Mining Gold In A Silver Mine?? Searching Cerro Gordo For Gold
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- Join Jason as he returns to the ghost town of Cerro Gordo, nestled in the high desert of California, for an unforgettable mining adventure! In this episode, Jason, along with Brent Underwood of @GhostTownLiving delve into the depths of the historic Cerro Gordo silver mine in pursuit of gold.
The journey begins with a descent into the mine's 86' level, where tales of rich gold nuggets and specimens have lingered in old articles and stories. Will Jason and Brent strike gold in the same veins as the miners of the past? Follow along as they navigate through shafts, encounter bats, explore stopes, maneuver through tight spaces, and brave the challenges of loose ground in this remarkable underground exploration.
The 86' level presents a fascinating landscape of history with remnants of past mining activities, potential riches, and the aura of forgotten stories waiting to be unearthed. As the duo emerges from the depths, they are joined by none other than @Danhurd to crush a sample of the ore they gathered, hoping to reveal the gold values hidden within. Will Cerro Gordo share its elusive gold secrets, or will the riches remain concealed in the heart of the silver mine?
Stay tuned until the end to discover if Jason, Brent, and Dan unveil the treasures and forgotten history of Cerro Gordo's gold or if the high desert keeps its mysteries intact! Don't forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell for more thrilling mining explorations.
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Keywords: Cerro Gordo Gold, Silver Mine Exploration, Underground Mining Adventure, Forgotten Treasures, Gold Prospecting, Historical Mining Sites.
Hashtags: #CerroGordoGold #SilverMineExploration #MiningAdventure #GoldProspecting #HistoricalMining
this is actually one of the best videos on the cerro gordo's mine including brent's vids. Really get a sense for the scale of operation.
Hey Jason, When you were using the black lite - that one piece was Calcite and Fluorite! When Brent found the Malachite and Azurite - nice piece! Any red mineral would be Cuprite. The blue/green will be Chrysocolla. The black (very dark blue) mineral will be Tenerite. VERY exciting to see all that rusty quartz & decomposing quartz! Go for the gold! Thumbs up! Stay safe. Jim
I need these in my specimen collection! I only have calcite and opal. Both of which phosphoresce green.
Man I played in the caves of Alabama as a boy.Totally not claustrophobic and have found tons of civil war history, fossils, and Indian Artifacts...but you guys take things to the extreme.. You rock hounds are nuts...Love watching you....
The miners seem to have suffered from " tunnel vision " , throwing out gold to get to the silver .
When the silver started getting scarce they looked for other values like zinc , and only THEN did they discover what they had been missing .
We can all learn a few lessons about prospecting and sampling from this .
Might be worth testing for germanium and rare earths , since germanium is occasionally found in lead / zinc deposits , along with some rare earths .
Those are normally in trace amounts. Most gold deposits have tellurium associated with them but it’s not economic.
Many modern exploration does 46 to 48 element analysis on chips and core, along with down hole survey. The information is used in program like Vulcan to see if it’s economic to mine.
I have really been enjoying seeing you, Brent, and Dan working together! I hope to see more collaboration between all y'all!
Both the Union & Jefferson “ Chimneys” were natural vents from which gasses & minerals were pushed up outta the bowels of the Earth back when those Inyo mountain ranges were being formed in that whole Sierra region. The fact that they found mineralization pockets inside those “ VENTS” was pure coincidence, and there is probably more still left in place than what was ever taken out . Be very curious to see what comes out in the future with Brent & Jason here . Be safe guys , & thanks again for posting & sharing with us all . 😎👍
ATM JAYS GOT THE BEST MINING SHOW ON THE PLANET . WAY TO GO JAY. THAT GEOLOGY AT CERRO GORDO IS A DANGEROUS MESS. NOT WORTH CROSSING THE LINE( IF YOU COME TO IT). JUST ASK THE DUDES THAT ARE COMPACTED IN THE GRAVELS DOWN THERE
Keep the maps! Your insight while looking at them with Brent was helpful. Also they give context and make this feel like a real treasure hunt!
