04x04 - The Skull

[bunniefuu]

All right, James,
what do we got here?

Previously
on Blind Frog Ranch...

So, we have a magnetometer.

In their quest to
find the lost Aztec treasure,

a magnetometer scan
revealed a possible hidden tunnel

in the South Cave.

There's something
pretty large back there.

While attempting to
reach the void with a jackhammer...

the mysterious rumbling
returned and collapsed the cave.

There's no way
we can go back in there.

No, we gotta find
another entrance, dude.

With the Bead
Site now the team's only lead...

Huddle up, everybody.

Charlie discovered
a mysterious building material...

I've never seen
anything up here like this.

which may
be Aztecan cement...

The Aztec created massive
structures using mortar and concrete.

leading the team to
marshal in some heavy duty gear

to finally break through
to the keyhole chamber.

Yeah! You're grinding now!

Hold! Hold! Hold!

What do you got, guys?

This is an altar piece.

This shouldn't be here.

Legends of ancient treasures...

This has to be
hundreds of years back.

- and unexplained phenomena...
- What the hell is that?

meet at a 160-acre
property in northeast Utah

known as Blind Frog Ranch...

where Duane Ollinger and
his team are digging in search

of long-lost Aztec gold.

So, the Aztecs
have discovered this?

But the closer they get...

Finally get to hold
gold in my hand!

the more
the land fights back.

- Poison gas!
- Go! go!

Now, Duane will
move heaven and earth...

Fire in the hole.

until he gets to
the bottom of the mystery...

We started this whole deal, and
we're sure as hell gonna finish it.

and solves
what's lurking below...

Holy there's something in there!

at
Blind Frog Ranch.

What have we got here?

It looks like a metate.
This come out of this hole?

It came from that hole,
yeah. That all came out.

I mean, it's possible
it's a metate.

But this is just a perfect
piece of stone that I've seen

many times used as some
type of top side of the altar

for them to put all
ceremonial goods on top of.

So, what do you mean? Like,
their offerings would've been on here?

But what's interesting, too, there's
a lot of times we ended up finding

stone boxes underneath them

that had permanent
offerings to the Gods.

I'm thinking this
is an altar piece.

I think there
really is something

- to these smoke pipes.
- Yeah.

Well, every time I work here, I
seem to say, "This shouldn't be here."

We're already finding artifacts.
I mean, we just got started.

This is incredible.

What you got, James?

I mean, it's possible
that it's a metate,

but what I used to see around some
of the pyramids in the temples was,

they were finding altars that the poorer
individuals, that couldn't actually access,

were putting on the edges as offerings
and, then, putting their artifacts

on top.

There's got to be
other pieces to this, too.

In the Aztec capital,

offerings of the ruling class
were made atop elaborate altars

at the apex of pyramids.

But for peasants
and poorer folk,

simpler altars were often placed at
the foot of significant ceremonial sites.

And both Mary, a chief executive
for the Timpanogos Nation...

This site meant something.

and
Dr. Blomquist...

It could be an altar.

think
the Bead Site

was used as either a
religious site for ceremonies,

or a burial site.

That actually could be something
that they put offerings on.

We're right next to what was an
important cultural site to the ancients.

This was brought
in to this spot.

It's not from this
cliff line here at all.

But we gotta go deeper
in order to figure this out.

It's an incredible find. I
mean, this is fantastic.

So, if that's an altar, then
there must be more to it.

There's gotta be more to it.

Chad wants to
meet up at the hideout.

All right, let's wrap
for the day, fellas.

What we do know right now
is that entrance that we found,

the South Cave, is done.

We have to find a safer
entrance and more stable.

Eric and Chad's efforts in the
South Cave to reach the keyhole chamber

through the void nearly
had deadly consequences.

Come out! Come out!

And, now, they need to try
to find an alternate way in.

We have to find
another entrance, Duane.

I mean, we just... There's
no other option at this point.

We can't go back in there, work
in that spot, that South Cave.

Yeah, I agree. I
agree on that one.

There has to be another entrance

because it's too tight to
get these big logs in there.

There's another way in
there, and we have to find it.

Yeah, I saw a passage, another
passage right there at the timbers.

- Right.
- So, that could lead right to the surface.

