Nature’s Masterpiece: Stunning Quartz In Extraordinary Gold Mine

There is so much to say about this extraordinary abandoned gold mine that I will start by simply observing that if you have liked any of our videos, this one is truly in the “must see” category… The setting for this mine was exceptional, the sheer volume of quartz present was exceptional, the geological formations underground were exceptional and that section at the end of the lower level was exceptionally sporty. Although you guys seem to enjoy seeing us risk our necks!

This is one of the older mines in the district and, although no exact dates can be found as to when underground gold mining started at this location, the books and reports that I have reviewed universally agreed that the mine started sometime around the mid-1800s. So, it was definitely a part of the famous Gold Rush… As we see so often at mining operations, off and on efforts have been made over the generations of its existence. Judging from the infrastructure present underground and one the surface, a big push was made in the 1930s and, it seems, some exploratory work was done around the 1990s.

Obviously, the miners were encountering a lot of barren quartz (quartz not containing gold) for so much to be left behind. However, that does not diminish the extraordinary sight of so much quartz. The geological conditions for that volume of quartz to be deposited must have been truly violent and hellish underground.

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You can see the full TVR Exploring playlist of abandoned mines here: https://goo.gl/TEKq9L

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, we set up a Patreon account. So, if anyone would care to chip in, we're 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.

We hope you’ll join us on these adventures!

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