Clues for cache hunting

gflores71

Full Member
Nov 26, 2005
173
112
Central Coast, CA / Bolivia
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hello everyone, my name is Gilbert and I am new to this forum, I have been using metal detectors for the past 15 yrs, my passion is cache hunting, all of which I do in south america. I have not had enough time lately to do but only a little hunting since I am finishing my surgery training here in TN, but come July 06 I will head back down to do some serious searching.

I have not reviewed all the threads, but here are my two cents:

caches acumulate gas with time, wich is released during dry season when the ground has cracks in it, if this is out in the open , you will see a light blueish in the middle with white in the outside, this is the way that natives in South america find them, they stay up in august (winter) and wait at night where they suspect or someone has reported seeing before, this is also timed with the moon cycle as it affects this in a similar way as waves in the ocean.

old caches were hidden many times under or around brick ovens, or in old kitchen rooms, since the previous generations were aware that they will let off gas (that oxidizes with oxygen to give off light) so that if any one happened to see it they would think someone was cooking or baking.

if a cache is near a rock or under a large rock, with time it will mark the rock, similar to the mark left behing by a candle if you let it burn agains a solid surface, the middle is light blue and outside black, and cannot be scratched off,(caused by gases that escape periodically) if you ever get to see that you will not forget it and will not need to turn on your detector if you ever encounter this again, at that point all you will need is digging equipment.

refering to the cave thread, make sure you have gas masks prior to digging inside a cave, and always have a dog with you, since they will detect the gas way before you will, even with all that care digging in a cave would be last on my list. Try putting away a few silver coins in a ziplock bag with a wet paper towel, and open it a few months later, very peculiar smell, almost nauseating, someone mentioned to me that a component of oxidation is silver cyanide, but not sure only now of people having serios complications including death, that includes my great uncle.

if looking for deep treasure remember that once you dig a large hole, your detectors dont perform the same, so prior to start digging , measure lenghts with intensity of signal ( in all metal mode ) start when it is at max and stop when that signal starts to drop, repeat that in two directions, and also give your self a limit of how far you are willing to dig, because once you dig a deep hole your detector may not help to verify and you will be tempted to leave the job half way done.

if your loop detector detects something that seems good and large, verify with a two box, if the two box does not scream, then you are dealing with something small and superficial or mineral, now the oposite maneuver can be promising, however despite what reports and websites say , the detection depth for a gallon size object is about the same between a two box and a loop detector that is used well, yes sounds weird but I have proven it over and over again, but I find a proper use for both.

Count on half the depth penetration of a detector for gold contents compared to say....copper alloys.

as for the previously dug areas, you can not tell by how soft the dirt is , it can be soft or hard. pay more attention to the layers and how they have been interrupted with different color chunks in the wrong place or layers of rocks that dont match the sorroundings

most personal caches average of 50 cm deep, Inca treasures about 4 meters + deep

I am a little tired and have to go to the work early, hope this was of some interest, I will add some more experiences some other time

Gilbert
 

jeff of pa

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VERY INTRESTING THEORY Gilbert

I Sort of Thought Caches Gave off an Odor, As there are a Couple Members here who use dogs.

I'd Definately be open, to the possibility of gasses.

? ? Welcome to TreasureNet, & feel free to Expand on this Theory.

? ? ? ? ?JEFF
 

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gflores71

gflores71

Full Member
Nov 26, 2005
173
112
Central Coast, CA / Bolivia
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White's V3, MXT All Pro, DFX, XLPro,TM-808, TDI-SL with 25" coil
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I am not sure about the composition of the gases, a geologist once told me about the silver cyanide part, but even historic records and stories dating back to king salomon mention the gas and how they would place skined animal corpses on top of the treasure before opening it, they aparently assumed it would absorb the gas.
when I speak of gas I believe it applies to treasures that are old and that are in direct contact to ground, say buried in wood that decomposed, or leather, etc, a sealed glass container of more modern caches probably does not follow the same rules due to lack of exposure to the soil and humidity.

It is interesting to hear that some members use dogs, I always wanted to train one to find silver, since it is the one that gives off a strong smell, but the one I was training passed away. That would be the best detector, again it would detect the area where the gas escapes thru since it would inpregnate the soil with the smell. This should be stronger if gas had recently escaped to the surface, during dry season.
sometimes the cache will be far away from the surface area where the gas escapes to, specially when the gas tracks up around tree roots

Dont forget that natural mineral deposits expell gas as well, ferrous materials will tend to give off a more redish color, and also consider ant colonies that form methane and will give off gas, and sometimes even explode. Places that give off a more redish color per description of the natives, once detected and dug have revealed iron tools and guns, not very thrilling economically but any man made find is exciting.

when digging for old caches you may run into little bottles of glass, this was a part of the ritual of burial of the cache, and once dug out , the same ritual is performed by most people as tradition. the bottles usually where left behind with alcoholic beverages.