It is interesting that I thought the same thing about the maps. I've been in several different caverns, but they have paid guides and... Maps. There are maps in the brochures, marked emergency exits, and maps for each section on the walls. I knew where I was at all times and how to get out of there if something happened to the guide. Although I must say those caverns weren't any safer than this mine, but it put some of your anxiety of not knowing to ease.
Keep the maps, helps us understand what you are talking about.
Yeah I would keep the maps helps visualize your experience.
This is so cool you guys opening mines and all the other youtubers like Heavy D sparks colaborate. I think Jeff Williams need to see that red stuff, I'm sure he will go nuts on it.
Now that would be an interesting add to the mix. Jeff knows his stuff too.
I ran the idea past Jeff earlier in the year. He didn't seem to have any interest going to Cerro Gordo.
@@ElementofKindness Maybe if Jeff was invited to Cerro Gordo he might show some interest and say, Let's Go!!
Weird, you'd say he would be bursting of enthousiasm @@ElementofKindness At leasst I wannah see him there. +1 like
I really like the way this video was put together, particularly the conversations between yourselves.
That’s very exciting! I almost feel like I’m there with you guys. Stay safe down there and watch out for Balrogs!
The purple rock almost looks like Amethyst that crystalized with a lot of impurities. The maps are awesome, gives context to what we are seeing.
Yes, I like the maps. Makes it easier to follow where you are in the mine.
I can't get over how crystal clear the video is, my oh my hasn't technology advanced over the years since we used potatoes. lol
Sweet my 3 favorite youtubers are at it again Jason, Dan and Bret.....thanks guys !
Get Jeff Williams involved and let's go!
How did Jeff become my favorite?////@@bencarlyle2155
@@bencarlyle2155Love Chad also
The vastness of the caverns reminds me of the 16 to 1 gold mine that TVR did a couple of series on if I remember correctly. The quartz ballroom in it is amazing.
Seriously it is a miracle that Brent have not gotten injured yet! The guy is fearless
Brent is living he's dream to the end.
Yes of course it is dangerous in these old mines, but causing dying in an adventure is better than having a freaking heart attack in the boring office.
Yes, it’s almost like he has a Deathwish
Yeah but maybe with that “have it and not need it” bit he is starting to take less unnecessary risks
Brent is not fearless, his spirit helps him face and harness his fear
Clearly you've never watched the TVR Exploring guys.. That was totally tame compared to what those guys do..
Man....I was gettin' some real anxiety at the 16-17 min mark! Holy! What a video!
I could spend a lifetime taking high quality photos in that mine. The colours, the textures and the shapes are stunning.
That's exactly what i was thinking, I love taking samples from mines for the sole purpose of macro photography, the crystal formations, geological compositions, and the Pallett of colours from mineral oxidization is endless.
yeah beautiful rocks
Great educational experience in prospecting for gold and other precious metals while watching Jason's videos.❤👏🏻👍🏻🙋🏻♂️☝🏻
I loved the map segments, definitely keep those in the future! Great video as always
Wishing you well on your gold prospecting at Cerro Gordo! Hope you take some of the millions you discover and use it to put some timbering in and muck up those passages so when we come to stay at the hotel we can tour far into the mine :)
oh man just seen how close brents rope from hoody was to the rock crusher..... careful there brent... 58:08
That's funny, when I saw the chimney I was thinking of the Mines of Moria too...
Blue mineral is Linarite
Sulfates, Chromates, Molybdates, Tungstates
PbCu(SO4)(OH)2 (Hydrous lead copper sulfate)
It's occurrence is listed in Cerro Gordo in the book Rocks and Minerals - Field Guide
Always good to see Brent again , great guy 👍
@ 42:03, I'm not a geo, so, what does gold come with if it isn't quartz? I know gold rides an Irion horse but with a quartz saddle.. now, I have to look that up because dude confused me.. but, it's easy to do mind you..
