I love the desert. People think it's dead but it's full of life. I was exploring a similar mine in the western Mojave, about 200 feet in when an earthquake rolled through. We were out in about 8 seconds....
If you had night vision and could camp out in the desert overnight and see the activity of the predators moving around out there you would never camp out again in a tent. That ended tent camping for me. Now I only go out in a vehicle large enough to sleep in.
That was to be a main haulage adit. It was driven in across the grain of the rock and crosses several veins, but none were worth developing. The material in the waste rock pile was 90% country rock of no importance. Only where it crossed a vein was of interest. But after they crossed the area where there was an outcrop on top and found nothing, they gave up. (old miner) This is the most common mining result. edit: that stuff on your fingers is clay.
@@ahhdamm11 About 8' of shaft per day in that type of rocks. They would drill in afternoon, blast at dusk. Then the dust is settled in the morning to pick big rocks first then scoop up muck. Then drill again the next afternoon, on and on.
@@markeverson5849 There is no indication I could see. But with the surface being gravel looking and the fractured rock(Hydrothermal activity), I would be looking for gold. US Mining registrations could tell you.
I've explored about a dozen caves with research colleagues, but never a mine. They were always exciting to explore but I was always a bit relieved to walk/climb out of them. I don't think I would walk into an abandon mine without a companion. I felt total relief for our Desert Trails when I saw the light coming from the entrance. Whew!
That was amazing!!! You are braver then I could ever be, going in all the way to end. I think I would have gotten maybe 15 ft in and freaked as I ran back to exit. Lol
I explored lots of mines in Arizona. When I started getting into bigger ones I worried about quality of air and didn't have money for the right gear so I stopped going into the big ones. Lots of fun! Some shafts are still accessible to accidentally fall or drive into where I explored..Be safe!
The San Tan Mountains in Queen Creek, AZ were great for exploring mines back in the 1980's. Now the entire area has been closed down as a park and it's all blocked off to off road vehicles. But even back in the 80's several of the mines had big steel doors all welded closed with signs saying "Danger Poison Gas". There was a lot of low grade turquoise laying around on the ground and the tunnels that were open were full of bats. We always fired a 45 round in the entrance and about a million bats would fly out. After seeing that poison gas warning we never fired into a tunnel again.
I can't help but remember the experience of Aaron Ralston who had no one with him and didn't let anyone know where he was going. He got his hand pinned by a rolling boulder down inside Blue John Canyon and was stuck there for several days. No one knew where to start looking for him. He only got out by cutting his hand off at the wrist and was able to wonder out and find other people for help. I sure hope you'll explore with another person staying out of harms way. Hopefully someone knows in what area you are exploring and your expected time of return. Other than that - it was an interesting tour.
I couldn't help note:. Not a single support in the entire Mine. Vanes of clay running through out. Surprised 🙀 no cave ins. Probably wouldn't take much. Don't touch anything.
moron alert , that mine has probably survived HUNDREDS if not a thousand earthquakes but it's going to collapse when he simply walks in ? is that logic or wet your pant fear speaking ? one guy gets his hand pinned therefore it could happen to anyone? LMFAO are you serious???
Very neat to see. I don't think I would have gone in for fear of animals or possibly gas. Especially being by yourself. Hope you let someone know where you were heading at least. Stay safe, thanks for the video.
I'd think there's a good chance it wasn't his first time going in this mine and there's no guarantor he was alone. There can always be somebody else there but then again what do I know
My first thought is the consideration of the thousands of hours of hard, super hard labor that it took to excavate the tunnel. No one would do that without expecting a high value payoff. After that, the testing of one's bravado. At what point do I still feel confident that it's safe to continue on? Obviously, the longer you go on, the greater the potential for risk. If there are no dangerous animals dwelling there, and if there are no toxic gases present, there is always the possibility of inhaling dangerous molds that could invade the moist, warm interstitial cavities in your lungs and given time, do you in, little by little, months, or years after that exploration.
That slick "mud" you encountered is most likely bentonite clay. It is so greasy that it was used to lube wagon wheels as long as it was kept wet. If you find some that's dry, put a fair amount into a container and add a LOT of water. A few hours later, it will have absorbed the water and swelled to an astonishing size. That's why it hasn't caved in, as soft as it is. If it ever dries out it will though.
Hi, A nice find. That clay vien is called fluken pronounced "flooken" as in book or cook. Its a crossvien composed of clay. Its notoriously dangerous for sudden caveins, though this one is way too small. The bad ones Ive seen were 2-3 feet wide +. As far as I know its caused by a fault where 2 rock faces move & rub against each other over time thus grinding to clay. The flat exposed faces of the rock is usually very smooth & shiny. I love your videos. Cheers Daniel.
