Just got a REALLY nasty surprise

I understand you want to KNOW what happened and not be a 'parts changer', so... I don't know what the outside of the elements are made of, but I just look at it like a wire with bad insulation. There only needs to be one bad spot in contact with the pan. We really don't care where the spot is, just which element. To duplicate that - I would set the pan on it and test from the conductor to the pan for conductivity(stove off)first, To insure better contact, you could lay some aluminum foil between. Put water in like it was so the weight is also helping to insure good contact. If nothing found- you could turn it on and try checking for V from pan to ground (remove foil or you might weld the pan to the burner).

If you already tested in a similar fashion, I would go back to my original thought of both burners going right in the trash...