Down to Bedrock ?

[Mine Shaft]

Got a quick question about my Placer Claim in Ca. My buddy and i are thinking about going deeper to get to bigger Gold. My question is are we allowed to make a trench by hand 5ft wide 10-12ft long and 4-6ft deep ? thanks in advance, Craig.

 

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[Bodfish Mike]

This might help
https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/H-3809-1.pdf
Read Chapter 2 Casual Use Activity.
I say bring some Advil and go for it.
Cheers Mike

 

[Mine Shaft]

Hi Mike, i might need Advil for that massive literature read lol. Thanks for the forms holy crap that's a lot i book marked it.If i have any questions i know where to turn lol. I think i will get a couple young men to do the back braking work i will look for the gold as they dig.

 

[mikep691]

I worked a test trench on my claim years ago. As long as you don't disturb more than five acres of the surface, you shouldn't need a POO. As with any trench or hole, it should be filled in afterward, if anything, just for safety.

 

[et1955]

Also I would put up fencing and warning signs since the public have the right to recreate on your claim.

 

[Mine Shaft]

Also I would put up fencing and warning signs since the public have the right to recreate on your claim.

Hi et1955 we do have a sign on a tree, it's the registered mining claim sign. As far as putting up a fence i don't think your allowed to do that, even if you were allowed that would be one hell of a fence wrapped around 20 acre's lol.

 

[akflyer]

Hi et1955 we do have a sign on a tree, it's the registered mining claim sign. As far as putting up a fence i don't think your allowed to do that, even if you were allowed that would be one hell of a fence wrapped around 20 acre's lol.

Pretty sure he meant a fence around the trench...

 

[mikep691]

Hi Mike, i might need Advil for that massive literature read lol. Thanks for the forms holy crap that's a lot i book marked it.If i have any questions i know where to turn lol. I think i will get a couple young men to do the back braking work i will look for the gold as they dig.

I would need Naproxen and a beer IV for that deep and big. But once you get to the bedrock, and if the values are there, you can refill the trench from within. Just keep moving untill the values stop then fill in the other end with what was originally removed.

 

[et1955]

I would need Naproxen and a beer IV for that deep and big. But once you get to the bedrock, and if the values are there, you can refill the trench from within. Just keep moving untill the values stop then fill in the other end with what was originally removed.

Mine Case in case you have not watched it, The Movie the Great Escape may give you some incite.

 

[Mine Shaft]

Update. We might put on hold digging to bedrock. My partner found a spot up river, i can not believe this is on our claim. I will take some good photos when i go this Monday. He went Thursday and did just 2 test pans and came away with some good color.

 

[Goldwasher]

Hi et1955 we do have a sign on a tree, it's the registered mining claim sign. As far as putting up a fence i don't think your allowed to do that, even if you were allowed that would be one hell of a fence wrapped around 20 acre's lol.

you can put a temporary fence around your digs. You can dig test trenches and holes by hand without a notice or P.O.O.

 

[Ohiogoldfever]

Dig a big hole, clean the ground then just muck the material from one side to the other. Save you removing everything from the trench. Dragging the sides down is always easier than digging top to bottom.

 

[Mine Shaft]

Well i went to this spot my buddy found up River. I did 4 test pans and not one speck lol, one area i tested was on the rock face where good Mineralization was occurring it had a orange rust appearance. I did run some materiel through my little sluice, almost finished panning the con's no gold yet. Any way here are some photos of this area.

 

[Tesorodeoro]

Mine Shaft, whatever you do, don’t discount the possibility of the weight of sloughed in material when a couple feet of bank peels off. A 5 foot deep trench has been proven deadly in certain soil types. Legally requires shoring and a designated competent person in charge. Less people than you think possess the knowledge necessary to determine if material is susceptible to caving with moisture (extra moist or drying out)

I’ve been in some shady backhoe excavations over the years and come back to find them 3/4 full on Monday.

Don’t let that stop you from digging, but it only takes a little effort to shore things up some or to fence out people that could climb down into your tench and get trapped. I know someone that was trapped and busted every bone in one their feet and had to be airlifted to the hospital. It happens.

