Deep Blue Mystery Mineral Inside An Abandoned Mine In Nevada
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Published 2018-02-07
Given how hard it was to get to this mine and given the fact that I lugged the drone all of the way down to the bottom of the canyon meant that you were getting drone footage in this video even if the drone had never left the ground!
I didn’t see any signs of heavy equipment having been at this site (which is not surprising considering the location), but it still would have been quite a feat just bringing in the rail for the ore carts as well as the tools the miners would have needed. And if they used metal ore carts, these would HAVE to have been brought to the mine in pieces and reassembled on site.
The cabin/workshop was somewhat interesting to me. I didn’t see any signs of a bed or really any signs that the miners had lived there aside from those couple of rusty cans that we saw inside. Also, that structure would not have been a pleasant place to stay in the winter! However, it would have been impossible for someone to commute in to this mine given the distances involved. So, someone must have stayed here. Given how this seemed like something of a shoestring mining operation, it makes me wonder if a couple of miners didn’t just sleep rough inside of that structure of corrugated metal during the warmer months along with their tools and that primitive fireplace to keep away the cold at night. The miners might have just worked here for a couple of seasons.
While exploring this abandoned mine and its surroundings, I saw no evidence at all that anyone has visited this site in decades. The “road” – if you can even call it that – which runs closest to the site was completely overgrown and sections of it were blocked by small rockslides. All traces of whatever trail that might have once existed and descended to the mine have vanished. And, of course, there were no footprints or signs of modern human activity such as trash or tire marks within many miles of this abandoned mine. It isn’t often that one is able to visit a historical site like that in our modern era.
I was quite taken with that brilliant, deep blue mystery mineral inside of the mine... I have never seen anything like it outside of the fine lapis lazuli that is mined in Afghanistan. However, I don’t believe that what we saw inside of the mine was lapis lazuli… Was it? I sincerely hope that someone in the audience can definitively identify it.
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You can click here for the full playlist of abandoned mines: goo.gl/TEKq9L
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 niche of our history is gone forever.
So, yes, in short, we are adit addicts… I hope you’ll join us on these adventures!
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All Comments (21)
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I thought he was gonna say “almost looks like the lapis lazuli you see in minecraft”
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I just saw your video and its almost a yr. old so I’m sure there is a response about the blue in the comments but its Azurite. It can be worth pretty good money for nice samples…I have spent quite abit of money collecting it and its “commom partner” Malachite. That is most likely an old copper mine as azurite and malachite form with copper. Azurite actually consists of copper hydroxyl carbonate and is found in the upper oxidation zone of copper ore. its formed by water containing carbon dioxide reacting with copper bearing minerals or by cupric salts reacting with limestone. Thats probably way more than you wanted to know about the blue…lol. anyhow hope that helps.
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When I was in the Army and stationed in southern cali, I found a lot of abandoned mines in the training area of Fort Irwin. The local historian from the nearby town of Barstow told us that almost all of the mines (which there could be thousands) were never properly mapped. I subbed to this channel because it reminded me of finding those mines. Thanks for sharing!
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Copper base gold mine, azurite, bindamite, brichantite, linerite, antlerite. Are possible minerals I could identify as you walked through. Good find.
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You got set of balls on you going in there alone.
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Nevada is famous for silver and copper. The deep blue mineral is Azurite and I also saw traces of green in the walls which is most likely Malachite. There will probably also be veins of Turquoise in the mine. The Azurite specimens have a fairly good retail market value and , if it is hard material, the Turquise can run several hundred dollars a pound. Based on the canned milk box, the mine was probably active in the middle of last century..
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Awesome video! Thanks for sharing! My Dad was a miner. Killed in a Colorado mine in 1974. I know he would of went in there with you but probably couldn't fit thru entrance. He had his own claim by Darwin, CA in the 60's. Love this stuff!
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I would be more comfortable working 300 foot in the air than I would be 20 foot inside that mine or any other mine. Ive never liked the feeling of being underground no matter how well it was built. The people who go crawling into tiny cracks in the earth for kicks are completely beyond my comprehension.
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Im i the only one waiting for something scary every time he focus his flashlight ahead? hahaha
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As a follow-up comment, blue mud and rock (not the bright blue mineral in the video) usually indicates mining of silver, sulfates of silver are blue, like the "blasted blue stuff," the heavy mud the early Comstock miners pushed aside to get to the much less abundant gold, which turned out to be high-grade silver ore. Copper mines usually have a lot of green-streaked quartz and rocks in the tailing dumps. The walls of the tunnels seem to have a lot of blue in them. The mine in the video is probably from late in the second active period of mining in Nevada, from 1900 into the 1920s, judging by the artifacts. That being said, what a great adventurous video - I'm too chicken to go back very far in the old mines, so I watch your explorations with tremendous interest. Many thumbs up!
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just randomly popped up in my recommendations, actually not mad. i really love geology.
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My father, was born in 1918. He logged and mined. Told me stories of his experiences. Awesome.
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I love spending the last 25 yrs in Nevada Desert,weather permitting, we jump on Quads and search mines as a days off recreation. The preservation is as fantastic as the video clearly shows. Be safe Guys..I never explore alone..you are brave!
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to set a mill on that location meant every piece had to be brought in on a donkeys back......Amazing, speechless.... fantastic presentation!
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The blue mineral is likely crystalline Azurite, a copper mineral.
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don’t apologize for slipping it’s ok :(
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Thanks for giving us chance to see such beautiful old mine that abandoned for so long.. you are really very brave man. if i were there alone. i would not dare to get more deep inside it. truly thank you man.
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You're like 20 ft. into the mine and I'm already having a claustrophobic panic attack!
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I have no clue why I watched this but genuinely not upset I did
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“That almost looks like the Lapis Luzuli-“ You see in Minecraft? “-You see in Afghanistan.” Oh... Heh.