- Exactly.
- I mean, looking for any depression, any sinkhole.

You see that, we start
digging. Open that thing up.

Some of the world's largest
caves follow fault systems.

That's a weakness
zone in the earth.

So, I think I'll start
by looking for faults.

I mean, the South Cave entrance
has a fault that appears to extend

from the cave entrance
up to the top of the cliff.

So, that'll probably be
a good place to start.

And, so, I'm looking at
a technology called lidar.

What it does is it creates this really
cool 3D image of the ground, basically.

And we're gonna fly it
over the entire ranch.

We can look at
trends, things like faults.

So, we can follow that fault
zone from the South Cave,

and maybe we can find a
larger entrance through that.

That lidar deal, Eric,

- hell of an idea. Let's do it.
- Yeah.

Eric, this is the lidar
you've been talking about?

Yup, that's it.

I'm getting ready to fly it. It's gonna
give you some amazing images, Duane.

With the South
Cave too dangerous to explore,

Eric is using lidar technology in
an attempt to identify the fault line

that extends northward
from the cave,

in the hopes that there might
be another viable entrance

into the keyhole chamber.

The lidar can see
through vegetation,

hopefully revealing
a larger entrance

that might explain how the hewn
logs were brought into the South Cave.

This technology has been
used to explore in the jungles,

to find hidden pyramids,
lost civilizations.

It's a very powerful
exploration tool.

Using lidar technology,

researchers in 2009 discovered a forgotten
Mayan city in the jungle of Guatemala.

Their findings revealed that
the ancient city of Caracol

was one of the largest
in the world in 700 CE.

They were also able to identify

ancient settlements
near Calakmul,

including a pyramidal
construction plaza and canal.

All right, Duane, here we go.

- Hell, yeah.
- Yes!

- Yes!
- I'll be damned.

Yes!

Look at that somebody go!

This is pre-programmed.

It's gonna fly a grid pattern.

We're looking at it right there

start to get the pattern.

This is gonna give
us a super-detailed

3D image of the
topography of your ranch.

And that, I can put that
next to a geologic map.

I can look at formations. I
can look at possible fault lines,

fracture zones,
drainage patterns.

This is some of that Star
Trek - It is.

I agree with you, Duane.

Here it is.

It looks like it's got its data.

It's gonna land.

That's a handy somebody.

Yeah, isn't that something?

That is amazing.

That was one quadrant.
We have three more to do.

- Okay.
- It'll take about 40 minutes per quadrant.

- Hell, yeah. Sounds good. Good job.
- All right, Duane.

- We got the results of the lidar scan here.
- Good.

With the lidar data complete, Chad
and I are gonna go through the findings

and, hopefully, be able to detect
another possible entrance to the cave.

- Wow, nice.
- We can see features.

We can see different
geologic structures.

We can see a fault zone
going right through there.

Nice, look at that.

- Yeah! You see, right here?
- Yeah.

That looks like a fault
zone that goes right along

towards that entrance
of the South Cave.

So, the South
Cave lines up with it.

- That's amazing.
- Yeah.

A fault line is responsible
for creating the South Cave.

The fault splits the entire rock
formation that sits above the cave

and continues north across the
area above the keyhole chamber.

Because caverns often
form along fault lines,

Eric believes that
another entrance may exist

somewhere along this fault that may
be big enough to bring in the hewn logs.

I'm following this
fault to the northwest,

and I'm seeing a little...
something a little weird here.

- You see that bare spot there?
- Yeah, I see it.

- There's no vegetation there.
- Right.

It looks like an open pit mine.

Open pit mines
are used to extract minerals

that are relatively
close to the surface.

As the overburden,
or soil, is removed,

more minerals are exposed.

In time, the technique
leaves behind an open pit.

You can see the vegetation
as you follow the fault zone.

And, then, all of a sudden, the vegetation
dies out. There's a big bare spot there.

On the lidar scan, I'm seeing a bare patch
of mountainside right over the fault line.

To my geologist's eyes, that
looks like an open pit mine

right above the fault,

which means it could be a
way into the cave system.

Minerals like gold
and underground caverns

often have one thing in common,

they exist along fault lines.