The maps are awesome and give a great perspective of the mine. Also topography with drone of the area would be great.
holy moly...this makes me feel SO claustrophobic...
Wow what an awesome exploration, oh the rocks. Maybe cut some slabs for VG. This would be a great series. Have a Happy & Safe Holiday Season ⚒
Jason, the maps are good for explaining the workings. It would be impossible to determine where you are without them.
@ 20:23 talk about mining the face of the mountain.. all the way down.. literally rich cambium
Just amazing work fam. Keep on having fun getting that Au and living the dream. Gold Squad Out 🤠
Brent, I highly recommend getting familiar with some of the oxide minerals and things that might be endemic to that mine which may be sellable a specimens! You have a really really cool spot and specimens can be a fairly decent income!
Nope! Can't look.. that set my vertigo right off!! You guys are amazing! I love it when you 3 guys get together so interesting, great chemistry. Thank you for sharing your adventures.
The maps are part of the adventure. Include them if you want. Thanks for sharing this adventure!
I'm with Dan, staying safe on the surface.
😂😊😊
Beautiful rock samples.
OMG, that was a super sketch trek through the mine. Glad you're still alive. Druzy quartz was gorgeous! I'd be super interested in the area with manganese. ...I'd have brought a Falcon MD 20 with me if looking for high grade ore. Would make search easier, IMHO.
Its killhope lead mine in the north of england they followed veins the same. With timbers just the same. Its madness.
Looking forward to video nr 2😊
Super exciting!
That decomposing quartz is suuuuuper interesting
The maps are both interesting and helpful.
YES to the map orientation, great detail... Imperative to your quest...Thanks for sharing your journey!!
Jason, let me take a breath since you're out of a life-threatening, could-fall-at-any-moment Cerro Gordo Mine. Whew. I appreciate you and Brent taking us on this adventure though! You guys are tough as nails! 😮 Thank God I didn't tag along in person.... I would have jumped at every sound of rocks falling! 😂 That chimney was astronomical in size (even on camera)! 😮 This mining has to be done over many years. And by HAND!?!?! I was remembering the caverns in Mariana, Florida... In comparison, if you multiplied those 50x over, they couldn't come close to 1/100 of that chimney's size and width! Wow!
I'm not a geologist, and certainly learned a lot from watching you and Dan, those multi colored specimens are so unique and beautiful 😍 Never saw anything like that before. I thought, "If Jason could get his hands on that XRS from last week...." That device was incredible and would tell you immediately what those minerals were. However, ask Brent if he wants to sell them online. I would love to sit and look at it! They are mesmerizing. 😍
The maps, articles and findings in the mine, have got to be factual. Especially if people are willing to go after others who discovered that the dumps were made of gold (pun intended)!! 🧐 Those men who made off with some loot, were quietly laughing inside at the thought of how stupid these mine workers were. Then the newspaper articles leaked out the secret from there.... I bet grandpas and grandmas were out digging away at some point. Who would have ever thought? 😮
Thank you Jason for videoing an incredible, historical mine for more than its silver content! I can't wait for part 2! It was really upsetting that you dangled a steak right in front of us by showing that the ore had arrived at your shop.... 😢 I can't wait that long! Just kidding 😂 Blessings from Alabama ❤️
I am EXCITED.. Get to mining boys..
Maybe some diamond drilling in bottom of mine reveals more much like a copper mine that became a gold mine near kamploops when origonal mine owner didnt renew his claims another miner scooped them drilled and voila.
Watching on from Australia jealous AF of all the fun you lot have!!
Love your work.
I like the maps but I really liked the history lesson about that area!
Funny to watch facial expressions, Jason cautiously moving on the hoist, through rat holes and fault zones, Brent always seems to be smiling. Both are like kids in a candy store when chipping away in the mineralization zones.
Love it. Purple rock reminds me of Lepidolite from geo-lab at Mich Tech.
The red and yellow just after you went over the collapse looks like Realgar and Orpiment - hope you didn't lick any rocks!