I enjoyed the video. I've recorded about 1500 historic mines mostly in Montana, Idaho and Nevada, but those days are over. Listen to "My favorite Martian", he has it right. BTW, the giant pile extending out in front of the adit portal is not tailings, the proper term is waste rock. Tailings are what come out of mills or placers. Just a small detail.
Small scale mining is fascinating, especially the level of industry focused by a few human beings. The miners at this site didn't leave much kit behind. It was a clean getaway.
Wow, that’s a long tunnel. I’ve come across a lot of exploratory mines here in Tucson mostly limestone it appears some copper, but nothing like this pretty cool😊🌵😎
@Joe Varga Thanks for explaining that. I didn't understand or see where he turned around and arrived back at the beginning. Also, do you know what type of mineral they were trying to find in this mine?
Oh my goodness! My claustrophobia would have kept me to within 5 feet of that mine entrance. Going along with you, I kept saying, "No...no...no!" Thank you for letting me see what was in there, but I did expect Gollum to pop out at any second!! You are way braver than I ever was, even in my youth! Good video!!
I just came back from a jeep trip there ( early march )we parked for the night on the tailings and two of us slept in the mine instead of our tents because the wind was fierce and cold. I wear glasses and had to take them off near the end of the adit because of fogging ,very warm place to sleep. Thanks for the video
I absolutely love watching your videos, I really like the desert, the feel of it, and all of the exploratory vibes I get. I’ve always wanted to do these types of things and would love to accompany you on one! Lol Keep up the great work and I’ll keep enjoying you’re professionally put together pieces. That cave was a little creepy, I’m surprised you went in that far all alone:)
This is the first time I've watched a video from this channel so aside from the channel's name I didn't really know what the channel was about before watching. After about 30 seconds of him being in the cave I was expecting this video to be a shock video. You know where you get so enthralled in watching the video and then without warning...BOOM!! a monster pops out forcing you to change your pants. I'm glad it wasn't! It was an interesting video thank you!
I think you should give a call to a friend before you make entrance into a mine like that and at least give them your approx location and time , just in case the worst happens.
Underground mines can present a radiation hazard to miners. Without proper air ventilation, radon can collect in the mineshafts, where it is inhaled by miners. The operators of uranium mines must take special precautions to protect miners, such as pumping radon gas out of the mine and replacing it with fresh air. I would worry, often a cavalier attitude about what you can't see is the thing that gets you. The Pacific Coast Borax Company was the last ones to work this particular site and 11 men lost their lives in only 7 months. The absence of bats and mice should have been a warning as you ventured in. Ever hear the expression curiosity killed the cat, you my friend are the cat.
Bloody hell,I couldn't do that,not knowing what's down there..wolves,bats,rats,aahh..was that hand dug ?,any machinery? looks dug by hand,the height,width,amazing.
Was I the only one saying “turn around right the EFF now, buddy!”? As a kid in New Mexico, late 1960s, we used to explore the old mines around Orogrande. We came out of there with loads of gorgeous turquoise and iron pyrite.
@@alfonsomunoz4424 Damn, Alfonso, that’s terrible! I remember that my dad, me, his co-workers, their sons….we all spent a day “rockhounding”, then camping in the Gila Wilderness…..how simple those days seemed to be. I hope that boy was saved!
@@captaincoyote1792 no he died. Tragic. Those Orogrande mines are fraught with hazards. BTW, I absolutely love spending time in the Gila Wilderness, last went about a year and a half ago, to the Catwalk.
@@alfonsomunoz4424 I agree, Brother…I fully agree. I loved living in and going to college in New Mexico, both my daughters there now (one in Cruces one in Carlsbad). And the Gila…how magical is that area? Stay strong, stay well, be safe!
I recorded old mines for 32 years all over the west. Never saw one rattlesnake. I have seen some rattlers while doing field survey, but never at mines. Don't know why -- maybe because I deliberately tromp my feet and they are long gone before I arrive. Falling and ticks were my main concern during that work.
In the 80s before the gazillion new developments in AZ there were many mine shafts and vent holes southside of South Mtn. in Phx. Some were flat ground level vertical access holes deep deep deep and uncovered. We were riding motorcycles zoomed right past one, easily would have fit a mini bike and a kid straight down. We stopped and dropped a rock to see how deep it was, insanely deep. Now they are covered, but in the 70s and 80s, they were a hazard, some fun, but some deadly.
Yeah, you want to avoid old mines, in some places what you Think is an old mine, or hole in the ground may in fact be an active claim, and in the middle of nowhere you may attract lead.
FLY-OVER COUNTRY! I've flown over these areas many times and have seen the roads out in the middle of no where and wondered what it would be like to sojourn through the area.
I'm thinking you just broke a bunch of survival rules exploring that day. Unless you told someone you were going into an abandoned mine by yourself your taking a risk with your life.
