On A Quartz Vein Binge In Underground Gold Mine
It is not uncommon to see miners drop a winze or run a stope on a rich quartz vein in a gold mine. If a quartz vein is particularly good, one can even see a couple of areas in a mine where the miners ran both up and down on a vein… However, it is unusual to see THIS MANY instances in which miners chased a vein simultaneously up and down as they did at this abandoned gold mine. And, to be clear, I’m referring to the smaller, historical mines and not the gigantic, modern mine complexes with that observation.
If the flooded workings at this mine were comparable to the stopes, a lot of quartz was hauled out! The small waste rock pile outside did not in any way compare to the volume of space that we observed underground. So, that is further evidence that they were bringing gold ore (quartz) out rather than just waste rock. That quartz would have been milled down (there was a stamp mill near the adit) and there would be little trace of it today.
I thought it was interesting to see where the miners lost the quartz vein for several hundred feet, but persisted and found it again. It is rare in the older mines to see areas where the miners rolled the dice for that long and continued working in the hope of getting on the vein again. That they were so motivated to do so at this mine suggests that the vein must have been pretty rich.
If you think about the situation at this mine, that suggests that there are a lot of abandoned gold mines out there where a rich quartz vein is just a short distance away from where the miners abandoned their work. Should technology advance to the point where gold can be detected more than just a few feet into solid rock, some interesting “near misses” could undoubtedly be uncovered.
This is one of those gold mines that has changed owners and names so many times that it is impossible to trace its history.
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You can see the full TVR Exploring playlist of abandoned mines here: goo.gl/TEKq9L
You can see the gear that I use for mine exploring here: bit.ly/2wqcBDD and here: bit.ly/2p6Jip6
Several kind viewers have asked about donating to help cover some of the many expenses associated with exploring these abandoned mines. Inspired by their generosity, I set up a Patreon account. So, if anyone would care to chip in, I’m under TVR Exploring on Patreon.
Thanks for watching!
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Growing up in California’s “Gold Rush Country” made it easy to take all of the history around us for granted. However, abandoned mine sites have a lot working against them - nature, vandals, scrappers and various government agencies… The old prospectors and miners that used to roam our lonely mountains and toil away deep underground are disappearing quickly as well.
These losses finally caught our attention and we felt compelled to make an effort to document as many of the ghost towns and abandoned mines that we could before that colorful niche of our history is gone forever.
I hope you’ll join us on these adventures!
#ExploringAbandonedMines
#MineExploring
#AbandonedMines
#UndergroundMineExploring
Пікірлер: 116
Palm trees to snow peaks, that’s some elevation gain. 😂
Those oldtimers were tough as nails. Glad no Bud Lite cans were found lol.
Man that intro cracked me up, well done
You have to wonder how much gold is left in these mines, thank you for making this happen
@TalRohan
6 ай бұрын
I often wonder and by the looks of some of the scrapes and chunks out of veins in this one .....some one else did too.
I laughed at the "You guys almost saw me eat sh*t " comment. Im surprised it doesnt happen more often with the stuff you trudge through.
Boy, the scenery changes quickly ... reminds of the Florida Highlands you were tromping through a year or 2 ago. Thanks for sharing 🇨🇦
So we're just not gonna talk about that transition?
@laurahaaima1436
7 ай бұрын
SssssSTT we agreed on that a long time ago
@RiskyVentureMinerals
6 ай бұрын
That was awesome!
@stephenmiller5023
6 ай бұрын
Made that “ Wrong turn at Albuquerque “ in the beginning of this video like Bugs Bunny used to say huh ?? Like some others had commented here I had to double check after initially clicking onto this video Justin….😆😉. Cool one here today , thanks👍
@olivei2484
6 ай бұрын
I was thinking Justin was making too much money at the gold mine to afford this location.
@garretthuff1905
6 ай бұрын
😂😂
There's just something interesting about following the quartz. Good job Justin and Crew!
Terrific tour, that irony quartz is eye-catching, that crystalled lump is fantastic-
The amount of winzes they sunk down into the lode is uncommon. Normally a singular winze would be suffice to test the grade at depth and then stope a cross the lode. Maybe they encountered multiple high grade pockets along the strike? This was a great exploration and rounds out an EPIC year of TVR adventures. There's not a huge amount on YT that excites me these days but TVR updates are exciting. Thanks for another amazing year of underground explorations. From Eb. QAM.
I think this is the best looking geology I've seen so far. That mountain looks gorgeous inside
the 2000 mile walk to the portal looked tough
@handyman1957
6 ай бұрын
And the swim, don't forget the swim : )
@577buttfan
6 ай бұрын
@@handyman1957thought for a minute he might be going to a salt mine lol.
I watch a lot of mine exploration videos and I have to say you do the best job..... period.
LOL the beginning of this video :) Thanks for the great content as always :)
The ice keeps the water so clear..
Good video I like the way you hid the entrance on the way to the mine ( like it was in the tropics) added a like and FB share too. Cheers.