Hg should not be ruled out, lots of enrichment zones.
I think the purple Mineral is definitely fluorite, it's the perfect geology for it to form in various colours with all that galena, quartz, lead & zinc sulfides it's the perfect recipe for a spectrum of fluorites. You are on the money with the realgar, well the decomposed state called pararealgar which changes in hue from red to yellow, and has been commonly misidentified as orpiment. There's still a minor debate on how Realgar can decompose within a mine in darkness because it's mainly the exposure to light which causes the decomposition of arsenic sulfides, but it turns out the culprit in Greenlight, which like radio waves penetrates through all minerals.
oh yeah, love your channel.
and hey dan
The dream team working together !! 😊 You’re exploring like teenagers, great to follow you on your exploits 😊. Please stay safe though guys and look after Dan :o)
Wahnsinn wie gut dein Kanal läuft. Viel Erfolg weiterhin!
After watching the dedication to "scaling" any loose, or less than rock solid stone from overheads in your mine, I know that your skin must crawl at the neglected state of the Cerro Gordo mine. I like Brent and respect what he is doing and his passion for it, but I watch with nerves on edge at some of the places he goes into there. You couldn't mix me up in a 5 gallon bucket and pour me into some of those mine tunnels. His idea of "kinda sketchy" = no frikkin way to me.
Brent's mine is wicked fakkin' cool, for real
Hey Jason keep filming while your climbing the holes..we get a beautiful view of the rocks ...
The maps are super helpful thank you.
Love seeing Jason here at Cerra Gordo with Brent.
The fact is that rope is 7,000 lb test, which is more than a full size truck. No worrying about breaking unless it chafes through. The outside is chafe guard sheathing, the strength is the polymer strands inside.
I was a high rise commercial window cleaner using rope everyday, so.. yeah, safer than any ladder made. Good job with this adventure, the maps were informative keep it coming.
I figure the aversion to the rope is because of there lack of experience using them on the regular. It feels "safer" to use something that you are used to and have experience with, even if it is actually less safe. It is very similar to the idea of using glass to construct bridges, even if the particular glass has been tested to hold up better in every aspect.
Maps are awesome!
Maps are helpful. Thank you.
The maps are great... but I wish we could get a better look at them - if it doesn't trigger copyright issues....
Hey... you gonna do a video of processing the tons of ore you got out of your own mine? I'm really curious as to how much gold you got out.... You are too, no doubt...
Jason you need to help brent develop the water supply. Hes got water in the mine. Hes spending a fortune bringing water up the hill. I yried to tell him. Hes got to factor in gas tearing up his equipment. Water is right at the 700 foot level
Excellent!
The trifecta of geology adventuring!
Really like the maps giving incite, good addition I think as there's greater context and understanding of location and routes you've taken....pro map here.
Jason, loved 23:46 really getting to understand what those guys were up to back in the day
I am glad you helping find the minerals in this mine. I have always thought minerals are where the money is at in cerro gordo
Always love these ones!
Thanks for sharing
🙏❤️🌲
Good morning Jason, ....Howdy Brent and Dan, great explore !⛏⚒⛏
From my understanding whenever you find purple in nature it's usually a colloidal gold which is tin or aluminum mixed in with gold that's what gives it the purple hue.
This is so amazing, you 3 working together
The maps are great. The explanations are rivetting to us rock nerds.
Appreciate the history and story the map scene brings. Thanks ~Smile oN
Thank You Jason! It's great to see you three together!
maps are helpful thank you . wonder how accurate they actually are? I'd lose my orientation almost immediately once in that lift lol
OK… I just started watching this. I’m only three minutes in but, this is so exciting! Glad to see both guys going down to the mine with a guy up top. Please be careful and come up with a bucket full of gold. Hugs and blessings, good buddies. ❤
Great work! The map shots are very interesting
Those dry mines in the primary oxidation zone amaze me, also how well the woodwork is preserved.
I think the maps are interesting. I'd like to see more of them. They also paint a better picture of the of the mines as you explore. Saty safe down there.
