Mysteries of...: Season 1, Episode 3

1 - 3: Mysteries of Sink Holes

This feature-length documentary dives into sinkholes, a terrifying phenomenon that has plagued humanity for thousands of years. Sinkholes form suddenly and without warning. The film explores sinkholes high up in the mountains of south west China and sinkholes hundreds of metres underwater in the Gulf of Mexico. Laura Gerber nearly drowned in a water-logged sinkhole. Matt Pritchard was forced to watch a chasm slowly tear his home apart. But how do sinkholes form, some being natural and others human-induced? In Florida's infamous 'Sinkhole Alley', with over 20,000 recorded incidents, and in Guatemala City, where an epic 20-metre sinkhole swallowed up a three-storey factory, destructive sinkhole secrets are revealed. But sinkholes don't just bring destruction. Cutting-edge technology reveals living environments deep within sinkholes. Cavers and divers pursue exhilarating archaeological expeditions 80 metres deep, unearthing hidden worlds dating from ancient Rome and the Maya civilisation.