What The Curse Of Oak Island Gets Wrong About Geology

After 9 Seasons marked by no shortage of dead ends and disappointments, the team from History's "The Curse of Oak Island" continues to hold out hope that there is something significant to be found somewhere on the titular island. The legends of lost treasure on Oak Island date back hundreds of years. However, in all that time, proof that said treasure actually even exists has been elusive. 

The Oak Island team, headed by brothers Rick and Marty Lagina, point to a number of their discoveries as evidence that there is indeed something hidden on the island. According to them, finds like bone fragments, ship spikes, and even coconut fibers all lend credence to the idea that there is a secret history of the island waiting to be unearthed (via Sky History). One of the key components of this theory is the possible existence of man-made pits and tunnels across the island. 

Viewers of the show are no doubt familiar with the alleged Money Pit and the many tunnels booby-trapped to flood the chamber that were supposedly constructed to keep its secrets hidden. Unfortunately for the Lagina brothers and their crew, a study of the island by a retired geologist might throw some cold water on their search. 

As a 2020 report from CBC News details, retired geologist Steven Aitken took a look at the theory that there are man-made pits and tunnels on Oak Island and gave his own professional evaluation of the matter.  Aitken reviewed three geological reports about the island's composition, the earliest dating all the way back to the 1960s. He reported back that the bedrock underneath the supposed location of Oak Island's Money Pit (where the treasure is said to reside) is primarily composed of limestone and gypsum. Why is that important? According to Aitken, "Given the right conditions, such as temperature, pressure, pore fluid composition, quite often these minerals, especially gypsum, they're prone to dissolution."

To put it even more simply, that means it's entirely likely that any cavities found around the alleged site of the fabled Money Pit are naturally occurring and not the result of pirates or the Knights Templar engineering elaborate underground treasure vaults. Aitken even went so far as to claim, "There is no treasure at the money pit." 

That's tough news to hear for anyone holding out hope that the "Curse of Oak Island" team will one day uncover the treasure they've been trying to find for so many seasons.