An open pit mine
sitting on top of a fault,

like the one Eric has spotted, might
indicate that miners looking for gold

broke through to a larger
underground cave system,

a system that could lead back to the
keyhole cavern underneath Blind Frog Ranch.

If we were to find something
like that with another entrance,

- we could walk right in.
- Hell, yeah.

- Yeah.
- We just have to get up there.

Exactly.

Here's Code Creek. You're
saying there could be faults here?

Whenever you see things in
nature that are straight like that,

it could be an indication
that there's a fault there.

And perhaps, if
we find the fault,

maybe we find
the other entrance.

- We keep our eyes peeled for anything.
- Yup.

Using data from a lidar scan,

Chad and Eric are following a
fault line north from the ranch

toward a suspected pit mine.

Eric theorizes a cavern system
may have developed along the fault

and could potentially
lead all the way back

to the keyhole chamber
under the ranch.

Some tracks in here.

Right here, yeah.

- Looks like paws in there.
- Cat, right here.

- See that?
- Yeah, yeah.

Hey, look at this.

- My.
- Bone.

There's still
some meat on that bone.

- Shin bone, not sure.
- Yeah.

It looks pretty recent, though.

Look at the coloration of it.

This is kind of
weird. Look at this.

They're broken, but it's almost
like there's a little hut inside there,

like a little shelter.

What you'll always see is an
entrance and a place to, like, hide.

Here's another one.

It's almost like it's, kind
of, some kind of shelter.

These are all bent over.

There's broken trees.

- Like the brush is cleared from the inside out.
- Exactly.

We're in the middle of nowhere,

and people don't
build things like this.

If I was to have a shelter, it
wouldn't look anything like this.

- And this is like the third or fourth one.
- Right.

- I don't know.
- It's very strange.

Look at this.

There's another one.

Jaw bone. Yeah.

- It's a deer?
- Probably a deer.

- So, there's a lot of deer.
- Yeah, there's a lot of

predator-prey going on here.

I just hope we're not the prey.

Something large is feeding
and possibly denning up here.

I don't know what it is, and I
have no intention of finding out.

We just gotta be careful.

We've got a long
trek ahead of us.

What is this?

Eric, Look at this.

This, right here.

All these branches are
just, like, shoved in here.

- Like, if a tree was to fall, you would see the root, right?
- Right.

And, like,
this. This, right here.

That is not from here.

And, like, this.

It's shoved in here like this.

Yeah, it does look a bit odd.

- Hey!
- Look at this

Look at this, right here.

- Whoa!
- Watch out! Watch out!

- Whoa.
- What is that?

It's a skull.

Hey, look at this!
Look at this.

Eric and Chad are
searching for an open pit mine

and another way
into the cave system.

But they found something
else unexpected.

Watch out! Watch out!

- Whoa.
- What is that?

It's a skull.

That was sitting up in the tree.

That was up on that tree, man.

What do you think this is?

Maybe a
deer, something like that?

Yeah. Doesn't
have, like, fangs.

Hey, maybe it's the head to the
jaw bones we found down below.

Could be.

- But why was it in the tree?
- Why was it in the tree?

- That's exactly right.
- Exactly.

You know, I did some
exploration in Africa,

and I know the only cat

that's known to store their
kills in trees are leopards.

- Well, there's no leopards here.
- No leopards here.

So, something put it up there.

All right, let's just
see if it goes together.

Look at that.

- Look at that.
- Why was some of it left down there

and some of the
skull was up here?

Yeah, I think maybe
the k*ll was down there,

and somebody, or something, took the
skull and put it up there, for some reason.

Why were they separate,
though? I mean...

For what reason, I don't know.

Yeah, this is creepy, you know?

- I'm not digging it.
- I don't want to.

- No.
- Could be a bad omen.

Yeah.

There they are.

Yeah, let's go
have a chat with Duane.

You know, Charlie
boy, that's a hell of a find.

It was a damn good find.

Earlier at the Bead Site,
the team discovered a flat stone

that might have been
part of an Aztecan altar

which was found 30 feet below
the top of the rock formation.

- Hey, guys, how's it going?
- Gentlemen.

- That was a pretty exciting find.
- It damn sure was.

Now, that was a major deal.
We need to find more of it, though.

- I mean, now that we're finding artifacts...
- Yeah.

