Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Old Timers Missed This GOLD — and in this video I show you WHY they left it behind and HOW TO GET IT. I’ll show you how to find gold around old mines and mine dumps using gold prospecting techniques like reading prospect pits, contact zones, vein structures, gossans, oxidized sulfides and altered rock.
If you're into gold mining and gold prospecting, these are the geological clues that can help you locate gold the old-time miners walked away from.
The old timers needed the highest-grade ore they could find to make a living, which meant lower-grade material, mineralized mine dumps and other gold-bearing rock could be left behind. Many historic mines also shut down and were never fully worked again.
I'll show you where to look for gold around old mine workings, how to read a mine dump from head to tail, how to recognize red, orange and black iron staining from weathered sulfides, and how gossan, limonite, fault zones and argillic alteration can point toward mineralized ground.
Along the way, we explore historic mining ground around Virginia City Nevada, including the massive 3,000-foot Combination Shaft and geological structures associated with the historic Comstock mining district.
Then we put the geology to the test. I collect three samples, pan them for gold, and one of them is LOADED. Can you guess which sample has the most gold before the reveal?
⏱ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - Why Old Timers Left GOLD Behind
0:44 - How to Find Gold: Prospect Pits & Contact Zones
2:33 - Altered Rock That Can Carry GOLD
3:56 - Taking Samples & Metal Detecting for Gold
5:31 - How to Read an Old Mine Dump
6:13 - Virginia City’s 3,000-Foot Combination Shaft
8:06 - A Geological Clue Most Prospectors Miss
8:40 - Sampling Oxidized Gold-Bearing Ground
9:06 - How to Recognize Gossan
10:29 - Oxidized Sulfides & Gold Ore
12:03 - The Hidden High-Grade Gold Pile
12:51 - Dangerous Open Stopes & Fault Zones
14:19 - Sampling Gold the Old Timers Left Behind
14:53 - The Fault Zone That Controlled the Mining
15:38 - Which Sample Has the GOLD?
16:05 - Gold Panning: Sample #1
17:17 - Sample #2 — We Found GOLD!
17:58 - Sample #3 — The BIG Test
19:17 - The Final GOLD Reveal
19:34 - Why Sampling Oddball Material Works
20:10 - Gold Prospecting Gear Giveaways
🥇 WIN GOLD & PROSPECTING GEAR
Every month we give away 10 incredibly rich paydirt bags from our drift mine, gold detectors and prospecting equipment including Keene dry washers. Click the Patreon icon at the end of the video for details.
#GoldProspecting #GoldMining #FindingGold
Old Timers Missed This GOLD — and in this video I show you WHY they left it behind and HOW TO GET IT. I’ll show you how to find gold around old mines and mine dumps using gold prospecting techniques like reading prospect pits, contact zones, vein structures, gossans, oxidized sulfides and altered rock.
If you're into gold mining and gold prospecting, these are the geological clues that can help you locate gold the old-time miners walked away from.
The old timers needed the highest-grade ore they could find to make a living, which meant lower-grade material, mineralized mine dumps and other gold-bearing rock could be left behind. Many historic mines also shut down and were never fully worked again.
I'll show you where to look for gold around old mine workings, how to read a mine dump from head to tail, how to recognize red, orange and black iron staining from weathered sulfides, and how gossan, limonite, fault zones and argillic alteration can point toward mineralized ground.
Along the way, we explore historic mining ground around Virginia City Nevada, including the massive 3,000-foot Combination Shaft and geological structures associated with the historic Comstock mining district.
Then we put the geology to the test. I collect three samples, pan them for gold, and one of them is LOADED. Can you guess which sample has the most gold before the reveal?
⏱ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - Why Old Timers Left GOLD Behind
0:44 - How to Find Gold: Prospect Pits & Contact Zones
2:33 - Altered Rock That Can Carry GOLD
3:56 - Taking Samples & Metal Detecting for Gold
5:31 - How to Read an Old Mine Dump
6:13 - Virginia City’s 3,000-Foot Combination Shaft
8:06 - A Geological Clue Most Prospectors Miss
8:40 - Sampling Oxidized Gold-Bearing Ground
9:06 - How to Recognize Gossan
10:29 - Oxidized Sulfides & Gold Ore
12:03 - The Hidden High-Grade Gold Pile
12:51 - Dangerous Open Stopes & Fault Zones
14:19 - Sampling Gold the Old Timers Left Behind
14:53 - The Fault Zone That Controlled the Mining
15:38 - Which Sample Has the GOLD?
16:05 - Gold Panning: Sample #1
17:17 - Sample #2 — We Found GOLD!
17:58 - Sample #3 — The BIG Test
19:17 - The Final GOLD Reveal
19:34 - Why Sampling Oddball Material Works
20:10 - Gold Prospecting Gear Giveaways
🥇 WIN GOLD & PROSPECTING GEAR
Every month we give away 10 incredibly rich paydirt bags from our drift mine, gold detectors and prospecting equipment including Keene dry washers. Click the Patreon icon at the end of the video for details.
#GoldProspecting #GoldMining #FindingGold
