Video taking off 9.9x its usual first day

Dan Hurd and Dayna find peridot beyond the rock pockets

A hillside-soil experiment delivers gemstones, while Dayna's basalt discovery gives the prospecting trip an unexpected detour.

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Dan Hurd (Dan Hurd Prospecting) Story of October 19, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 120,491 views a day, 9.9 times a normal first day on this channel (12,228).

What Surprise Is Hiding on My New Claim?

Video summary

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0:22Dan and Dayna collect hillside material to test whether loose peridot crystals remain in the soil.
8:45Dayna presents a basalt rock containing a nest of peridot crystals, which Dan examines against a Canadian dime.
23:08Back home, Dan cleans the crystals before using a saw and grinding wheel to free embedded pieces.
31:31The mineral jig washes the collected soil, putting the outing's original experiment into action.
40:05Dan weighs the separate batches and gives the final gemstone tally.
42:48Dan says mining at Jolly Green Giant is postponed until 2027 while he waits for permits.

The dirt held gemstones. Dan Hurd and his wife Dayna went to their new peridot claim to test whether crystals had survived in the soil after the surrounding rock weathered away. They came home with an answer, plus a particularly productive distraction.

Their outing, filmed in July and released as "What Surprise Is Hiding on My New Claim?", drew about 91,000 views in fourteen hours, already well beyond the channel's usual full-day audience.

The plan was to collect hillside debris and run it through a mineral jig, which washes and separates the material. But neither could resist breaking open some basalt along the way. Dayna uncovered a nest of peridot crystals large and clear enough for Dan to identify pieces suitable for cutting into gemstones. "Those are facetable," he says, measuring them against a Canadian dime.

There is a geology lesson tucked into the hammering. "Peridot is the gem version of an olivine crystal," Dan explains. He describes how chunks containing those crystals travel up from deep inside Earth in magma, enduring heat stress that can leave them fractured.

Back home, the work shifts to cleaning, sawing and freeing crystals from their host rock. Even a cement mixer gets a job washing material. Viewers have practical suggestions of their own, including bringing a vacuum to collect small crystals from the cracks.

The original soil experiment isn't forgotten. After the jig has washed the hillside haul, Dan and Dayna pick gemstone pieces from the gravel. "There is definitely gem in the dirt," he says. Their combined batches yield roughly 135 carats of rough peridot.

Published on Trari

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What viewers say

Dan has more ‘Claims’ than an insurance company! 😂 I love his videos; the sights and countryside of BC, Canada, are truly spectacular. Thanks, Dan and Dayna; keep them coming.
@Jimmy_Hills_Love_ChildSee it on YouTube
Love how much the clear stones look like hard boiled sweets, really do look like jolly ranchers!
@W1gglePuppySee it on YouTube
When collecting small crystals like you did in this video, your Pickerton vacuum would come in very handy.
@AlphaOmegaCo2See it on YouTube

5 more comments

I love your videos and what makes them even more special is that your lovely wife shares your passion for the gold and gems.

You remind me of my grandfather, he was a "rock hound" and would read(before the internet) about a promising location, he'd pack up he's truck and head north(from Texas) and only come home when he'd had enough "hounding" for a while.

Please keep the videos coming.
@davidaa2521See it on YouTube
I love seeing the wildflowers along with the Olivine crystals. That whole area is beautiful. The frog was really cool too!
@michaelcato9255See it on YouTube
I've been watching a few years now, and Dan has always brought the goods. He may not always find what he is looking for, but he always finds a good time.
@dadsgametimeSee it on YouTube
Peridot is one of my favorite gems.
@MichaelTiltonSee it on YouTube
Dan ! You can do your laundry in that thing !😂
@robertevans8024See it on YouTube