God only knows what's
gonna come out of that hole.

- You need to go through that up there real good.
- Yeah.

You know, it was right there where
that dirt was and where that tree was.

There's a lot of alcoves
right up here, too.

It could have been up
there and just, over time,

fallen and, then, buried in
that ledge and hardened.

Well, I think
we learned a lesson.

We just need to take it real
slow now, really keep an eye out.

James and I will go up there,

and let's really look that area
over that you were digging.

And, then, once we clear it,
you can come in and we'll go at it.

Thank God you spotted
that yesterday, Duane.

- That worked out well.
- Yeah.

But we just need to keep as many
eyes on it as possible as we're going.

Yeah, absolutely.

If we find that chamber, you're gonna
find tens of thousands of more things

than what we just found.

That's why we're here.

All right, we'll take a
look, then we'll get going.

- See you all up there.
- All right.

- Let's scour this whole area here.
- All right.

Now, let me get up in the hole
and see what we've got up here.

Josh, how about if you follow all
these roots that are coming down

through the stone here,

see if they've attached to anything
or something's got stuck in them.

'Cause roots are great
at capturing artifacts.

Well, I'm not
seeing anything in here.

Is that a hole
going back in there,

there in the corner?

That keeps going down?

- Yeah.
- Yeah. Look at this.

Looks like a hole to me.

Can you follow those thicker roots
right there, where your hand is?

Yeah, sure.

- Hey, look at that. Look at that.
- Yeah.

- Whoa! That's just coming right out.
- Yeah, it is.

And look at all the roots
that are coming down out of it.

Look at this.
Look at that, James.

That's still moist.

- This keeps going, James!
- Look at that thing.

And that's going down
underneath it, too.

Look at this. My God!

This is soft.

This hole keeps going back, and
I can just dig this with my hand.

There's gotta be a way to
see if everything's connected.

Well, why don't we just smoke
it? Let's see where it comes out.

- Hell, yeah.
- That's a good idea.

- That's a great idea.
- I'm at the end of my reach, and I can't...

It's still going.

When I ran that endoscope
up above in the holes above us,

it looked like it opened up.

And I think this thing could
connect to that, as well.

Well, let's do what Charles was
saying. Let's smoke it, then, right now.

Yeah, let's get some smoke in
it and see where it comes out.

If this connects
up to the chimney,

- we can start putting that together.
- Yeah.

- Hey, let's let Duane know.
- Yeah, that's a good idea.

Hey, Duane, you
got your ears on?

Go ahead.

We got quite a hole going
back underneath this rock.

Copy that.

Looks like we've
exposed a vent pipe.

We're gonna smoke it
out and see if it connects.

Copy that. Smoke don't lie.

Well, we're gonna
hook up the smoke machine,

take this hose and put it right
in that hole we found earlier.

- All right.
- And we'll see if it connects.

Pumping smoke into the hole

will help the team to understand
the structure of the vents

hidden behind the rock,

and could provide clues to how the
ancients were using this ceremonial site.

Well, let's get it set up.

It'll work. It'll
damn sure work.

Well, let's fire it up, and
we'll back up and see

- if we see some smoke coming up top.
- Yup.

Give us the gap there, Charlie.

Yeah, back up towards me a
little bit. There you go. Right there.

Now, we're getting
a lot of smoke.

Perfect.

You know, city workers pump
smoke into the sewer lines

to detect leaks.

So, we're gonna use
the same process here

to find connections
in this rock.

- Well, we're ready.
- Yeah, we got the easy job.

We got the hose down. We're
gonna pack a bunch of dirt behind it,

seal it off,

'cause we want all that smoke
going deeper into this rock.

Hopefully, that'll tell us
where it's coming out.

It's sealed.

Here we go, boys!

- You guys seeing anything?
- No.

Keep pumping, Charlie.

Hey, we're pumping
a lot of smoke.

That's gotta be going somewhere.
You're not seeing anything?

No. I'm even looking way up at
the top. I'm not seeing anything yet.

Well, it's not coming
back out of this hole.

It's going somewhere,

- Still nothing?
- Not yet.

Give me as much
smoke as you got, Charlie.

I still don't see anything,
Duane. How about you?

It's gonna come out
of the easiest point first.

