
is the stuff of legend.

It's a magnet for climbers

willing to risk their lives
to climb it.

In Maori culture,

this icy behemoth
is known as Aoraki.

It's fabled to be the body
of a sky god

that came to earth,

slowly turned into rock

and became
the mountain itself,

creating life.

But the mountain
can also take life away.

Eighty people have died
trying to climb it.

[narrator] In 1999,

a pair of mountaineers
are climbing down

Mount Cook's
Southwestern face

when they spot
something unusual,

a flash of orange

lying half buried
in the snow.

They inch closer
to get a better look

and poking out
of the melting glacier

is a beat up climbing helmet.

[narrator]
Inside the crushed helmet

was a human skull.

[Jamie] Finding a discarded
or lost climbing helmet

is not common.

And the intact skull
of its owner inside

is a shocking reminder
of our mortality.

Uh, it would be
a terrifyingly scary discovery

for any climber.

[Amma]
But once the shock subsides

curiosity kicks in.

Surely, the rest of the bod

is out there somewhere
on the mountain.

What happened to this person?

[narrator] Mount Cook
is an intimidating peak,

but a huge draw
for climbers worldwide.

In the past,
legendary explorers

have used it
as a training ground,

such as Edmund Hillary

before his historic ascent
of Mount Everest.

What makes climbing Mount Cook
an enticing climb

is that there are nearly
50 routes to the top

a tremendous variety
and none of them are easy.

In fact, I'd say some
are nearly impossible.

[narrator]
The mountain has five sides

with six faces,

and seven main ridges
leading up to the peak.

The climber's helmet
and skull

were found
on a Hooker Glacier

on the mountain's
southwestern side.

After an extensive search
of the glacier,

further skeletal remains
are found buried in the snow

The investigators
also uncover

climbing apparatus,

crampons, ropes,

and a weather-beaten
wooden climbing axe.

[Jamie]
Based on their materials,

the axe, the rope,

they both appear to be
from the 1960s.

No one uses this kind
of gear anymore.

Whoever it is,

they've been lying here
for decades.

[narrator] The remains
are removed from the mountai

for forensic analysis.

In the lab,

investigators make
a startling discovery.

Counting the tibias,
the lower leg bones,

they determine
these remains didn't belong

to just one person, but two

Something awful
must have happened

to this pair of climbers
on that mountain,

what could it have been?

[narrator] At more than
6,500 ft high,

the treacherous Caroline Fac

is the longest
and steepest face

on the mountain.

During the 1950s and '60s,

many considered it suicidal

to even attempt
such a dangerous climb.

It wasn't until 1970

when climbers John Glasgow
and Peter Gough

put themselves
in the history books

by becoming the first
to successful scale

the Caroline Face.

It's certainly possible
that the two climbers

they found
on the Hooker Glacier

were trying to ascend
the Caroline Face.

But investigators still nee
to know who they were.

[narrator]
It's unlikely the pair died

where they were found.

The investigators believe
they perished

higher up the mountain,

with glacial movement
having forced the bodies

slowly down.

Researchers examine
the climber's gear

for any identifying feature

that could determine
the owner.

[Jamie] A helmet
is a very personal item.

You can tell a lot about
a climber from their clothing,

but especially
from their helmet.

[narrator] Close inspection
reveals something scratched

into the orange plastic

of the battered helmet,

a name,

"Cousins."

Who was Cousins?

Researchers scour
the list of climbers

lost on that mountain,

and they come across a match

[narrator]
In early November, 1963,

two young climbers,

Michael Goldsmith
and John Cousins

disappeared on Mount Cook.

Their bodies
were never found.

Cousins and Goldsmith
were good friends.

They were university student
in their early 20s,

excellent climbers.

They'd been climbing
in these mountains for years

They knew them
like the back of their hand

Their disappearance was
a tragedy for their familie

and for the New Zealand
climbing community in general.

[narrator]
The investigators trace

the last known movements
of the two friends.

Sometime after midnight
on November 1st, 1963,

the two young men set off
for the summit

without directly informing
the park ranger.

The next day,
park rangers found a note

from Cousins and Goldsmith

tucked under the door
of the guard hut.

It read, "Going to have a look
at the Caroline Face."

[Jamie] This note suggested

they intended to at least

attempt the Caroline Face.

In 1963,
it was still unclimbed.

For two young experienced
climbers,

a first ascent,
that'd have been a big deal

And frankly,
it still is today.

Climbing Mount Cook
like that,

that's a real feather
in your cap.

[narrator] Is it possible
the two climbers

were the first
to successfully scale

the Caroline Face?

