Nick From The Field episode #28. Mining Geologist Tom Alexander returns to share more Wenatchee Gold Mining knowledge/experience with Nick Zentner. Filmed on June 9, 2021.
Great discussion. Thanks for this, Nick and Tom. Btw, he seems to be a very young 70, need to mine him for that knowledge too, maybe more valuable than gold!
I made several incomplete or misstatements in Part 2 that deserve correction or clarification. First, I said the average cost of producing an ounce of gold at the Cannon Mine was $500 per ounce when it wasn’t. It was in the $190 to $200 per ounce range for the life of the mine as I remember it - a big difference. Also, I don’t know what the age of the lode gold mineralization is in the Liberty district and it might be roughly contemporaneous with the gold mineralization in the Wenatchee district or not - I don’t know. However, I do not believe that the structures associated with the mineralization in both districts are connected because of observations made in the field west of the mine site and around the Wenatchee quadrangle.
Wow, What a great interview/discussion. Fun, engaging and most of all interesting. It again, like your lectures, illustrates the complexity of the subject and how much there is still to understand. Thank you both.
Great segment Nick. I could see how students might find some value in getting some first-hand insight into how practical geology is done. This one is a real winner.
One of the best RU-vids I have ever watched. I learned so much, and it is reassuring to see that mining had/has smart people like Tom involved so that the bean counters don’t make epic follies that end up hurting people or destroying ecosystems.
Fantastic “show and tell”. Tom provides a great point of view as a working geologist…a great knowledge base with an accompanying sense of humor! Thanks for these field shows Nick.
Hi I just finished eating a pink lady distributed by Stemilt growers of Wenatchee sweet with a zippy finish! Truth in advertising I like their sweet, snappy & aromatic Gala Apples too. Great to discover organics. Oh I am enjoying your conversation too. Great to see Tom again along with the specimens that he brought to show you 🇨🇦.
WOW great follow-up to the first interview with Tom Alexander!! I definitely missed my calling (ended up BS/CS). Samples are worth a million...Hope they are donated to the collage (CWU) as a sole display with this interview as a “Story Behind the Wenatchee Gold”. Would love to see another follow-up.....Thank you Nick, definitely a home run.
Great interview! Beautiful specimens and fascinating information about where, geologically, the gold was deposited. Tom is so knowledgeable and has an engaging, unassuming way of communicating to anyone. Hey, I know of someone else like that... 😉
Wow! Thank you Nick and Tom. That was wonderfully entertaining and interesting. Tom, for someone who let go of it in '93 you maintain an impressive wealth of knowledge. Thank you for sharing. It's good to record this history now cuz in a few years the names and dates begin floating away into the ether.
What an interesting and entertaining guy. There are surely more like him whose knowledge and experience are of a similar nature and also worth listening to. You just have to be pointed in the right direction. Thanks for another great informative video.
I like the happy attitude Alexander has in his work. I wanted to be a geologist when I was younger, but fate had a different story line for me so now it is just an interest.
Super interesting interviews! I've live here (greater Wen area) for 25 yrs and knew there was a gold mine, but nothing else about it. Really cool history and hearing about the formations and mining. Tom gives a great interview. He's 100% right about CDLT. They have been instrumental in making this a great place to live.
Hi Nick, love this and the previous one. You asked about other Wa. Gold, what comes to mind is Monte Cristo and north of the Mtn Baker ski area. Also a big ryolitic caldera there- the Kulshan caldera.
You asked him about Gold mines in WA. I believe there is/was a field guide to mines in the state, primarily gold and silver. That is how I learned about a couple of the coast beaches that had small amounts of gold in the sands. Also, Ghost town guides usually list the small communities that came and went around mining claims.
@@priscillaross-fox9407 My father grew up in Butte, MT and attended the Montana School of Mines. But the depression hit, school funds dried up and he went to work doing surveying to earn a living. But even after going to work at Boeing in Seattle during WWII, he maintained his interest in geology and passed that interest on to the next generation. I still have his gold pan, the flake gold he panned, and other gems he unearthed over the years. Hope you are able to learn more about your family’s history.
@@priscillaross-fox9407 For more information research the WA state library system, ghost towns in WA, Spokane Spokesman Review, and other area newspapers with long histories. Also, University of WA, and King County Library system have extensive info. And Washington Museum of History and Industry has very extensive info on the early mines in WA. It is in Seattle. Hoping your search is productive.
Holy shit! I cannot believe Tom is 70 years old! He has a really youthful and joyful spirit about him and I thought for sure he was only in his late 40's, early 50's!
Such a good follow up - Episode 2. The John Mining Engineer details mentioned is on the Internet so hope you can contact him for a Zoom follow up. Thanks Tom and Nick... win-win! Rock on!
He said he was 70. I thought late 40's to mid 50's. He is living well. Nice to get the view of an on-site geologist. As he and Nick said we all come with knowledge gained from our experiences - and sometimes we just need to sit back and listen to those with experience from the area - not the Book Learning versions.
Man I should have bought gold at 400 an ounce years ago. Then again the dollar was more valuable back then as well. Another great video from Nick by the way and Tom is a very interesting person.
@@kevinroserose9275 that was kind of my point. Buying at 400 vs. buying at 1900 based on the value of a piece of paper for a product you cannot eat. I do love watching and listening to Nick and Tom has been an enjoyable gift to listen to. Worth way more than any piece of metal encased in any form of rock or mineral I would say!
I’m reliving a great grandparents prospecting legacy I would love to find an area deep in the wilderness still ready to be found. I’m not wanting to be rich but if I could do it for a living and make 1500-10000 per month I would be happy. Nothing is better than being out in the forest :)
And the 60 minute drive on buses S to Bald Mtn (much on dirt roads) isn't nearly the farthest Elko miners are hauled to the various far-flung mines here-
All the cool geologists go into mining. The economic geology prof's spent half their lecture time telling stories about dangerous helicopter rides through cloud in Papua New Guinea, or being bitten by a spider in Australia and needing to be strapped over a motorbike fuel tank to be driven 250 miles to hospital etc...one prof' used to show all his scars and the places where he had pins inserted into his arm to rebuild his bones after rolling an ATV down a slope in Bolivia. Oil geologists are too clinical IMHO.
Water is a fundamental element of geologic formation and formulation; a whole course on its roles would be invaluable in understanding the HOW of geology.
3 года назад
Thanks Nick for this 2nd conversation with Tom Alexander! Tom and I are the same age, have similar somewhat parallel paths, though I'm not a geologist but a fan. I enjoy his matter of fact transparency and humor about life and working for corporate and education. Great conversation and a wealth of local knowledge and history! You might want to connect with First American Title in Wenatchee. They have a wealth of old maps (mostly Assessors Maps by section, township, range, including old surveys) that have the areas discussed in this video in their title plant. Also, Chelan County would have the old surveys and old filings of mining and mineral rights, etc. Let me know if I can be of help.
While watching this the words to the song from 'Sound Of Music' came to me and I think they fit. "The hills are alive..." These hills are definitely alive, and the rocks have many stories to tell. Thanks for this video and it's information!
According to DNR Washington Geology report: "All Cannon Mine data, including production information, was donated to the Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources under the stipulation that it be readily available to the public, explorationists, and the academic community. In 1995, the Division took possession of six filing cabinets, three flat map files, and numerous boxes. These contain mine geology plans, sections, and assay plans, as well as all drill-hole data in both electronic format and hard copy. One cabinet contains photos of drill core and data for core geochemistry. Also included with the information are reports on the geophysics, metallurgy, and petrography of the Cannon Mine deposits. All are available to the public. The state will benefit from Asamera's generosity."
