Los Angeles County Mines #29:
Finding this mine was a huge surprise for me. I was scouting an area that I believed contained some old mines and I stumbled upon an adit with a metal door. Taking a closer look I saw that the door had a sign that stated Princeton University was conducting an Earthquake Experiment inside! I didn't have all my gear with me, so I decided to return at a later date. Apparently in the late 70's and early 80's, Princeton University was conducting seismic experiments in the area. They were using a number of sensors to monitor the speed of seismic waves. It appears that two of these sensors were placed inside this abandoned mine.
I didn't really know what to expect to see inside, but I was pleasantly surprised. Along with some leftover equipment from the experiment, I found the most colorful flowstone I'd ever seen in an abandoned mine. The mine was also a lot more extensive than I expected, as most of the other mines I had found in the area were no longer than 50 ft. It seems that the mine once contained two seismic sensors. Each sensor contained a metal box with a long pipe running away from it. I don't know exactly how these worked, but if I had to guess, the actual sensor part was located at the end of the pipe, while the data recorder and power supply were located within the box. The pipe was used to protect the wiring running from the box to the sensor. I definitely could be wrong, so if you have any other ideas or if you actually know how these would have worked, please let me know. Outside the main adit I found three shorter adits, all no longer than 35 ft.
I haven't been able to determine this mine's name or history, but I'm almost certain it's a gold mine. It seems almost no one knows about this mine, and I'd like to keep it that way in order to protect it. There aren't a lot more "undiscovered" mines this cool left in Los Angeles County, but finds like this make me comitted to hunting them down.
11 окт 2024
