This episode explores whether catastrophic natural disasters throughout history—from the 2011 Japan tsunami to the devastating 365 AD earthquake that raised the island of Crete nine meters—might have been influenced or even triggered by extraterrestrial forces. Ancient astronaut theorists point to reported UFO sightings over Japan following the 2011 disaster as potential evidence of alien interest in human catastrophes, with some proposing that otherworldly beings may deliberately provoke such events. The episode draws connections between ancient myths, like the Greek god Poseidon's power to shake the earth and unleash tsunamis, and the possibility that these stories describe advanced technological beings rather than supernatural deities wielding destructive power over humanity.
Mainstream science attributes these disasters to well-understood geological processes: earthquakes result from tectonic plate movements, and tsunamis are generated by massive energy pulses displacing ocean water, typically from undersea quakes. The correlation between UFO reports and disasters can reflect heightened attention during crisis periods rather than causation, and ancient peoples naturally interpreted incomprehensible natural forces as divine actions. Still, the episode offers compelling questions for anyone intrigued by how civilizations make sense of catastrophe—whether the puzzle lies in why humans consistently frame disasters through narratives of intentional agency, or in the tantalizing patterns theorists identify across cultures and millennia when describing destructive forces from the sky.
Chicxulub Crater
Mexico · Hypothetical Extraterrestrial
Theorists argue the Chicxulub asteroid impact 65 million years ago was a deliberate act by extraterrestrials to exterminate the dinosaurs and make Earth safer for the eventual development of humanity as their engineered creation. Mainstream science identifies the 180-kilometer Chicxulub impact crater as the result of a six-mile-wide asteroid that struck the Yucatan Peninsula, triggering a mass extinction event that wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs.
Crete
Greece · Ancient Greek
Theorists argue the 365 AD earthquake and tsunami that devastated Crete may have been the wrath of Poseidon — potentially an extraterrestrial being wielding advanced technology — wielded to destroy resurgent paganism and reshape the religious course of Western civilization. Mainstream geologists attribute the event to a massive undersea earthquake, estimated at magnitude 8, which raised the island of Crete by nine meters and sent tsunamis across the Mediterranean.
Hongshan Archaeological Site, Chifeng
China · Chinese
Theorists argue that 5,000-year-old Hongshan stone carvings depicting what appears to be a comet or meteor were created with foreknowledge of a catastrophic strike around 3,000 BC, suggesting extraterrestrials warned the Hongshan people of the impending disaster. Mainstream archaeology attributes the Hongshan culture's carvings and jade artifacts to a sophisticated Neolithic society in northeastern China, without endorsing any extraterrestrial interpretation.
Mount Kilauea
United States · Native Hawaiian
Theorists argue that ancient Hawaiian legends of Pele, a goddess said to have come from the clouds or sky, may reflect contact with extraterrestrial beings who used the volcano as a base, similar to how modern militaries hollow out mountains for secret installations. Mainstream volcanology identifies Kilauea as the most continuously active volcano in the world, with Hawaiian mythology attributing its eruptions to the goddess Pele as part of indigenous religious tradition.
Mount Tambora
Indonesia · Modern
Theorists suggest that local religious traditions attributing the 1815 eruption to the gods may point to an extraterrestrial presence using volcanoes as bases or weapons. Mainstream volcanology identifies the 1815 eruption as the largest in recorded history, discharging an estimated 120 cubic tons of material into the atmosphere and causing the 'Year Without a Summer' in 1816.
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Haiti · Modern
Theorists point to missionary reports of a strange ball of light filmed in the sky less than 24 hours before the 2010 earthquake as possible evidence of extraterrestrial involvement or monitoring of the disaster. Scientists attribute such lights to the phenomenon of 'earthquake lights,' caused by geophysical energy discharges preceding tectonic events.
Tassili n'Ajjer
Algeria · Cro-Magnon / Upper Paleolithic
Theorists argue that cave paintings at Tassili n'Ajjer, some dating to 8,000 BC, depict extraterrestrial beings in suits and helmets who warned local populations of coming climate change and guided them to new habitable areas. Mainstream archaeologists interpret the rock art as Neolithic depictions of humans and animals reflecting a once-green Sahara, with the so-called 'Martian' figures representing ritualistic or shamanic figures.
Tōhoku Coast, Japan (2011 Earthquake/Tsunami Zone)
Japan · Modern
Theorists argue that the thousands of UFO sightings reported over Japan in the days following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami suggest extraterrestrials were monitoring or even influencing the disaster. Mainstream science attributes the 8.9 magnitude earthquake to tectonic plate movement along a subduction zone, with the tsunami resulting from the explosive seafloor upheaval.