It's an exploration drift a couple hundred feet long, but it looks barren of any pay grade. Just another unsuccessful gamble, probably took a month or two, quit and moved on elsewhere, I imagine. I've got a friend who's now mucking out an old drift originally planned to intersect successful workings above it in Pinos Altos, NM. They abandoned the effort about a hundred years ago due to an economic depression. My pal hopes to intersect ore extensions from up above. One man job,: uncovered adit entrance, cleaned drift, built new timbered portal, fabricated beautiful steel door, shored up bad ground inside, laid old salvaged track, built a new steel tilt ore car, and spent a lotta time dealing with the BLM. Why all this work for a 70 year-old man? "Always wanted to do what the old timers did", he says. He'll begin extending the drift and/or working a couple cross-faults pretty soon.
Very brave man handling any thing found in those mines without knowing what it is. I've seen Mercury and asbestos mines that would give you all kinds of health complications.
Thank you Who dug this and why? Cave ins are a problem? That clay between the rocks , only has to be 1/4” , with the right place and the right contour. Cave in.
Before even starting the video I see a pile of mine tailings. Yep it was, but what is strange, who would have dug a tunnel almost or more than a hundred yards into that mountain when the earth had no discernible type of rock that would actually hold Gold.
@@rosewhite--- Sorry I can't find your other comment, as it is not at the top and with 463 comments I"m not going to look all the names to see what this site put your comment.
@@benth162 This is what is at the top: 'what these old mines prove is that at the start of The Flood 4,370 years ago GOD shook Earth to allow the internal superhot water to escape out. The shaking thorougly shattered the rock and as the water surged out it preipitated out the basic elements that were dissolved in it. That is why gold is found in solid veins of quartz which obviosuly must have been liquid when it was deposited in the rocks!
That's a well-constructed adit. Plenty in the Nevada desert and agreed there is little reason for anyone to be there a hundred years later. I explored more than a few when working for a mining company in 1990. The started nowhere and ended nowhere, when the vein(s) played out. Surprised how deep this one goes. Had I GPS back in the day I'd have kept records but alas not so much. What you picked off the walls appear to be on fault line(s) they were following...I'd bet if you had that assayed it'd come in relatively rich in Ag (a guess, from the consistency and color)! I'm an optimist and as others indicate might just be clay / junk. BTW, USGS 7.5 and 15 min sheets used to have these marked (shafts, adits) but far from "always!"
Amazing tour, thnx. Am too claustrophobic to ever do that myself, could hardly stand to watch it. Were you ever worried about a cave-in? The floor was so cleaned out, must have been fastidious miners. Thanksfor the ride!
The veins of "mud" or "powder" are fault gouge. The wet ones have tapped into some water and are in the process of mineralization. Many veins are ancient faults (or cracks) that have mineralized over hundreds of millennia. Faults are cracks where the 2 sides have moved and ground against each other forming the fine gouge.
A friend of mine and I ran across a couple mines like this near Death Valley.. We mostly afraid of hitting Bad Air.. but it was in the summer and the mine was alot cooler.
@6:16 at the back of the tunnel, it appears as if a rock is there front and center. It seems "placed" and I am curious as to what(if anything) was/is behind it....
Most people think they only need worry about the ceiling coming down: the worst thing is the floor giving way due to disintegrated shoring of lower levels. Be safe people.
@@Mlpojnnb1234 There are few common activities more dangerous than driving a car on a public road. One of the differences is that most people have to drive to make a living. Dude walked down a mine shaft out of curiosity. It makes for good video but it's foolish!
@negativespace000 In Colorado I've been 1,500 feet back in mines and it was a tour but no problem. Another time over 1,000 feet back. Been in lots of them and I'm not dead. You go back and roll out. It's not like you go back and chill for the day. They are safer than you think it's solid rock. Drugs are more dangerous than driving. If your scared that's because you live in the East. It's flat and safe there. We live in the west and can do cool shit the east people can't do so they cry.
went into a mine similar to this in the Superstition Mountains years ago, it had about 30 javelina in it! it wasn't nearly as long as this mine only 50 yards or so.
What inspires people to start digging where they do? Like......there? I'd never go exploring like that but glad you do so I can see what's in there. Nice video!
Someone probably found some outcroppings in the area containing higher than average levels of important minerals and then decided to dig around where they found a decent concentration. Just my guess!
Look for an area with volcanic activity, then look for upthrusted areas. Those areas were pushed up by hydrothermal pressures. While the pressures are pushing the rock up, it also creeps in and fills those gaps. A lot of the white veins are quartz and while a liquid it carries things along with it. Like gold, silver, lead, galena, ETC. Rusty looking areas are good for gold. Old miners saying: "Gold rides an iron horse." Where you find Iron you also find gold. You can dig in along the upthrust or 90 degrees to it like this one.
Just think. Every step (2.5 feet) cist whoever drove that working about $300 in dollars of those days. At best, the advance in driving those old tunnels would have been 18 feet per day.