A full seven years
before Gough and Glasgow?

After mountain climbers
find the remains

of two bodies high atop
New Zealand's tallest peak,

a team of forensic
researchers

are attempting to solve
a decades-old cold case.

They conclude
that the remains

pulled from the mountain

are of those of Goldsmith
and Cousins.

But whether they were
the first to climb

the Caroline Face
remains a mystery.

If they had completed
the climb,

why were their bodies found
in the Hooker Glacier,

on the opposite side
from the Caroline Face?

Along with the gear
that search and rescue crews

found within the glacier,

they also found an etrier.

It's a ladder
that's typically used

for ice climbing.

[Jamie] When you're climbing

you travel as light
as humanly possible,

taking with you only
the most essential gear.

If the men were expecting
to attempt the Caroline Face,

they would have left this
at base camp.

This indicates that the pai

could have climbed
the Caroline Face,

but they might have perished

on the way back
down the glacier.

[Amma] And when the men
were found in the glacier,

their ropes were coiled up.

This suggests
that they weren't climbing

when they died.

[Mike] If this had been
an avalanche,

you'd expect gear to be
scattered down the mountain

far away from these bodies.

So what happened
to these climbers?

[Jamie]
The most likely scenario

is they sought shelter
when bad weather descended.

They would have been exhausted

after a grueling climb
up the Caroline Face,

and likely would have tried

to wait out the bad weather

[narrator] Hoping to find
a definitive answer,

the investigators continue
to look for evidence.

Amongst the climbing gear
recovered with the bodies,

search and rescue
also retrieved

an old German-made
Braun camera

with a roll of 35 mm film
preserved inside.

[Jamie] If they had scaled
the Caroline Face,

they might have taken
a picture as proof,

or maybe they took a picture

during their last hours
or moments.

The main question is
can the film be salvaged

after spending nearly
40 years beneath the ice?

[narrator]
Sadly, a chemical reaction

between the iron
and the camera body,

and the silver bromide

in the film developing
emulsion

encased the film
in silver metal,

so it couldn't be developed

It's so frustrating
when the evidence

just does not cooperate.

There is so much
that science can do

but it, too,
has its limitations.

While the film can't confir
whether Cousins and Goldsmit

ascended the Caroline Face,

the families of the men
were able to get closure.

They finally knew the fate
of John and Michael.

Their beloved mountain
had taken them,

and they died doing
what they loved most.

[suspenseful music playing]

[narrator]
The Svalbard Archipelago,

a cluster of islands
900 mi north

at the Arctic Circle.

The remote collection
of frozen land

is midway between Norway
and the North Pole.

[Jamie] Historically,
the ocean around Svalbard

was obstructed by ice
most of the year,

blocking boat access.

The islands themselves

are a mix
of mountainous glaciers

and barren tundra.

[narrator] In 2014,

a group of Norwegian
archeologists

reached the frozen shores
of Amsterdam Island.

The team are exploring
a spit of land

on the island's south,

hunting for evidence
of habitation.

As they make their
way up the beach,

the team discovers a rocky
horseshoe-shaped formation

about 8 ft in diameter.

[Dr. Elliott]
The formation is made

of a dark,
concrete-like material.

It appears blackened or burnt,
almost like asphalt.

The team had brought
a state of the art drone

to conduct aerial surveys
of the area.

They get into the air

and right away capture
something odd.

[narrator]
The photos show six more

large horseshoe formations
on the beach

all around 7 or 8 ft
in diameter,

some are back to back,

creating a double
helix effect.

It's an eerie
almost alien sight.

What could have created
these bizarre circles

on this forgotten island?

[narrator] A group
of Norwegian archeologists

are investigating a cluster

of strange formations
on a remote arctic island.

At first glance,

they wonder if the unique
shapes were formed

by powerful geologic
natural forces.

It's possible
they're the remnants

of an ancient rock pool,

or maybe even small
meteorite craters.

But that doesn't account

for the burnt
asphalt material,

that looks manmade.

If they aren't
naturally formed,

they were obviously built
by people for some purpose.

So what were these circles
used for?

[narrator]
The archeologists wonder

if the circles were building

used by an indigenous peopl

who once called
these islands home.

In Northern Canada, Greenland,

and parts of Siberia,
we see igloos,

dome structures made of ice

And Inuit hunting tents
do leave stone rings,

so was it possible
these are Inuit structures?

[Dr. Elliott]
But an igloo wouldn't leave

a rocky trace like this,

and an Inuit building
would be made of stone,

not this asphalt material.

So if it's not an Inuit camp,

maybe a more modern group
lived here?