Look, that smoke's not
coming back out of this hole.

I mean, that could mean that we've
got a larger void underneath there.

It's just taking a
long time to fill up.

Yeah, I still don't
see anything right now.

Wait. I see something
right... No, I don't.

No, I think we don't...

we don't have nothing
going on right now.

- No.
- There's not a spit of smoke.

I don't see nothing, James.
I think it was a good idea,

but something ain't working.

Hold on, James!

Get your a*s back over here.

Come back here, slick.

Look at that right by Charlie's head.

- Yeah.
- Keep it going, fellas.

- You got smoke?
- We got smoke. Look up!

- No kidding?
- Look up!

- Right there! Look up above you!
- Let's take a look.

I got a remote. I
can do it from down here.

Keep it going. Look at it!

- Right there!
- Yup.

- That is a beautiful sight.
- Man.

That's two holes. Two holes,
it's coming out of above it.

- Two, right by that... See it?
- Right here.

- Yup.
- Right there.

- Damn sure shows a connection, fellas.
- Yeah.

Charlie boy, use that remote
and give it another blast.

All right.

- Hey!
- Hey, look, there. Look up there!

- Up at the top, Duane.
- Damn sure.

- Way up there.
- Man!

- Three of 'em.
- That's three of 'em!

- It's connected all the way up this friggin' huge rock face.
- Hell, yes!

That smoke
is pouring out of there!

Look right up there
towards the dead tree.

We got another!
We got a series going! Look at that!

Yeah!

Keep pumping it,
Charles. Keep pumping it in there.

I'm giving it all it's got.

There's one more right above it.

Look at
the top! Look at that!

Smoking all the way up.

- Yeah. You got a series.
- Yeah.

One here. One there.

One at the very top.

The smoke's all going to the right
of where the rock wheel was digging.

So, we gotta... We need to
move that rock wheel to the right.

We'll go right about here. Let's punch in
right there with that rock wheel, Duane.

Probably that. That
won't take much, either.

So, there's definitely a system
of vents in the hard rock face.

But how connected are
they and what's inside them?

And do they lead
down into the void?

We're gonna throw an endoscope down
there and see if we can find out more.

But we might be one step closer to a
discovery that's gonna change history.

That is as pretty as a
picture right there in front of my eyes.

It sure is,
Duane. It sure is.

- This is fantastic.
- Yeah.

We gotta get up there and see
what's in that vent hole right there.

That's where the
smoke came out first.

We pump smoke into the rock to see
how these various holes are connected,

and smoke started
pouring out everywhere.

It could mean that
the hole Duane opened

could be connected to the void
that we saw with the endoscope

and possibly to the
keyhole chamber below.

Somehow, we gotta get
in there and take a look.

We just need to endoscope
that deal way deep down in there,

find out if we can hit that chamber,
and find out which way you're headed.

That's gonna be good, too.

All right, great.

By taking an endoscope
through other holes,

we might be able to find other hidden
chambers that we can punch into.

How are you gonna get up there?

I haven't quite
figured that out,

but we need to get
up there somehow.

Might be able to walk that ledge
over there or something, I don't know.

That doesn't look...
You got any ideas, Duane?

We can throw a rope
off and hang your a*s.

You got any better ideas, Duane?

Yeah.

All right. I can give
you a lift up there.

I can give you a
deck to stand on.

Think it'll be fine.

All right. I've got that
long-tailed endoscope.

Let's rig this thing up and I'll get up
there and I'll see what we can find.

All right, let's do it.

The excavator's grinder
attachment is gonna help us reach the vent

where we saw the
smoke come out of it.

Then, I'm gonna thread
the endoscope through

and see if there's
another way into the rock.

Hold right there.

I'll go ahead and
k*ll the machine.

Take this spot,
hold it right here, and climb up.

All right, copy that, Duane.

Go ahead and k*ll it,
and then I'll try it out.

- k*lled and operational.
- Copy that.

I'm gonna start climbing.

Do you want
him to raise you up further?

No, we're good
right here, Charlie.

If he starts that machine,
it's gonna make me jump.

- Perfect!
- Hell, yeah.

Look at this, Chad.

Yeah.

Eric and Chad
are following the fault line

to the area where they believe
an open pit mine is located.