@@myfavoritemartian1 since when have volcanoes pushed out white quartz? The hydrothermal pressure is Earth's internal hotwater escaping just as leaking boilers leak out - and just as my hot taps precipitated limestone.
@@rosewhite--- Not being a geologist I am not an expert. But everywhere there is volcanic action, it pushes up everything including water/steam and along with that comes what ever was down there including quartz. Again not an expert, sorry.
This is way cool, we sort of do the same thing. I'm going out for a video walk on Monday the 10th in Southern Anza Borrego Desert State Park. I am extremely claustrophobic, and watching you in that cave made me uneasy, but loved it none the less. Cheers!
That oily clay is interesting because in another mine where diamonds are found the soil is oily like that. If there is any evidence of volcanic activity in the area I would look around there.
I love the desert. People think it's dead but it's full of life. I was exploring a similar mine in the western Mojave, about 200 feet in when an earthquake rolled through. We were out in about 8 seconds....
What's the point
@@paulrauscher6695
I’m guessing you’ve never experienced an earthquake.
If you had night vision and could camp out in the desert overnight and see the activity of the predators moving around out there you would never camp out again in a tent. That ended tent camping for me. Now I only go out in a vehicle large enough to sleep in.
Me too. The desert is my favorite. And I lived in nearly every type of enviroment.
You would never get me in that hole I got spooked just seeing you doing it.
Not gonna lie, I felt a sense of relief when I finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
I was kind of wondering what it would be like to see that opening suddenly close as you approached it. That's nightmare material.
Me too 🎉🎉🎉🎉
Me too! I had this spooky thought of getting lost in there and not finding my way out.
I was literally shaking watching you go in . No no nope no thank you 🤣
That was to be a main haulage adit. It was driven in across the grain of the rock and crosses several veins, but none were worth developing. The material in the waste rock pile was 90% country rock of no importance. Only where it crossed a vein was of interest. But after they crossed the area where there was an outcrop on top and found nothing, they gave up. (old miner) This is the most common mining result. edit: that stuff on your fingers is clay.
How long do you think it took to dig an exploration hole like that?
@@ahhdamm11 About 8' of shaft per day in that type of rocks. They would drill in afternoon, blast at dusk. Then the dust is settled in the morning to pick big rocks first then scoop up muck. Then drill again the next afternoon, on and on.
I can see you're very knowledgeable about mining cool but what kind of material were they seeking or mineral?
@@markeverson5849 There is no indication I could see. But with the surface being gravel looking and the fractured rock(Hydrothermal activity), I would be looking for gold. US Mining registrations could tell you.
I found some old diggings like that by Virgina city NV. . There was a washed out road with Deep washes. And in one I found bunch gold dust.
I've explored about a dozen caves with research colleagues, but never a mine. They were always exciting to explore but I was always a bit relieved to walk/climb out of them. I don't think I would walk into an abandon mine without a companion. I felt total relief for our Desert Trails when I saw the light coming from the entrance. Whew!
you are my hero bro ... i would never go inside by myself
That was amazing!!! You are braver then I could ever be, going in all the way to end. I think I would have gotten maybe 15 ft in and freaked as I ran back to exit. Lol
There’s just no way I would ever go alone into some mine…😬
Yeah it’s stupid. I could care less about “history” who cares that it’s from way back lol. It’s just dirt and rocks 😂
I’d be afraid of finding a rotting body being mualed by a mountain lion.
Mountain lions LOVE abandoned mines and caves.
What a dull video… Nothing to see here…
@@vodatube2591 What a dull comment... Nothing to read here...
I explored lots of mines in Arizona. When I started getting into bigger ones I worried about quality of air and didn't have money for the right gear so I stopped going into the big ones. Lots of fun! Some shafts are still accessible to accidentally fall or drive into where I explored..Be safe!
The San Tan Mountains in Queen Creek, AZ were great for exploring mines back in the 1980's. Now the entire area has been closed down as a park and it's all blocked off to off road vehicles. But even back in the 80's several of the mines had big steel doors all welded closed with signs saying "Danger Poison Gas". There was a lot of low grade turquoise laying around on the ground and the tunnels that were open were full of bats. We always fired a 45 round in the entrance and about a million bats would fly out. After seeing that poison gas warning we never fired into a tunnel again.
Whoever drove it were good miners. No overbreak, straight as an arrow in the early feet, consistent arch.
I can't help but remember the experience of Aaron Ralston who had no one with him and didn't let anyone know where he was going. He got his hand pinned by a rolling boulder down inside Blue John Canyon and was stuck there for several days. No one knew where to start looking for him. He only got out by cutting his hand off at the wrist and was able to wonder out and find other people for help. I sure hope you'll explore with another person staying out of harms way. Hopefully someone knows in what area you are exploring and your expected time of return. Other than that - it was an interesting tour.
