Exploring an Abandoned Mine Shaft

Jul 6, 2024

Lecture: Exploring an Abandoned Mine Shaft

Introduction

  • Presenter: Brent
  • Location: Abandoned union mine at Ser Gordo (California's largest silver mine in the 1800s)
  • Mission: 12-hour shift to extract minerals

History of the Union Mine

  • Largest silver mine in California in the 1800s
  • Nicknamed "the mine that built Los Angeles"
  • Infamous for mining accidents & fatalities
  • Over $500 million worth of minerals extracted
  • Main minerals: Galena (silver and lead ore), smithsonite (zinc ore), gold, copper, turquoise, and more

Brent's Plan

  • Explore all six levels: 86, 200, 450, 500, 700, and 900 feet
  • Spend 2 hours at each level
  • Collect a bucket of minerals from each level
  • Review and estimate the worth of the collected minerals at the end

Mineral Details

  • Galena: Silver and lead, used in batteries, ammunition, construction; raw value ≈ $1/pound
  • Smithsonite: 50% zinc; zinc value just over $1/pound but collectible pieces can be worth tens of thousands
  • Fluorite: Found in purple pockets, valuable for collectors
  • Malachite & Turquoise: High collector's value
  • Blasting Caps & Dynamite: Found dynamite tools and blasting caps, which are hazardous

Level-Specific Exploration

86 Level

  • Intersects Santa Marina and Jefferson Chimney
  • Focus: Galena
  • Collect fluorite pocket

200 Level

  • Known for rich copper veins
  • Site of historical collapse trapping 35 miners
  • Collect malachite and turquoise, copper ore

400 Level

  • Source of both Galena and smithsonite
  • Ryan crystals and Smithsonite found here

550 Level

  • Less explored, main site for Santa Maria vein
  • Discovered lots of dynamite

700 Level

  • Contains the only water source in the mine
  • Personal exploration: set up a bed and lived for 2 days
  • Further Smithsonite exploration

900 Level

  • Deepest explored level reached in the 1860s
  • Collected velvet malachite from historic Galena vein

Summary of the Shift

  • 12-hour experience provided insight into miner's lives
  • Collected hundreds of pounds of various minerals

Post-Extraction Process

  • Washed and polished minerals
  • Encountered selling challenges; decided to use eBay
  • Displayed remaining rocks in the Ser Gordo museum

Further Actions

  • Try selling items at local market and online platforms
  • Continues exploring and preserving the history of Ser Gordo

Conclusion

  • Reflects on miner's hardship
  • Appreciation for the history and continued preservation efforts
  • Encourages audience to visit the museum and explore the history of the mine