If those old time Miners drank Bud Light instead of Oly ‘s finest that mine would have only gone in underground about 2 feet . 😆. Amazing how consistently wide & large that Quartz vein was that they followed, and also how the Hell you guys find these to explore. Thanks again for sharing these finds with everyone. Would be interesting to see how some of that Rusty looking Stuff would Assay out at …..🤔. Hopefully you guys grabbed some …🤞. Massive hanging wall . Pretty impressive.
Best intro ever! 🤣
Excellent work! Fascinating old mine.
Good afternoon from Yorkshire, England. What a mid Xmas treat Justin & team. A stunning mine so interesting, love wet mines with rails, lots of cave ins, rotten wood & deep winces, just a perfect explore! Have a great new year everyone! ❤😊👍🏴
@SDE1994
7 ай бұрын
Im yorkshire too
@Carolb66
7 ай бұрын
@@SDE1994 ❤️👍🎅
That was an awesome transition. Almost like stepping into narnia. My big question is. All these stopes and raises... where are the chutes and ore bins??
@uploadJ
6 ай бұрын
Moved further back in as mining progressed deeper and deeper into the mountain?
You know what they say, getting there is...... Thanks Justin, awesome mine.
Hahaha best intro yet. Need a bit more humor injected into the channel for sure!
Nice transitions it had me wondering? Great looking mine!
Hi, my lawyer will be in contact with you regarding paying for my medical bills to treat the whiplash I received at 0:29.
You guys deserve a bit of luxury above ground time. From sandy beaches to serpentine mines.👍
Another awesome gold mine explore and those brown crystals growing on the quartz were stunning. Thanks again for taking us along. Happy New Year🎉
Hi Justin, a very cool mine, so much Quartz too. At 21:35 you missed a drill steel poking out of the left side just in front of you. A cool explore, wishing you and your family and your team a very safe, healthy 2024, much love. xx 💞
“And I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more.” 😂
Man, that was some serious hiking! Lol Looks like that ore chute came down in the recent past, some of the wood at the breaks looked clean in some areas. That piece of quartz with the stripes is beautiful! Hope that went with someone. Cool mine, thanks as always for sharing the experience. Happy holidays!
Best TVR Exploring video intro ever! 🤣👏
Yeah I don't think that you are in Nevada anymore. LOL Here we go. WoW ! This one looks great, I just wonder why they didn't return ? Definitely would like a metel detector and see what you can find, and see what it essays out too. If someone is chipping away at the qwarts how long ago were they there. Nice piece of qwarts and Crystal's on top, Looks like a piece of cake. That i would love to have. Thanks for the video and information about this mine.
LMAO that was an awesome intro .
Gotta love those high sierra lakes like in the beginning of the vid.😅
How's the mine rehab going? Also, I'm guessing that the lovely beach wasn't mexico =) I didn't see any trash washed up on it.
Lmfao!! Best transition ever!! 😅
Wow from what looked like maybe the South Pacific. And then to an abandoned mine someplace awesome black crystals at the end your lucky thank you for the adventure ⛏️🇺🇸
I was pleasantly surprised at how large the mine was, as the waste dump didn't appear to be very large from what you showed us. Given the current price of gold and extensive quartz veins still remaining, I wonder what an assay would reveal?
@milwaukeeroadjim9253
7 ай бұрын
Bright white quartz does hold gold like the boundary of the quartz and iron so a lot of quartz doesn't necessarily mean a lot of gold. At least that's what Jason at Mount Baker mining has found.
@conradlowenstein9210
6 ай бұрын
Don’t listen to Jason especially not Dan heard
@otagogold2236
6 ай бұрын
@@conradlowenstein9210why?
Good afternoon from Southeast South Dakota
@markhepworth
6 ай бұрын
Good morning From Northwest Essex,England
Amazing mine. Those winds are a tease. Would have loved to see the veins before they hauled them out. Slate like gravel - shale.
Thank you for this nice Look Sand beach and Palm trees. This mine is very extensiv in his working time . Water and time do their job . A happy New year 2024 . All the best for you and your friends. Yours Frank Galetzka
Huge fan! I have been watching for about three years now. I have a new mine structure that I stumbled upon mushroom hunting this year on the Oregon coast. There is no records of mines in the location, just a long railroad history for logging. The entrance to the location is made of sand stone with timbers that look to be about 75 years old. I can upload videos of entry to about 30 feet but hesitant about entering any further. I could use advice on how structurally sound sand stone is please so that I might be able to investigate further with a buddy system. I appreciate all your devoted exploration. I'm always amazed of your video of the sulfur mine you visit.
Wow ..all that ground water ..reminds me of our Australian mines that flooded killing many miners. .tough life ..tough men back in the day .. Love that intro ..haha 😅😅😅 From Australia 🦘🦘🦘
"Exceeded my expectations for an unexpected mine" Kinda equates to "This is better than nothing"
Love the videos! Have you tried using a laser pointer to point out objects.Not sure if would come across on camera.
That was a HUGE timber at the top of that manway you showed!