I couldn't help note:. Not a single support in the entire Mine. Vanes of clay running through out. Surprised 🙀 no cave ins. Probably wouldn't take much. Don't touch anything.
moron alert , that mine has probably survived HUNDREDS if not a thousand earthquakes but it's going to collapse when he simply walks in ? is that logic or wet your pant fear speaking ? one guy gets his hand pinned therefore it could happen to anyone? LMFAO are you serious???
actually he cut off more than just his hand it was all the way up to his forearm
@@johnjerman3421 And how often does that happen?? NEVER
You crazy going in there that deep.
No way would I have stepped into that tunnel 😮 my heart was pounding just watching the video.
LOL the idiot posted the video so he clearly got lucky and made it out alive. But he is a fool
It's quite stupid to go in there. Bad air can easily overcome you.
Very neat to see. I don't think I would have gone in for fear of animals or possibly gas. Especially being by yourself. Hope you let someone know where you were heading at least. Stay safe, thanks for the video.
Never go, underground alone, rule number one in mining
@@jkitto2008 that’s for sure. I appreciate the video footage but not at the risk of that guys life. You never know what’s in that tunnel.
You took the words right out of my mouth! You should never do this alone!!
I'd think there's a good chance it wasn't his first time going in this mine and there's no guarantor he was alone. There can always be somebody else there but then again what do I know
My first thought is the consideration of the thousands of hours of hard, super hard labor that it took to excavate the tunnel. No one would do that without expecting a high value payoff. After that, the testing of one's bravado. At what point do I still feel confident that it's safe to continue on? Obviously, the longer you go on, the greater the potential for risk. If there are no dangerous animals dwelling there, and if there are no toxic gases present, there is always the possibility of inhaling dangerous molds that could invade the moist, warm interstitial cavities in your lungs and given time, do you in, little by little, months, or years after that exploration.
That slick "mud" you encountered is most likely bentonite clay. It is so greasy that it was used to lube wagon wheels as long as it was kept wet. If you find some that's dry, put a fair amount into a container and add a LOT of water. A few hours later, it will have absorbed the water and swelled to an astonishing size. That's why it hasn't caved in, as soft as it is. If it ever dries out it will though.
The guy is a miner he knows already.
@@ExploringCabinsandMines I'm not a miner and I found it interesting
@@jimbob465 👍🏻
As always you knock it out of the park! Thanks for the hard work.
First viewer. Thank you for sharing this. I’m having a panic/excitement attack watching it. I love exploring.
Hi, A nice find. That clay vien is called fluken pronounced "flooken" as in book or cook. Its a crossvien composed of clay. Its notoriously dangerous for sudden caveins, though this one is way too small. The bad ones Ive seen were 2-3 feet wide +. As far as I know its caused by a fault where 2 rock faces move & rub against each other over time thus grinding to clay. The flat exposed faces of the rock is usually very smooth & shiny. I love your videos.
Cheers Daniel.
Interesting, but why is the clay a different color to the surrounding rock if it's come from the same rock just ground down ?
Very interesting❤
Too small? Several patches of gravel on the floor, including where he stopped to handle a pebble, looked like ceiling falls to me.
@@carolinemcgreal2382 Clay can wash into fractures in rock over time. Give it enough time and it will solidify into sedimentary rock.
@@carolinemcgreal2382 Exellent question, I dont know, but every example Ive ever seen was white or grey regardless of the surrounding rock color.
Wow! That was amazing!! Thank You for sharing.
I enjoyed the video. I've recorded about 1500 historic mines mostly in Montana, Idaho and Nevada, but those days are over. Listen to "My favorite Martian", he has it right. BTW, the giant pile extending out in front of the adit portal is not tailings, the proper term is waste rock. Tailings are what come out of mills or placers. Just a small detail.
Tailings also come out of well-digs.
@@craigharding475 Out here in Arizona where i live tailings/talings are what come out of a drywasher
@@notwrkn2mchThanks, Joe. I had to look-up dry washer--pretty interesting.
I explore mines all over western Montana too. Great stuff out around Butte and Dillon!
Small scale mining is fascinating, especially the level of industry focused by a few human beings. The miners at this site didn't leave much kit behind. It was a clean getaway.
It was all valuable
Miners took it to the next mine
Then scrapers
The desert got the rest
So many great spots like this out there... shocked more people don't go out and look around for this type of stuff
Very neat work by those who dug it.
Wow, that’s a long tunnel. I’ve come across a lot of exploratory mines here in Tucson mostly limestone it appears some copper, but nothing like this pretty cool😊🌵😎
Cool mine. Thanks for taking us along!
8:21 First time visitor to your channel so seeing “the light at the end of the tunnel” was really awesome. Cool video 👍🏼
That was the light at the BEGINNING of the tunnel.
@Joe Varga Thanks for explaining that. I didn't understand or see where he turned around and arrived back at the beginning.
Also, do you know what type of mineral they were trying to find in this mine?