 

[et1955]

What I have learned over the years when digging deep and I have been down to 8ft. is to make your hole cone shape, wide at the top so there will be no cave in. Also beware of large boulders on the side of you trench, I was digging into the bank of my favorite river and exposed a 6ft. x2ft. 2ft. boulder , there was so much gold under it and I would from the exposed side keep digging under it, after 2 days of digging I stopped out of fear of being crushed or trapped but I came back next week and started mining it again and while I processing the material threw my sluice I heard a big thunk, the boulder came down. Miners Luck, was lesson learned no, I ran in to another boulder with a lot of gold under it and the same thing happened again, lesson has been learned now.

 

[Tesorodeoro]

What I have learned over the years when digging deep and I have been down to 8ft. is to make your hole cone shape, wide at the top so there will be no cave in. Also beware of large boulders on the side of you trench, I was digging into the bank of my favorite river and exposed a 6ft. x2ft. 2ft. boulder , there was so much gold under it and I would from the exposed side keep digging under it, after 2 days of digging I stopped out of fear of being crushed or trapped but I came back next week and started mining it again and while I processing the material threw my sluice I heard a big thunk, the boulder came down. Miners Luck, was lesson learned no, I ran in to another boulder with a lot of gold under it and the same thing happened again, lesson has been learned now.

If you don’t dig, you will never know...but my limited experience with chasing gold is that the big rock rarely is hiding that huge pile of gold. Just downstream...that’s a possibility.

Examining the perimeter is also a good idea. Many times there will be a very minor hairline crack in the soil...however small. It’s a sign things are starting to move. It’s easy to trample that area without closely inspecting a couple times a day.

Sounds like ol mine shaft found enough color closer to the surface to put off the hard work.

 

[Mine Shaft]

Thank you Tesorodeoro & et1955 very good advice, my buddy is very safety first me not so much. I was digging in our first hole head down going at it when i felt a little gravel bouncing off my neck, thank God i jerked back and away 2 seconds after that a 50-60 lb boulder came smashing down right where my head was and yes i was shaken up a little after that. Thanks you guys and good luck in the field.

 

[Mine Shaft]

If you don’t dig, you will never know...but my limited experience with chasing gold is that the big rock rarely is hiding that huge pile of gold. Just downstream...that’s a possibility.

Examining the perimeter is also a good idea. Many times there will be a very minor hairline crack in the soil...however small. It’s a sign things are starting to move. It’s easy to trample that area without closely inspecting a couple times a day.

Sounds like ol mine shaft found enough color closer to the surface to put off the hard work.

For now yes. my buddy went back yesterday to that area he went 40 ft above the outcropping did 2 test pans and came away with 8 nice flakes lol. We will hit that spot on Friday.I will update how we do.

 

[et1955]

If you don’t dig, you will never know...but my limited experience with chasing gold is that the big rock rarely is hiding that huge pile of gold. Just downstream...that’s a possibility.

Examining the perimeter is also a good idea. Many times there will be a very minor hairline crack in the soil...however small. It’s a sign things are starting to move. It’s easy to trample that area without closely inspecting a couple times a day.

Sounds like ol mine shaft found enough color closer to the surface to put off the hard work.

Yes your experience is limited, not to be condescending but I have more than 10,000hrs. mining here in the western states, specialty Washington state and California, maybe you did not read my post properly, I stated I was digging into the bank, Not down but horizontally in, this is an ancient river bench not in the current river , there so much gold up there that the old-timers missed. A lesson for you, I found a top of boulder next to the river, it was perpendicular to the river, just a few inches above the ground was visible, as I dug down and it turned out to the most perfect riffle to collect gold , almost an ounce in 2 days, not bad for first time on that river. Some other advice, no one river is the same so never make assumptions on how to mine it.

 

[russau]

Yes your experience is limited, not to be condescending but I have more than 10,000hrs. mining here in the western states, specialty Washington state and California, maybe you did not read my post properly, I stated I was digging into the bank, Not down but horizontally in, this is an ancient river bench not in the current river , there so much gold up there that the old-timers missed. A lesson for you, I found a top of boulder next to the river, it was perpendicular to the river, just a few inches above the ground was visible, as I dug down and it turned out to the most perfect riffle to collect gold , almost an ounce in 2 days, not bad for first time on that river. Some other advice, no one river is the same so never make assumptions on how to mine it.

Read "Ancient River of gold "! They are taking about the "Blue Lead" from Cal. all the way to Alaska. They also state that the river flowed from Southern Cal. up to Alaska before the mountains were raised from the Plat Tectonics. I read where they found GREAT gold in this Blue Lead. Good Luck in your adventure !