Justin your transistion was amazing 😂
I love all the quartz. Very cool mine.
Hell of a long walk after you got around the curve on the beach 😂
Gorgeous flooded winzes. Man, would I love to send an ROV down those.
Great video but take care with that low O2. You were sounding a bit muddle headed at the far end of the adit! (but I guess you know that 🙂)
Someone needs to grab a big sample of that quartz and send it off for an assay. It looks like theres tons of good ore still in there. Good rusty, vuggy stuff all over that mine.
Great video - love these. . . BTW - you pull off some ballsy stuff for us to see a mine. Thanks. . . .😎
"We're heading out to the mine, it's up there a ways. We'll get there. We'll get there..." Boss fight music starts and the team must battle a Leviathan rising from the water. Smash cut to dropping into the pool. "We're joined now by a Kobold Pool Party. I'm going to turn the camera off and join you over therw "
Justin that was another big one wow, looks like it goes down a lot and some nice stopes aswel, and some nice rocks aswel, after this climbing a day at the beach? 😁
Waitin for jeffs comment..... Calcium deposits! Getcha a dead cat Justin.
love the intro!
Olympia beer! WA! I'd kill to find even one mine in my life
What are the black crystals called ?? That was a nice piece !!
Ennio Morricone :Ecstasy of Gold🤌🤌🤌🤙
I could see you walking on the beach with your waders and finding a quartz outcropping.
Beautiful landscape outside that mine, probably treacherous with everything covered in snow.
When you are looking at those awesome crystals at the end . Is that not news paper underneth them? To the left?
This is a great mine! I wish it was close to me because I would be working it! It looks really rich!
trudgin across the tundra mile after mile
Sneaker waves and Quartz for days.
very very Nice ❤
Good Stuf
Is this New Zealand? How did you go from beach to snow in a few minutes?
Do you ever find left gold in these old mines? Have a like!
That is a lotta quartz. But I'd be careful of that roof! You might try high grading some samples out of there but that is dangerous rock.
Do you guys ever take any samples. There was a lot of rich looking quartz left in several different places.
Hey, do you ever take a sample out and crush it? Given the price these days it may still be profitable.
Haha quite a long walk
wow, i wonder if that mine ever drains. With all that flowstone i doubt it.
Visited this one a few years ago since it's just a short hike from the beach. Coordinates for anyone interested in checking it out: 22.443855600077033, -74.22033436432113. Weather was damn strange while we were there too, curious.
@handyman1957
6 ай бұрын
Hahaha, got me : )
that looks like a honeymoon in the first seconds, I sincerely hope I ain’t wrong 🧐 so let‘s see..
@-r-495
7 ай бұрын
21:19 manganese? interesting mineralisation, it seems to be a well thought thought out and constructed mine. probably the old timers got most of it.
😂😂😂 perfect into
Why don’t you take a loops with you to Chech the vein for gold?
My dream is to find a cave - mine and spend a day there 🙃
Wow The 🏖️Weather Sure Took A Turn For The Worse 🥶 lol 😆
The colors were roughly the same, but the texture suddenly changed. Hmmm
I assume you did those surface videos because of the news of AI detection of locations via photographs and Google Street view as their database....?? I posted that news article to the MU Facebook group.
You could rename this one the "It looks like it stops just there mine" Some one has had an awful lot of gold out of this mine....Something that does occur to me is that all the gold they mined in all these remote locations is now still in the system. Probably in many rings and other jewellery or electronics or even sitting in a safe as bullion...but its out here somewhere Are you allowed to pick up mineral samples in mines like this?
When I was a kid, Oly beer was the king of beers. You weren't a man unless you drank Oly. Or if you lived in Colorado, like me, you grew up on the tit of Coors. Coors was outlawed east of the Mississippi. Question: can you do an assay of this mine? The quarts looked impressive. Gold rides an iron horse for sure.
I think my eyes is playing me but at 6:59 it looks like something black with ears looks down from that ledge?
@AGDinCA
6 ай бұрын
I was just coming to post that exact same thing!! I swear it looks like a furry dog, or something similar. It's probably just a play of imagination, but I'm glad I'm not the only one seeing things. 😁👍
😂😂😂
Why do miners love quartz so much if they just leave it there? Also why do they leave crystals? Are they worthless? Sorry about questions it just I always wonder this…
@TVRExploring
6 ай бұрын
Not all quartz contains gold and some quartz has gold, but not enough to be economical to mine. Crystals are worthless to a gold miner except as a curiosity.
😅😅** Danger ! CAVEWURM **** 😅😅 ( Channel Erwin Saunders)
Swiss cheese mine
I'm telling ya start sending out bags of material from the mines. Maybe for patreon members or limited quantities. Iono maybe you can't hike that stuff out judging from the intro. Be mighty tired when you got home
@wildernessunknown2641
7 ай бұрын
It would be difficult seeing that he don't have mineral rights on most of these mines so he could get in trouble if he was to keep anything more than just a few samples but it would be cool 😎