@@valazuniga 6:06 He says "That's it" and shows the end of the tunnel. I don't know what they were mining.
A fair amount of silver ore in thinner veins. As a miner, I can’t stress enough how incredibly dangerous that is. Please don’t do that again.
Oh my goodness! My claustrophobia would have kept me to within 5 feet of that mine entrance. Going along with you, I kept saying, "No...no...no!" Thank you for letting me see what was in there, but I did expect Gollum to pop out at any second!! You are way braver than I ever was, even in my youth! Good video!!
I expected to see a Bud Light can which will soon be an archaeological artifact.
Yeah, you’re an archaeological artifact…
Spent a few years in desert locations while in ARMY..............the Mojave is truly an incredible place!
I was waiting for something with long fangs to jump out at you
I just came back from a jeep trip there ( early march )we parked for the night on the tailings and two of us slept in the mine instead of our tents because the wind was fierce and cold. I wear glasses and had to take them off near the end of the adit because of fogging ,very warm place to sleep. Thanks for the video
What’s this trail called?
I don't know the name of the road but it's just off the chloride cliff's road on the Nevada side
WHAT THE FRACK WERE THEY MINING FOR ?
I absolutely love watching your videos, I really like the desert, the feel of it, and all of the exploratory vibes I get. I’ve always wanted to do these types of things and would love to accompany you on one! Lol Keep up the great work and I’ll keep enjoying you’re professionally put together pieces.
That cave was a little creepy, I’m surprised you went in that far all alone:)
I enjoyed your video. I"m not much of a cave or mine explorer, but you made it look fun. Thanks!
wowww, THAT thing goes very deep. seems to be like you walk w not fear at all
What a cool mine. Very safe. Puts me in mind of a mine we'd explore up on scratch gravel hills in Montana back in the early 80's. Fun times.
The deeper you got, the creepier I felt
kept waiting for a pair of red eyes to be reflected in the darkness ahead, lol . . .
WOw you found a mine in the desert, one of thousands, I'm gonna subscribe to your channel
What an adventure!!!!
Wow that was amazing find i enjoyed it. i guess it used to me a mine at some point.
A tunnel of broken dreams.
This is the first time I've watched a video from this channel so aside from the channel's name I didn't really know what the channel was about before watching.
After about 30 seconds of him being in the cave I was expecting this video to be a shock video. You know where you get so enthralled in watching the video and then without warning...BOOM!! a monster pops out forcing you to change your pants.
I'm glad it wasn't! It was an interesting video thank you!
Thank you for the Video , its nice to see that You are doing so well .
Nice hike! Was almost expecting a shaft to drop out at the back.
I think you should give a call to a friend before you make entrance into a mine like that and at least give them your approx location and time , just in case the worst happens.
In your vast experience what happens in mines ? LMFAO
Thanks for the walk thru.
Underground mines can present a radiation hazard to miners. Without proper air ventilation, radon can collect in the mineshafts, where it is inhaled by miners. The operators of uranium mines must take special precautions to protect miners, such as pumping radon gas out of the mine and replacing it with fresh air. I would worry, often a cavalier attitude about what you can't see is the thing that gets you. The Pacific Coast Borax Company was the last ones to work this particular site and 11 men lost their lives in only 7 months. The absence of bats and mice should have been a warning as you ventured in. Ever hear the expression curiosity killed the cat, you my friend are the cat.
That was a pretty cool video. Kinda like being there...
So many caves, mines and old tunnels across the old world
Fascinating video.
Bloody hell,I couldn't do that,not knowing what's down there..wolves,bats,rats,aahh..was that hand dug ?,any machinery? looks dug by hand,the height,width,amazing.
Was I the only one saying “turn around right the EFF now, buddy!”? As a kid in New Mexico, late 1960s, we used to explore the old mines around Orogrande. We came out of there with loads of gorgeous turquoise and iron pyrite.
I remember in the 90s a kid fell down a shaft at Orogrande. It was covered with chain link but not secured.
@@alfonsomunoz4424 Damn, Alfonso, that’s terrible! I remember that my dad, me, his co-workers, their sons….we all spent a day “rockhounding”, then camping in the Gila Wilderness…..how simple those days seemed to be. I hope that boy was saved!
@@captaincoyote1792 no he died. Tragic. Those Orogrande mines are fraught with hazards.
BTW, I absolutely love spending time in the Gila Wilderness, last went about a year and a half ago, to the Catwalk.
@@alfonsomunoz4424 I agree, Brother…I fully agree. I loved living in and going to college in New Mexico, both my daughters there now (one in Cruces one in Carlsbad). And the Gila…how magical is that area? Stay strong, stay well, be safe!
I worry about Rattlesnakes wondering around in those places. Yikes! LOL.
Death comes for us all. Go out there and get some life before then.
