Examining the Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch meteor theory

The Mystery at Blind Ranch team thinks a giant meteor might be stalling their progress, but this theory might not be as compelling as it seems.

Half of the entertainment of watching Duane Ollinger, Chad Ollinger and their various experts set out to solve the mysteries that plague their Uintah Basin property and hopefully find some hidden treasure along the way – is hearing all of the theories that this team comes up with to explain the truly strange things that end up halting their progress.

All about the meteor theory

If you have finished the most recent third season of Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch, you will know that the team’s current reigning theory revolves around a huge (treasure-vault sized) meteorite, which they suspect may be buried somewhere beneath the infamous “energy zone.”

However, while this theory is certainly intriguing, we certainly would not be doing the show any justice, if we did not investigate it on our own. The reality is that meteorite impacts are much rarer than you might think.

To date, there are only 190 recorded instances in The Earth Impact Database, with only about 27 confirmed meteorites ever found in Utah.

And although we cannot actually examine the pieces of this Blind Frog Ranch meteorite under a microscope ourselves to confirm its authenticity, we can examine some of the claims made throughout this very thrilling episode of Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch.

All about Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch’s most recent season

If you want a quick recap of how the Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch team arrived at their new meteor theory, you may want to re-watch the most recent season of the show, which can be outlined as follows:

Can Iridium really only be found in outer space?

Most of what the Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch team has told us about the very rare element iridium is true. It is incredibly corrosion resistant, unreactive and dense, and this makes it even more valuable than gold.

However, saying that iridium can only be found in space is not entirely accurate. Iridium is certainly more abundant in space than it is on earth, but it is still a naturally-occurring element which can be found in exceptionally rare instances on earth.

In fact, iridium is often recovered for commercial purposes in the refining processes of copper and nickel, and there are a few Iridium ores in places like Brazil, the United States, Myanmar, South Africa, Russia and Australia.

Iridium can also be found in very small concentrations in the earth’s core and crust.

Some scientists even believe that the traces of iridium found in the earth’s crust could be evidence of the asteroid impact that wiped out dinosaurs.

Can meteorites really bury themselves underground?

According to Space.com, meteorites usually strike the ground at a speed that is roughly half of what they were travelling upon entry, and can blast out craters up to 20 times the size of the object.

And while Blind Frog Ranch’s theoretical meteor impact likely happened many years ago and it was not so much buried as covered with layers of dirt and sediment over the years, there is simply no evidence of such a large meteor hitting the “energy zone” (at least from what we can tell on television).

That is to say, this area of Blind Frog Ranch does not seem to have any bowl-shaped craters, or even a central peak. It also does not have terraces around its rim (which is common in larger meteorite impacts).

Could there really be lava tubes underneath Blind Frog Ranch?

While giant lava tubes running underneath the surface of the earth may seem somewhat difficult to believe, or even frightening,  this part of the Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch team’s theory seemingly does hold some weight.

Lava tubes are quite common worldwide – with the largest being the Kazumura cave in Hawaii (which is over 40 miles long).

There is even some evidence to suggest that this phenomenon can happen in the Blind Frog Ranch vicinity, as Utah is actually home to its own relatively famous underground lava passages called the Meadow Lava Tubes.

And, though we are cautious about fanning the flames of a yet-unproven theory, it is worth mentioning that many scientists closely associate lava caves with so-called “troglobites.”

Troglobites is a group name used to describe animals which have adapted to living in the dark environment of underground caves. This ties in nicely with the cave-dwelling frogs that gave the Ollingers’ ranch its name.