[narrator]
Between 850 and 1100,

the Vikings expanded
their territory

from Norway to Iceland,

and west to Greenland.

[Dr. Leonard] Viking buildin
were typically built

in an oval shape
to resemble their warships.

These formations are round,
almost circular,

so it's unlikely
that this was a site

of a Viking village.

[narrator]
The team scours the area

inside the formations.

The burnt remains of bone,

straw-like sticks,
and moldy charcoal

are spread across
the whole space.

It's strange
for a couple of reasons,

that's too big of an area

to be the central hearth
of a house.

And this is an unusual mix
of fuels.

Fatty bone marrow burns well,

and the tiny
straw-like sticks

were probably broom spindles

while the moldy charcoal
was likely driftwood.

They were using anything
they could find as fuel.

[Dr. Elliott] This massive
fire would have generated

a tremendous amount of heat

What was happening here
that needed a fire

that big and that hot?

[narrator] To learn more,
the researchers expand

their investigation
of the site further inland.

They're astonished

when they make
the grim discovery

of dozens of shallow graves

They contain the decayed
remains of 101 bodies

that have wasted away
to skeletons.

[Jamie] It's a ghastly site

Something really horrific
must have happened to

kill off so many people
in this remote community.

[Anthony]
The permafrost preserved

these people's clothes.
I mean,

their skeletons
are still dressed

in heavy woolen coats,

shirts, trousers, hats.

It looks like
they were dressed to work

in a really frigid climate.

[narrator]
Adding to the mystery,

each body has been buried

in an individual coffin
made of wood.

[Dr. Elliott] The wooden
coffins really stand out.

This community
was so desperate for firewood

they were burning broomsticks

but they saved enough wood
for a 101 coffins.

It's a strange contradiction

[narrator] Several bodies
are forensically examined,

allowing researchers
to date them

to the early 1600s,

many show signs of scurvy,

a deadly illness caused
by a lack of Vitamin C.

[Jamie] Whoever they were,
this community was living

a rough life,
working in the freezing cold

subsisting on a bad diet.

But did these people

build the formations
on the beach

over 400 years ago?

[narrator] The researchers
head back to the beaches

in the hopes of excavating
more artifacts.

Close to the circles,

they discover the remains

of large rounded pieces
of copper,

they're burnt and blackened
in places.

And they've corroded
after years of exposure

to the salty ocean
and Arctic air,

but their shape
is still clear.

These look like
giant copper cauldrons

and they're certainly
too big for a kitchen,

which means they probably
had an industrial use.

So what was being cooked
in these cauldrons

on the beach?

[narrator]
As the archeologists

dig into the permafrost

near the horseshoe
formations,

they uncover various
curiously shaped knives.

[Dr. Leonard] They look lik
little hockey sticks

with long handles
and curved blades.

These types of knives
are typically used

in abattoirs or fisheries
to butcher meat.

So what was being
butchered here?

[narrator] After Norwegian
archaeologists

discover a mass gravesite

containing over 100 bodies

dating back
to the early 1600s,

they then uncover
several large blades

possibly used for butchering

They wonder if the bodies,
the blades,

and the strange formations
on the beach

are somehow connected.

The team scours the beaches

and stumble across
their answer

half-buried in the sand.

They find these enormous bones

buried in the ground,
scattered at random.

[Dr. Leonard]
Some of the bones are long,

wide, and curved.

They're whale bones.

And it looks like they're from
a few different species.

[narrator] A close inspectio
of the bones

reveals the scrapes,
scratches,

and marks that only knives
or blades could make.

So could these asphalt
formations on the beach

be the most obvious remains

of a 17th century
whaling station?

[narrator]
Starting in the early 1600s

the Dutch, British, Danish,
and Norwegians

all battled for control

of a revolutionary
new commodity, whale oil,

had become the most
desired fuel for lamps

and a main ingredient in soa

giving way to the rise
of the blubber wars.

Throughout the 1600s
the British and Dutch

were obsessed with controlling
the whale oil market.

They send fleets
to the edges of the earth

looking undiscovered
hunting grounds.

[Anthony] The nutrient-rich
Atlantic and Arctic oceans

are a favorite place
for whales of all kinds

to feed during
the warmer seasons.

So once the sea ice receded,

the whalers gave chase.

[Jamie]
In the early 17th Century,

whalers couldn't easily boi
and render the fat

while at sea.

But the Svalbard Islands

are on the whales'
migration route

and made
for an excellent place

for the slaughtered whales
to be butchered, boiled,

and turned into oil.

[narrator]
The site on Amsterdam Islan

was called Smeerenburg,

Blubber Town in Dutch.