Eric believes it's possible that miners
digging out veins of ore above the fault line,

may have opened an entrance
into the underground cavern system

that stretches
back to Blind Frog.

This is looking good.

So, Eric believes if we follow
the fault line on the lidar scan,

that there could be possible cave
entrances or even, like, mining sites.

And mines, to me, means
that there could be a possible

entrance all the way to our
underground cavern system.

What I'm seeing
here, I really like.

This GPS is telling me
we're right in that zone.

So, the fault would
be based in limestone?

- Yeah, what we saw on the lidar...
- Yeah.

It looked like a linear feature.

Jeez, look at
this. Look at this!

This looks like right
on the fault zone, too.

Well, it stretches way over there
and it goes over there, doesn't it?

Yeah, it's a linear feature. Exactly
what we saw on the lidar scan.

That's what we want.

We have an uplifted side here.

This is the downthrown
side. It's called a normal fault.

So, you think
this could be the fault line?

This could be it.
I'm quite sure it is.

So, the idea is
it's a normal fault.

- So, the earth's crust has broken.
- Yeah.

It's gone like this. And,
so, it's a zone of weakness.

Faults are caused by
stress between two blocks of rock.

The earth cracks, pushing one
side up and the other below it.

When that happens, you can get
these deep-seated hydrothermal waters

that are rich in minerals.
And they find the fault zone.

And that could
be a rich deposit.

- You have a weakness zone in there.
- Nice.

And that's where all those mineralized
fluids will come up, hopefully.

So, things we'll be looking for

could be right
on that fault zone.

And look at this.

What we have here, you
see how it's sort of brecciated,

- it's kind of broken up, fragmented.
- Yeah.

- That's what's called fault breccia.
- Nice.

So, that forms in the
zone, the shear zone,

where you have that zone of
weakness. All the rock gets crumbled up.

And I'm seeing the red brown...

which is hematite.

And green is malachite.

So, these are indications that we
may be on a good gold or silver deposit.

- So, look for rusty red, and look for green.
- Right.

- We have a mine in Arizona where you find the green...
- Yeah.

- And you find the gold.
- Is that right?

- Yes.
- Wow!

So, the old-time prospectors
might have dug an open pit mine

if they found rocks like this.

The lidar scan indicated
a possible open pit mine.

And, so, we're hoping that the
old-time prospectors did our work for us.

In their search for gold,
they would have found

and dug open the kind
of faults we're looking for.

So, if there's a pit
mine here as I suspect,

it could lead right into that
underground cavern system.

Some of that hematite is so
red that it stains your hand.

Hey, hey. Hey,
look over here, too.

Look at this.

This is it. This is the
spot from the lidar.

- There's a hole there.
- This is mining.

Look at the size of that hole.

This is it, man. This could
be the start of the mother lode.

You think so?

Look at this.

My!

Look at
that. This is huge!

Look at all the timbers.

- Yeah.
- Wow!

Good find, brother.
This is great.

This is what it's about.
This is a treasure hunt.

We're looking for entrances.
We're looking for clues.

I mean, this could
be something big.

- We used the lidar. We used technology.
- Yeah. Nice.

We found it. It looked
like a speck on the map,

- And it goes on and on.
- Look at how big it is.

We put boots on the ground,
we busted our a*s to get up here,

and we found it, brother!

We got it!

Look at this!

- My!
- Nice.

Let's make our way
down in there, Chad.

After the
collapse of the South Cave...

Chad and Eric used
the results of a lidar survey

to search for another
entrance into the cavern system.

Following the fault line that
runs from the South Cave,

they found an open pit mine

which they believe
could be their way in.

- Look at all the timber.
- Ya, that's old stuff.

This is
everywhere. Look at this.

This was all rough-hewn shore.

- Yeah.
- So, they would use this.

This could be the 1930s. It could
be the late 1800s. We don't know.

I mean, this kind of looks like
the timbers we found at the South Cave.

Yeah.

Look at how much
material they've moved.

Probably all by hand.

- Think so?
- Yeah.

The timbers we're seeing here

looks exactly like the timbers
we saw at the South Cave.

But we just couldn't figure out how
those logs got all the way in there.

These definitely did not get in
here through the way we just came.

There's no way.

- These came in from somewhere else.
- Right.