The chamber looks like the "Bottomless Pit", 490' deep but now nearly filled with mining debris, in the Speedwell Cavern in Derbyshire. It was a Lead mine that had no Lead in it
Just like kinnecot copper 😉
I'll have to look that up. Why on earth would someone spend all that money and energy to mine for something without first doing basic prospecting? I want to see how old that mine is. Doesn't make any sense. Thank you for sharing.
I just looked it up. It was only open for about 20 years in the late 1700s. I love to learn something new every day!
When the article spoke of boat rides through it, I remembered a cavern I visited in Tennessee (it was a very small place and not on a map). A huge spring welled up out of the earth with walking trails next to the flowing water. It culminated in a series of small waterfalls that went under a huge outcrop of limestone. It made a pool and the only space left was about 4 to 5 feet between the water and rock. The guide asked very specific questions about weights as he told each person where to sit in the boat. Each person sat across from each other on the sides, so when the guide told us, we had to bend our bodies forward and hold that position until the cavern opened up again. That was very eye opening! Had to do the same on the way out. Just enough clearance to float through... It was a unique experience though!
omg that glowing rock is beautiful i need to get a piece of that it almost looked like the universe all those different little glowing stars all over so cool!
Love the maps!!! Such cool context / explanation
the anticipation is already overwhelming! can't wait to see it processed! oh my gosh, best of luck, and safe travel!
It’s called indium
Maps are nice, it would be great to get a full lidar/radar/spectro map, maybe I can propose it to JPL for autonomous moon/mars exploration.
The stopes in that part of the mine laced with paths of collapses to & from them! It’s so damn dangerous that someone slammed the door in my home & I braced myself for a collapse on YOU GUYS!
Big crush on you, Jason! Love your guys’ collaborations w Dan as well! Can’t wait I hope to get up there to Cerro Gordon before my health ends.
I love that you have the old maps to reference! Would it ever be possible to map this three-dimensionally?
Yes, Wren, form CorridorCrew, came out to Cerro Gordo some years ago to show Brent that he can 3D scan the caves with his Iphone. Brent's mentioned doing scans in very few videos, so I don't think he's spent a whole lot of time doing scans.
But if the mines were easier to access he could prob make a fairly decent 3D model of the most accessible areas with a dozen or so people and someone competent with 3D modeling to stitch the scans together.
Yes, Wren, form CorridorCrew, came out to Cerro Gordo some years ago to show Brent that he can 3D scan the mines with his Iphone. Brent's mentioned doing scans in very few videos, so I don't think he's spent a whole lot of time doing scans.
But if the mines were easier to access he could prob make a fairly decent 3D model of the most accessible areas with a dozen or so people and someone competent with 3D modeling to stitch the scans together.
If he takes enough video, someone else could go back and stitch together a 3D model
How exciting, So happy for you both ❤
The maps are helpful. So much easier to visualize and understand.
love old maps. is there just to many minerals down there to use a gold metal detector ??
44:50 seems dangerous when chiseling the rock wall looks like debris above is trickling down on you guys
Awesome video
Jason in his own mine..."better scale our way in. Don't wanna die or have anything fall on us"
Jason in this mine....YEEHAW lol
I also wanna add, I want that fluorite so bad. So many cool colors and it's fascinating.
😂
I don't understand you can't speed the hoist up. That mine is huge and would have easily used stacked cages or multiple shafts.
Wow ! Very cool video,...the purple and pink rock is way cool...
Very scary, but so fascinating I can see how you stay there chipping away,..
You and Dan find the best mining places....
The maps are okay....🙂👍🇳🇿
34:46 There are mini Excavators that fit through a normal door frame, no cab less than a a metric ton , do you think this would work digging out collapses? Some are dual power so you can operate them with electricity to avoid exhaust
I like the map references. Helps a tiny bit with orientation. Thanks for taking us along!
This is very exciting news and I can't wait to see what you get out of the sample run thank you for sharing this with us six stars my friends