And for nearly 40 years,

it was the main
whaling station

of this Svalbard Archipelago

Rumors about Blubber Town
started to spread

in the 1660s.

And by the 19th century,

it was said that it was hom
to 18,000 people

complete with paved streets

bakeries, bars, and brothels

[Dr. Elliott] But the realit
of Blubber Town

was a far cry
from the legend.

At most, this station
supported around 200 whaler

during the spring
and summer months

butchering and processing
whales by their hundreds.

Those oddly shaped knives
were likely

flensing or mincing knives

used to butcher
the whales carcasses.

Then the blubber
will be boiled

and melted into oil

inside those huge
copper kettles.

The stench
must have been awful.

The working conditions
would have been

extremely harsh and dangerou

with limited shelter
and food.

[narrator]
The researchers believe

the dark asphalt
horseshoe formations

were the foundations
for blubber ovens.

They would have housed
huge fires

fueled by anything
the whalers could find

to heat the copper kettles
in which they would render

the whale blubber into oil.

The blackened
asphalt-like substance

that formed
the horseshoe circles

was an incredible combinatio
of sand and gravel

bound together with whale oi

and baked
into a building material.

This would have been a really
strong and resilient material.

Definitely capable of
supporting the copper kettle

full of boiling water
and blubber.

[narrator] Smeerenburg's tim

as an important
whaling station

was short-lived.

By the 1660s,

the whale population
around Svalbard

was hunted
to near extinction.

As whalers were forced
to hunt farther

from their archipelago,

it was easier
to butcher the whales at se

rather than make the trip
to Smeerenburg.

Blubber Town was abandoned.

And as Svalbard Archipelago'
main whaling post

was left to decay
in the frozen winds

and ice of the Arctic.

Over the course
of 40 odd years,

hundreds of whalers
worked in awful conditions

in this harsh place.

For some poor souls,

the danger, the cold,
and the diet

would prove too much.

And they were buried
in the permafrost

by their peers.

Ironically, raw whale blubber
is loaded with vitamin C.

So if these whalers had eaten

even a little more
of their catch,

they probably
wouldn't have died.

At least not of scurvy.

[suspenseful music playing]

[narrator]
Greenland's vast interior

is a seemingly
impenetrable sheet of ice.

In 1993,

a team of American geologist

pull ice core samples
from a glacier

deep in the heart
of the island.

They're hoping
microscopic debris

locked in the ice
can reveal more

about the Earth's climate.

[Mike] Greenland's glaciers
are ancient.

The layers of snow in them

store secrets from millennia

Scientists drill cores

hundreds or even thousands
of feet through this ice

in order to unlock the secrets

that are stored within it.

A 500-ft sample of core

can contain
a geological record

going back centuries.

They're like time traveling
ice tubes.

[narrator] The ice core samp
contains a layer

made of a mysterious
microscopic substance

that geologists
haven't seen before.

[Dr. Cantor] The scientists
are trying to find

ancient greenhouse gases.

But the material
in the ice core is solid

like a microscopic powder.

What is it?

[narrator] The scientists
are able to date

the ice layer that contains

the unidentified particles

to between 532 and 542.

This period is already know
to researchers

as a mysterious time
of climate change.

[Dr. Leonard] The Earth's
temperature plummeted

to its coldest
in over 2,300 years.

It's known
as the year of darkness.

[narrator] In 536,

people from across Europe,

the Middle East, and Asia

experienced
a never-ending fog,

a cold summer,
and near-permanent darkness

[Dr. Leonard]
One Roman official detailed

a perpetual blue colored su

that dimmed the full moon

and resulted in a summer
without heat.

It must have been terrifying

People literally thought
it was the apocalypse.

[Mike] There were reports
of snowcapped trees

in the middle of summer.

Without enough light
or warmth,

crops failed
all across Europe.

As a result, thousands
of people died of starvation.

[Dr. Cantor] The cause of th
so-called year of darkness

has never been
truly explained.

Was the secret trapped
in Greenland's ice

this whole time?

[narrator] Until now,
the leading theory

was that an enormous
volcanic eruption

blotted out the sun.

Does the Greenland ice core

contain traces
of volcanic ash

proving once and for all
that a volcano

caused the year of darkness

[Dr. Leonard]
When a volcano erupts,

volcanic ash
and sulfur dioxide

are spewed into
the atmosphere.

Here, they reflect
the sun's light and heat

back into space
cooling the planet.

[Mike] The super lightweigh
dust and debris

could hang in the atmospher
and circulate for years.

Eventually, it can settle down
out of the atmosphere

and be locked away
in these ice and rock cores

for thousands of years.