I recorded old mines for 32 years all over the west. Never saw one rattlesnake. I have seen some rattlers while doing field survey, but never at mines. Don't know why -- maybe because I deliberately tromp my feet and they are long gone before I arrive. Falling and ticks were my main concern during that work.
@@dalegray934 ticks suck... lol
Avoid falling... lol
@@ronaldstarkey4336 and possible deadly if you catch lyme disease.
Counting your steps that would make the length of the cave 600 ft or more. Takes a little moxy to charge straight ahead.
That looks like jeepers paradise!!
In the 80s before the gazillion new developments in AZ there were many mine shafts and vent holes southside of South Mtn. in Phx. Some were flat ground level vertical access holes deep deep deep and uncovered. We were riding motorcycles zoomed right past one, easily would have fit a mini bike and a kid straight down. We stopped and dropped a rock to see how deep it was, insanely deep. Now they are covered, but in the 70s and 80s, they were a hazard, some fun, but some deadly.
That slippery "clay" reminds me of the consistently and feel of wet borax in Death Valley.
Thems some mighty big gopher holes you found there mister... :)
Nice trip. Hope you had extra Flashlight but not likely.
Yeah, you want to avoid old mines, in some places what you Think is an old mine, or hole in the ground may in fact be an active claim, and in the middle of nowhere you may attract lead.
that would be really cool to explore
FLY-OVER COUNTRY! I've flown over these areas many times and have seen the roads out in the middle of no where and wondered what it would be like to sojourn through the area.
I do believe the location to this mine is 100 miles North then 25.5 miles west now you have the starting point good luck ⛏️🏆🇺🇸🤔
I'm thinking you just broke a bunch of survival rules exploring that day. Unless you told someone you were going into an abandoned mine by yourself your taking a risk with your life.
It's an exploration drift a couple hundred feet long, but it looks barren of any pay grade. Just another unsuccessful gamble, probably took a month or two, quit and moved on elsewhere, I imagine.
I've got a friend who's now mucking out an old drift originally planned to intersect successful workings above it in Pinos Altos, NM. They abandoned the effort about a hundred years ago due to an economic depression. My pal hopes to intersect ore extensions from up above. One man job,: uncovered adit entrance, cleaned drift, built new timbered portal, fabricated beautiful steel door, shored up bad ground inside, laid old salvaged track, built a new steel tilt ore car, and spent a lotta time dealing with the BLM. Why all this work for a 70 year-old man? "Always wanted to do what the old timers did", he says. He'll begin extending the drift and/or working a couple cross-faults pretty soon.
good luck to him ! I hope he hits "payrock!"
Very brave man handling any thing found in those mines without knowing what it is. I've seen Mercury and asbestos mines that would give you all kinds of health complications.
Thank you
Who dug this and why?
Cave ins are a problem?
That clay between the rocks , only has to be 1/4” , with the right place and the right contour. Cave in.
Before even starting the video I see a pile of mine tailings. Yep it was, but what is strange, who would have dug a tunnel almost or more than a hundred yards into that mountain when the earth had no discernible type of rock that would actually hold Gold.
there may have been small outcrops of quartz visible when the prospector first walked up the hills.
Read my comment at top.
@@rosewhite--- Sorry I can't find your other comment, as it is not at the top and with 463 comments I"m not going to look all the names to see what this site put your comment.
@@benth162 This is what is at the top:
'what these old mines prove is that at the start of The Flood 4,370 years ago GOD shook Earth to allow the internal superhot water to escape out.
The shaking thorougly shattered the rock and as the water surged out it preipitated out the basic elements that were dissolved in it.
That is why gold is found in solid veins of quartz which obviosuly must have been liquid when it was deposited in the rocks!
Nice video bro. Keep it up!
Pretty cool people haven’t trashed that mine shaft.
oh sweetie thankyou for sharing no apologies necessary for me here .. much to see huh!!
We all need to start sharing videos of how boring the desert is, the last thing we need is more people out there. 🙂
Nice video thanks
That's a well-constructed adit. Plenty in the Nevada desert and agreed there is little reason for anyone to be there a hundred years later. I explored more than a few when working for a mining company in 1990. The started nowhere and ended nowhere, when the vein(s) played out. Surprised how deep this one goes. Had I GPS back in the day I'd have kept records but alas not so much. What you picked off the walls appear to be on fault line(s) they were following...I'd bet if you had that assayed it'd come in relatively rich in Ag (a guess, from the consistency and color)! I'm an optimist and as others indicate might just be clay / junk. BTW, USGS 7.5 and 15 min sheets used to have these marked (shafts, adits) but far from "always!"
Nice truck man!!😊
Great walk with you! Love being subscribed. I bet water is not far away...
This gives off the vibes of an ancestral tomb in Morrowind.
'be safe' just walked 300 feet into a dead air mine by self
Well, I do hope they got something after the HUGE effort to dig this mine. I wish he had counted his steps.