So, if this is a cave entrance,

maybe all these logs were transported
from here all the way to the South Cave.

- Look at this!
- Holy

Look at this.

This goes in there a ways.

- Look at this, Eric.
- Yeah.

You can see it ends right there.

- Does it end right there?
- Yeah.

Interesting.

Why would they
wanna dig right here, though?

- Look at the green, up on top.
- Up top?

- Yeah.
- Okay?

- That's our malachite.
- It goes right down in there, too.

So, they followed that.

That could be a little
mineralized zone right in there.

They followed it down. And, then,
they decided to go in horizontally.

- So, they really are following the green.
- Yeah.

Malachite is an
indicator of copper deposits,

which can contain valuable
minerals, including gold.

It is also revered
as a powerful stone,

with ancient cultures believing
that malachite would protect them

and keep evil spirits at bay.

I wanna get to the pit

and I'll see what's in
the very bottom of that.

I say we get down
there, carefully.

This is a successful mine here.

You know, people wouldn't dig this
deep and pull out this amount of material

- if they weren't finding anything.
- True, true.

So, they found stuff in
here. I know they did.

You see the malachite
is all over the place.

We're right in the zone
where you need to be.

- We're finding the minerals.
- Yeah.

- It's everywhere. It's everywhere.
- Yeah.

So, now, we just need to see if this rich
mineralization leads to any cave entrances.

So, mineralization
happens along fault lines,

and that's also
where caves form.

So, following this rich
mineralization here

could lead us back to the
fault line into the South Cave,

all the way back to
the keyhole chamber.

I think it's possible
these old miners here

followed a vein which
opened into the cavern system.

I just wanna poke around.

Maybe they didn't
pull all the rich stuff out.

Look at that piece.

That's a sexy
chunk of rock right there, man.

That's definitely a geologist thing to say.

So, I mean,
we have shoring here.

That, to me, indicates that
there is probably a shaft here.

- It just has that feeling to it.
- Right.

And this, you know, it ties
back to this whole thing, the fault.

And with faults, not only
do you have mineralization,

but there could be a
significant cave system here.

True - We could have
another entrance into the cave system

- right here.
- Yeah. Lead into our cave system.

- Some of those cave systems are miles long.
- Miles, exactly.

I think it's worth spending
time tomorrow on this.

But, sun's going down.
I say we set up camp

and we come back tomorrow
and we search this whole thing.

Let's do it.

This mine area is
much bigger than we thought.

We're gonna have to explore
all these different mine shafts

to see if they lead back to the
cavern system under Blind Frog Ranch

and the South Cave.

So, we're gonna get
a good night's rest

and get at it tomorrow morning.

- I got the endoscope out.
- Okay.

And I think we're
running on my end.

Just check that image
on your phone, Charlie.

What do you got, Charlie Boy?

- That's clear as a bell.
- Yeah.

That looks good.

At the Bead Site,
Duane, Charlie, James, and Josh

are using the endoscope
to determine the position

of a chimney vent they
found in the rock face

so that Duane can identify
the right place to drill.

All right, then. We're in.
We're going down right now.

Okay.

Our smoke test shows
that several of these holes

are connected
somewhere inside that rock.

So, we're gonna send the endoscope
down one of the other vent shafts

and see if it leads a
little bit more directly

down into that void that
we're trying to punch into.

Yeah, I can see all
sides of the vent hole.

Is there any way you
can go to the left more?

- Left?
- Yeah.

All right, we're moving left.

How deep are you?

Well, we gotta be about 16 feet.

Yeah, I think so.

I think you're getting past where
we were putting the smoke in.

Yeah, we must be.

I mean, we're well
over 20 feet right now.

Hold it right there for a moment

- and turn a little to the right.
- Turning.

Look. Look at that.

See all that?

It seems like it's
getting bigger.

Yeah, sides seem
to be opening up some.

Why don't you move it to the right
a little bit? It got a little bit dark.

Move it to the right if you can.

All right, I'm gonna
come up just a little.

Move it just a
little bit back and forth.

No, no, no! Right there,
right there! Stop, don't move! Don't move!

Hold on. Stop.

Pull it back just a
little. Right there!

- Endoscope's at 26 feet.
- Look, Charlie.

