Impossible to dig here in the Ozarks.

[Snee]

Ok, I can't speak for all the ozarks maybe, but at least a friend's yard and my own.? You cannot dig in them.? He bought a new detector a few weeks ago, and every hole we tried to dig, it's like we hit solid rock, 2 or 3 inches down.? To emphasize my point, I'm 6'7", 200+ lbs, jumping up and down on a full-sized steel shovel with my size 14s...and not a dent.? We could dig down by the small creek behind his house, but not anywhere else, neither grass nor gravel driveway.

My questions are:
Does this make metal detecting in my area mostly pointless since you can't get down in there?
or...Is this a good thing?? maybe nothing can get further than a few inches deep?

I think I need a pick axe, and manually "airate" my entire yard... ? Any help, comments, concerns, rantings, or general blabbering would be greatly appreciated!? ?:P

 

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[JakePhelps]

your right, that may be a good thing if the relics and stuff cant sink below that depth, you wouldnt miss a thing! Do you ever get signals deeper than this really hard layer?

 

[Snee]

Unfortunately, here's the rest of the deal. I don't have a detector. He bought one (mainly because I told him he would never end up doing it and he was all talk (i mainly told him that so he would buy one and I could use it )) a few weeks ago. He bought a BH Time Ranger. We went into his back yard like twice trying to figure it out, getting rather discouraged because we couldn't figure the darn thing out. I think a problem was that he bought a $450 detector, and probably should have started with something more basic. We got signals that said 2", some that said 12", and some that just said 'deep target'. Most would jump from nickel to quarter, to pull tab, to penny (you get the idea)... That's pretty much the deal as of now.

 

[stoney56]

I remember 40 odd years ago that some areas of SW MO had strawberry fields full of what in my youth I called "stumble rocks". The only thing that they could grow there were strawberries. My uncle never had too much problem with mowing the grass as it never seemed to grow tall enough, guess the root system was too shallow. Those rocks if I remember were an off white tan with rusty brown and were sticking up everywhere hence the above name.

 

[Snee]

Stoney, you're right on the money. Our front yard is more elevated than my back. Even if it rains, it doesn't soak in because the ground is so hard, it just runs down. So I mow the grass in my back yard, and mow the spriggly brown weeds that pop up in the front. We have a couple of places where a large rock/boulder is trying to work it's way up through the ground, but they aren't to the point where they hit the mower blades, so I haven't gone out there and dug them up...guess I should. But yeah, the rock/rock-hard clay (whatever it is) is an off-white to light gray color.

I'm considering borrowing a tractor and plowing the whole thing up. (half-joking) Not only would that hopefully break it up and allow grass to grow, but if I plowed deep enough, maybe I can bring deep metal up to the top, like people talk about in plowed fields!

 

[cybercop106]

I'm in Rolla, snee, and you're lucky where you have bedrock. Most of the areas along I-44 are very rocky and you can't successfully probe for an item because you'll keep hitting small rocks.
It's definitely a pain! I hate little rocks almost as much as pennies and pulltabs.


"Dang Jethro. I bent another probe."

 

[Snee]

I'm in Rolla, snee, and you're lucky where you have bedrock.? Most of the areas along I-44 are very rocky and you can't successfully probe for an item because you'll keep hitting small rocks.
It's definitely a pain! I hate little rocks almost as much as pennies and pulltabs.?


"Dang Jethro. I bent another probe."

Rolla huh? I don't know why that surprises me, I guess just because I didn't know anyone on here "locally". Have you done any MDing in Salem? Now that you name it bedrock, that makes perfect sense. So what do you think, if a coin was dropped and buried in 1800, would it be sitting on top of the bedrock? That would certainly be handy!

 

[cybercop106]

It wouldn't work it's way through. May work it's way down a slope of the bedrock (water, earth tremors, moles ) but it'd still be on top.
Never done any MDing down your way, even back in the 70's when Dad and I were into it. Only been to Salem two or three times in my life and I even grew up in Crawford Co. Well, got older there at least

 

[lonewolfe]

a pick axe is a needed item in your area, and a start!

HH

Lonewolfe

 

[Monty]

We haven't had anyk appreciable rain in over 60 days at my house and the groiund is as hard as bedrock. Plugs don't come out, just crumbles! I have a rock hammer that I beat the ground into submission with every now and then! We have red clay at about 2" here and it sticks to digging instrumentss like glue!

 

[stoney56]

Yep, the red clay can be bad here as well. Especially after a good rain, it will make you tall, dark, and handsome-----well tall anyway.

 

[Snee]

Hopefully having bedrock close to the surface, in this instance, will be a good thing...hopefully. Thanks for all your input!

 

[cybercop106]

Unfortunately, here's the rest of the deal. I don't have a detector.

BTW Snee I have a Radio Shack Discovery 3000 you can have for about $50. It coinshoots well and finds rings and watches
It's more a basic starter detector, actually it's pretty much like a Bounty Hunter Land Star made for Radio Shack. I got it first then got a BH Tracker II for $50, which is like the ones I grew up using, so I don't need two beginner units. It'd be something cheap to start out with.
(I'm looking to get a Garrett Ace 250 when I retire)
Anyway, just a thought.............

 

[stoney56]

Ya might even think about a cat's paw as a probe if the signal is around those little rock crevises. I don't think there's much of a chance it will bend too much.