[narrator] The scientists te
the core samples

for volcanic debris
such as bismuth and sulfur.

They find traces of sulfate
but in miniscule amounts

when compare
to other eruptions

that had drastic effects
on the global climate.

Certainly,
not enough to block

the sun out for months.

[Mike] But this substance
that's locked

in this single layer
of an ice core

is still unidentified.

So if this year
of darkness 536

wasn't caused
by a volcanic ash cloud,

what else could it be?

[narrator] As researchers
continue to investigate

a strange anomaly
within an ice core sample

pulled from the center
of Greenland's ice sheet,

they're able to determine

it is related
to what is known

as the year of darkness.

But if the strange substanc
isn't volcanic ash,

what could it be?

Another theory is
a big impact from a meteorite

threw up enough dust
to block the sun.

When huge meteors
smash into the Earth,

the explosive impacts
can force

a massive amount of debris
into the sky

which blocks the sun
and cools the planet.

[narrator] The geologists
analyze the ice core sample

looking for evidence
of extraterrestrial material

[Dr. Cantor] By comparing
the substance in the ice cor

to known meteorite fragment
on Earth,

they can tell
if the sample is meteoric.

[narrator]
But the unknown substance

is determined to be
from Earth, not space.

The researchers are stumped

[Mike] The two most
logical causes

of this debris
in the atmosphere

that may have caused
the year of darkness,

just aren't possible.

So what can
this strange substance

in the ice core tell them?

[narrator] The scientists
study the chemistry

of the ice core

and make a surprising
discovery.

The mysterious substance

is a calcium-laden sediment

containing microscopic
marine fossils.

[Dr. Cantor]
The place in Greenland

this sample was pulled from

is hundreds of miles inland

So what are ocean-dwelling
life forms doing there?

[Mike] But here is where
it gets even stranger.

The scientists found
91 species,

all from warm tropical water

thousands of miles
to the south.

It's baffling.

It's the largest deposit
of microfossils

from temperate
or tropical climates

ever found in an ice core.

Tropical marine fossils

way up in glacial Greenland?

It doesn't make any sense.

How did they get there?

[narrator]
The researchers return

to a version
of their original theory,

a volcanic eruption.

But this time, they wonder,

did the volcano
under the ocean

cause the year of darkness?

[Dr. Leonard] Volcanoes
are notoriously violent,

causing explosions, tsunamis
and earthquakes.

The 1883 eruption of Krakatoa

is believed to have spewed
11 cubic mi of ash

and debris
into the atmosphere.

That's almost 20 million
Olympic size swimming pools

filled with ash.

[Dr. Cantor] The sun
was blocked for three days

for hundreds of miles
around Krakatoa.

And volcanic ash fell
nearly 4,000 mi away.

The explosion was
10,000 times more powerful

than the atomic bomb
dropped on Hiroshima.

And that volcanic energy
doesn't just go away

if the eruption
is underwater.

[narrator] Based on
the microscopic fossils

in the ice core,

the geologists determine

that 1,500 years ago,

an underwater volcano
located near the equator

could have erupted
with an enormous force.

[Mike]
In an underwater eruption,

clouds of ash
aren't exploding

straight into the air.

Instead, the volcanic heat
vaporizes the seawater.

[Dr. Cantor]
Jets of steam would shoot

into the stratosphere
and carry with them

those calcium-rich sediment

and microscopic
sea creatures.

After floating around
the Earth for a while,

they'd scatter
across the planet,

including into the Arctic.

But how can the sea creature
found in a Greenland glacie

prove an underwater volcano

caused the year of darkness
in 536?

[narrator] Further analysis
shows the calcium deposits

in fossils from the ice cor

are pale or white in color.

Researchers believe
that microscopic creatures

were likely displaced
from the ocean

into the atmosphere.

Just like volcanic ash,

a sustained cloud
of vaporized seawater

rich in pale marine debris

would reflect
the sun's light and heat

extremely efficiently.

It's also possible
that this wasn't

just one underwater
volcanic eruption,

but several all occurring
in the same timeframe

creating one prolonged
dark cold period.

So it seems like
microscopic organisms

locked way up in the ice
in Greenland

had a profound impact
on climate

about 1,500 years ago.

The brutal twist to the stor

is that once
the year of darkness

started to wane,

the light wasn't
at the end of the tunnel.

So many rats died
of starvation that year

that they're fleas
found new homes on humans.

As a result,
the Justinian Plague

was unleashed across Europe
and rest of the world

killing tens of millions
of people.

[Mike] And so ultimately,
one dark period

led straight into the next.