What the...

- What is that?
- What is that?

What the is that?

Look.

Look what that is, Charles.

It's a skull.

You got a skull?

It's a skull.

Like, a human skull?

The hell?

My thought is, most of
it was processed by open pit.

They found something really
good. And, then, it was dangerous,

so they went in from the top.

The quarry that Eric and
Chad have found is an open pit mine,

the earliest form of mining.

This method was implemented
in 1840 in Sutter's Mill,

the first mine in the California
Gold Rush to strike gold.

Adapted from the ancient
Greeks and Romans,

these tiered, spiraling pits

allow for heavy machinery
to roll in and out of the mine,

a technique still used today.

Just a few hours outside of Blind
Frog Ranch sits Bingham County Mine,

an operation that started in the
mid-1800s by two Mormon pioneers.

It is the largest open
pit mine in the world,

nearly three-quarters
of a mile deep

and two and a half miles
across from rim to rim.

The operation has yielded
over 17 million tons of copper ore,

more than any
other mine in history.

Holy

Look what that is, Charles.

A skull.

While endoscoping
a vent hole at the Bead Site,

Josh has made a discovery.

The vent leads to a small chamber
approximately 20 feet below,

and there's a skull inside.

You got a skull?

Like, a human skull?

It looks...

Pull it up a little bit.

It's not a human
skull. It's an animal skull

because it's got an
elongated snout on it.

Out of all the things
that we could have found,

I was totally not
expecting to find a skull.

That's the size
of a coyote or something.

But what would that
be doing in there?

Your guess is as good
as mine. I don't know.

- I'll go with your guess.
- I ain't got one.

And it's all burnt
or charred or something.

And that's it.
It's just a skull.

I mean, I don't see any...

- Can you move just slightly, slightly to the right?
- Okay.

There's something weird there.

I don't know if it's a rock, or
is it just a bunch of roots or...

A little more.

- Right there! That's it!
- Okay.

Good shot. That's a good shot.

Yeah? What do you got?

It's a much larger
skull of an animal.

So, there's two
skulls. How did it get in there?

We're not seeing any
other bones around it or anything,

so I don't think an
animal dragged it in there.

Well, there has to be a larger
opening then, somewhere.

There's no way these skulls
fit down that chimney vent.

So, there must be
a larger entrance.

And that entrance might
be even deeper underground.

There has to be. There's no
way that could have got in there.

Somebody had to put it in there.

So what the hell, boys? Are we
in somebody's fireplace or what?

I think it was used
for something else.

There's, like, charred all
around the other edges.

And, then, there's
this skull right there.

It just don't make no sense.

So, we have a narrow rock
chamber with two scorched animal skulls

that look like they
were placed there.

So, now, I'm thinking,

"Could this have been
some sort of oven?"

Well, there's a lot
going on inside this rock.

Well, it's damn sure
not in there naturally.

So... But it's not human
remains or it's nothing like that.

No, it's not human at all.

Well, the good thing
about it, we're not in a human grave,

so we need to go in there
and see what the hell it is.

Duane, your property is
one crazy place!

Welcome to the ranch, brother.

I vote we get an early start
tomorrow and come back and start digging.

Let's find out exactly
how deep we gotta go.

I can pull the camera back out and we'll
just use the cord as a measuring tape.

If we grind away at that rock
right where it meets the soil,

I think we can open
it up and figure out

how those skulls got down there.

I think it's what we've been
looking for for a long time.

Hell, yeah! Let's
see what this thing is.

Now, this is good.

Next time on
Mystery At Blind Frog Ranch...

You need to watch your a*s.

the team continues
digging at the Bead Site...

Whoa,
whoa, whoa! Hold up!

Hold up! You're hitting
something hard up in there!

and makes
a shocking discovery.

Look at this. There's, like,
a solid rock face right here.

h*-h*!

Look it back there.

There's an eye
socket right there.

This just don't make no sense.

Meanwhile,
back at the open pit mine...

Look at this!

- It's a mine!
- Yeah, it is!

Chad and
Eric become the prey.

Eric?

There's moving up here, man.

- Something's going on.
- Let's go.

- Down there, down there.
- Look at that!

- Look at that right there!
- What the is that?

What is that?

Holy...