In gold mining areas, most caches of raw gold are found wrapped in leather, where as regular coin caches are found in clay pots, or bronze pans, so copper is a very GOOD signal when looking for caches.

Remember that discrimination is a nice thing for superficial targets, but for deeper caches it does no good, the deeper a good target is the discriminator will read it as trash or ferrous. So always search without it or in all metal mode, of course the depth will double. So what to do then?? size and shape your target using the pinpoint feature in the all metal mode, basing it on your highest reading and how long it stays there before it drops in signal strenth. Remember a target can give a strong steady sound for example for 12 inches length, but if you measure it by intensity it might just be a couple of inches big. So sound can not be used to size an object when sweeping the loop.

I would be interested in hearing more about the members who use dogs, and their experiences.


gilbert
 

jeff of pa

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Intresting About the Ants.

I thought of that after reading your first post here.

Several times I'v dug into Ant Nests under Ground, & the smell is Less then Nice ;D
 

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gflores71

gflores71

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Nov 26, 2005
173
112
Central Coast, CA / Bolivia
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White's V3, MXT All Pro, DFX, XLPro,TM-808, TDI-SL with 25" coil
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Thanks for the info, very interesting, that will be one of my projects in the future.
 

angel_09

Sr. Member
Jul 8, 2005
365
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Hi Gilbert,
You are correct in saying about the emission of gas. I have encountered that situation before. Very nauseating.

Angel
 

cpt_peewee

Jr. Member
Jan 22, 2004
38
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LA (Lower Arkansas)
Re: Dogs
Yes, dogs can smell metals. They have up to 50x more olfactory nerve endings than humans. Their sense of smell is more akin to our sense of taste. All the old scent hound breeds take to sniffing out stuff naturally.
I had a terrier mix once that went nutty for gunpowder residue. He was always digging bullets up around an old blown down tree stump we always shot at.
My current Basset has an affinity for a certain metal and will dig it faster than I can find it with a detector. Unfortunately, his affinity is for beer cans. He loves them and shreds them after he digs them up. (He loves the beach and will dig himself to death if you let him.)
The picture at left is the beer can beast.
HH
PW
 

Las Vegas Bob

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Aug 25, 2005
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Not sure how silver cyanide could be of any consequence here. Isn't SC is the direct result and or the catalyst used in electroplating.

I have yet to find any old or ancient coins that were electroplated. ???

Just an observation.....................But

With so many dangers we have to face in our daily life's, cancers from our bar-b-cued food, cancers from our gasoline and sugar substitutes etc etc etc >:(

Now THing is dangerous to our health as well.............. :-\

I have yet to see an exploding ant hill or any red, blue or any between shade of gas escaping into the atmosphere.............................other then from my own sleeping bag.

Hmm better check it for a cache........... ;D ;D ::)
 

jeff of pa

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Las Vegas Bob said:
I have yet to see an exploding ant hill? ...........

I'm pretty open minded, But I have to agree with this. Altho I'v gotten smells from ant nests, that actually cut my breath, I'v never heard of Exploding ant hills. (what little Chemistry SUNK IN during my school years, Makes me believe all odors are Derived from Gasses, but all Gasses arn't the same. At least This is MY Understanding.) I know, Next time I dig a Nest & get that odor, I'll Definately try to put a Lighter to it. ;D

? I'v heard an old "Wives Tale" of feeding instant Grits to ants and making them explode, but as Far as I know that's not true.

? ?Can you elaborate ? this actually sounds cool? ?:D
 

T

tallpaul

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well i asked my good friend who found the gold bars if he encountered a smell of some kind of gas,, and if he saw any kind of blue and black flume around where he dug and he says no,, nothing smelt in anyway, he just dug down and pulled em out,, so i guess if the gas thing is right i guess it also depends on the ground elements being just right for that, like when some coins get more weatherd than others,,,... also the faintest of smells that we cant detect a dog could so there proberly is a odour of some sort,, at the end of the day who really cares just dig and get that gold lol,,,... ;D
 

Las Vegas Bob

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Aug 25, 2005
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jeff of pa said:
Las Vegas Bob said:
I have yet to see an exploding ant hill? ...........

I'm pretty open minded, But I have to agree with this. Altho I'v gotten smells from ant nests, that actually cut my breath, I'v never heard of Exploding ant hills. (what little Chemistry SUNK IN during my school years, Makes me believe all odors are Derived from Gasses, but all Gasses arn't the same. At least This is MY Understanding.) I know, Next time I dig a Nest & get that odor, I'll Definately try to put a Lighter to it. ;D

? I'v heard an old "Wives Tale" of feeding instant Grits to ants and making them explode, but as Far as I know that's not true.

? ?Can you elaborate ? this actually sounds cool? ?:D

Ants will and do give off the odor of acetic acid.........(IE the same odor you get from vinegar) which will not explode.

I have seen kids pour gasoline down into an ant hill and light it and there was no explosion.
 