Amazing tour, thnx. Am too claustrophobic to ever do that myself, could hardly stand to watch it. Were you ever worried about a cave-in? The floor was so cleaned out, must have been fastidious miners. Thanksfor the ride!
I feel your pain. This weather even in Tennessee is killing my sinuses and throat.
Notice when he was in the mine and out of all the pollen outside he wasn't clearing his throat anymore
The veins of "mud" or "powder" are fault gouge. The wet ones have tapped into some water and are in the process of mineralization. Many veins are ancient faults (or cracks) that have mineralized over hundreds of millennia. Faults are cracks where the 2 sides have moved and ground against each other forming the fine gouge.
nonsense. there has been no hundreds of millennia only 6.
@@rosewhite--- LOL
@@archstanton_live it's above the level of your intelligence?
keep watching your Planet of Apes documentaries! LOL
A friend of mine and I ran across a couple mines like this near Death Valley.. We mostly afraid of hitting Bad Air.. but it was in the summer and the mine was alot cooler.
@6:16 at the back of the tunnel, it appears as if a rock is there front and center. It seems "placed" and I am curious as to what(if anything) was/is behind it....
Most people think they only need worry about the ceiling coming down: the worst thing is the floor giving way due to disintegrated shoring of lower levels. Be safe people.
This guy is a bolder man than I am.
Finally getting the views your content deserves 👏
I to was surprised , waste rock pile didn't look as big as the mine was , maybe a lot of rich ore was hauled out of it !?!? Nice explore 👍😎
Washed down the hill over time
Walking down a strange, abaonded mine shaft unannounced and unprepared seems like a 'begging for a long, painful death' situation.
It's more dangerous driving on a highway. We explore them all the time in Colorado.
@@Mlpojnnb1234 There are few common activities more dangerous than driving a car on a public road. One of the differences is that most people have to drive to make a living. Dude walked down a mine shaft out of curiosity. It makes for good video but it's foolish!
@negativespace000 In Colorado I've been 1,500 feet back in mines and it was a tour but no problem. Another time over 1,000 feet back. Been in lots of them and I'm not dead. You go back and roll out. It's not like you go back and chill for the day. They are safer than you think it's solid rock. Drugs are more dangerous than driving. If your scared that's because you live in the East. It's flat and safe there. We live in the west and can do cool shit the east people can't do so they cry.
@@DangolWhopper don't forget sex with a stranger... lol
@@Mlpojnnb1234 Perhaps, but it's the "long, painful death" part that worries me . . .
6:18 Imagine turning around to go back out and it's another dead end right in front of you.
went into a mine similar to this in the Superstition Mountains years ago, it had about 30 javelina in it! it wasn't nearly as long as this mine only 50 yards or so.
What inspires people to start digging where they do? Like......there? I'd never go exploring like that but glad you do so I can see what's in there. Nice video!
Someone probably found some outcroppings in the area containing higher than average levels of important minerals and then decided to dig around where they found a decent concentration. Just my guess!
Look for an area with volcanic activity, then look for upthrusted areas. Those areas were pushed up by hydrothermal pressures. While the pressures are pushing the rock up, it also creeps in and fills those gaps. A lot of the white veins are quartz and while a liquid it carries things along with it. Like gold, silver, lead, galena, ETC. Rusty looking areas are good for gold. Old miners saying: "Gold rides an iron horse." Where you find Iron you also find gold. You can dig in along the upthrust or 90 degrees to it like this one.
Just think. Every step (2.5 feet) cist whoever drove that working about $300 in dollars of those days. At best, the advance in driving those old tunnels would have been 18 feet per day.
@@myfavoritemartian1 since when have volcanoes pushed out white quartz?
The hydrothermal pressure is Earth's internal hotwater escaping just as leaking boilers leak out - and just as my hot taps precipitated limestone.
@@rosewhite--- Not being a geologist I am not an expert. But everywhere there is volcanic action, it pushes up everything including water/steam and along with that comes what ever was down there including quartz. Again not an expert, sorry.
This is way cool, we sort of do the same thing. I'm going out for a video walk on Monday the 10th in Southern Anza Borrego Desert State Park. I am extremely claustrophobic, and watching you in that cave made me uneasy, but loved it none the less. Cheers!
It’s going to be 100 degrees.
Omgosh yes i was getting the willies watching it too with claustrophobia
That oily clay is interesting because in another mine where diamonds are found the soil is oily like that. If there is any evidence of volcanic activity in the area I would look around there.
Cool little tunnel.
It got spooky in there. I got the heeby jeebies .. 😉
Ricola for the throat works for me.
Maybe a basic geology course would be worth considering... It would be fun to know a little bit about those materials.
exactly, what kind of rock, volcanic or ancient seabed? type stuff. what were they looking for? silver? uranium? etc.
read my comment at top.
I was counting your steps. Lost count about a 100 going out but your pace was definitely faster going out than in.
Super cool!