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gflores71

gflores71

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Nov 26, 2005
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Central Coast, CA / Bolivia
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The marks of the gas are only seen if there is, for example, a large rock next to it, or if its buried at the base of a large rocky hill, like I ve encountered x 2, then it will leave a mark, now if it is out in the open there is nothing to be marked.

about the color of the gas, you will probably never see it unless you are out in the country side away from lightsources, and the color description does match what everyone says, at least from my experience, but again that is my experience, also read some of the treasure hunting literature and you will find that few do mention the "aura" of the treasure and describe it in different terms.

about the toxicity of the gas, I have not proven it, and dont intend to find out, either way I take precaution with gas masks and digging from the side "like a trench" and braking the container from far away, and did I mention that my great uncle did die after digging one out??
Not sure the exact compound but if the geologist was correct it would make sense, because it would affect the second part of the cells energy cycle after Kreb's cycle , the phase that requieres oxygen, but the mechanism or the composition of the gas are insignificant to me, I will take precautions even if there is nothing on the internet about it, specially if I think I am dealing with silver contents.

Now remember that this probably applies to older and larger caches that are in contact with the soil and moisture.

Also about the ant colonies, wether they explode or not is not the issue, they do form gases from fermentation of the herbal contents accumulated inside, but that was just a reference. I have been taken to places where the locals have seen a "flame" as they call it, and found large ant farms, and yes sometimes they do have the whole top part scattered as if someone had placed and explosive inside. The point is that it might not be related to metals, so searching there might be futile.

I dont know if there are books or web sites to back any of this up, but its my experience. I dont expect anyone to believe any of it, just wanted to give my two cents, and read other members experiences.

Gilbert
 

jeff of pa

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Gilbert

? I appreciate your Post.

I for one I am Open to what your saying, As I'v read stories in Treasure Magazines in the Past that Have Mentioned Lights. An The odors I am Also aware of, as I have Expierenced them. & Have seen Marks on Rocks from Iron & copper. I don't Remember on Silver, I'll have to remember to look.

When it Comes to CACHE / TREASURE hunting I consider anything above "MAGIC"

thanks for continuing on this, some people get upset right away if people ask questions.

? it's good to see you understand.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Jeff
 

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gflores71

gflores71

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Nov 26, 2005
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Central Coast, CA / Bolivia
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Jeff,

I love cache hunting, and also enjoy sharing my experiences with others as well as learning from others experiences. Most of my learning has been from an uncle who has about 35 yrs into it. We only focus on large caches, from the spanish colony period, and corelate hx of the area with visual findings. We usually only go after large signals and dont dig smaller items. I have also found many large clay pots with mumies in them from the inca civilization, it was a common way of burial of the working class. Detectors will pick up brick and baked clay pots due to the concentrated metal in the material, however they do have to be superficial, and will pick up as ferrous if you change over to discrimination. That might also have to do with the level of mineralization in the area where the material was gathered to form the bricks or pots.

thanks for welcoming me to the forum, and look forward to learning from your experiences.
 

nevrdundetecting

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Sep 26, 2005
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Have you found any caches? If so what kind of stuff did you find? Lots of interesting history.....

HH
 

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gflores71

gflores71

Full Member
Nov 26, 2005
173
112
Central Coast, CA / Bolivia
Detector(s) used
White's V3, MXT All Pro, DFX, XLPro,TM-808, TDI-SL with 25" coil
Primary Interest:
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Found a few interesting things, colonial period items including religious symbols, and coins. Not enough to retire on. All in south america.
 

HiiiQ

Jr. Member
Nov 6, 2004
73
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In my opinion the lghts seen over buried treasure are "ball lightning" or "treasue lights" In the northern hemispere gold gives off blue light in the spring. Silver gives off orange light n the fall. It happens on particular dates on full moon. It can also happen during earthquakes.
http://www.amasci.com/weird/unusual/bl.html
 

Las Vegas Bob

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Aug 25, 2005
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I have been THing and mining, (both hard rock and placer) for many years now.

I have worked in many different climates, in all four of the seasons and in all types of terrain, both during the day and well into the night and I have yet to see any colored lights, smoke, fog, steam, plasm or any other such ethereal device emanate from or near an area I have found either a cache (silver and or gold coin whether found in wood or leather), natural gold (either in nugget or ore) or around any area I have prospected for silver, platinum, uranium etc.

If it's out there I would like to see it just once. I guess this is like a flying saucer thing. Some people see them coming out of the wood work, they can't walk out side without seeing one, while others like my self, could stare at the skies for years on end and never see a thing.
 

cy

Tenderfoot
Dec 2, 2005
6
0
interesting theory...

first post here.
possibity of finding an old cache sounds intreguing to say the least.
folks back early 1900's didn't trust banks. as you get older, memories
can fade.

someone stashes a secret cache and meets with an accident etc.
logic says there's caches still out there waiting to give up it's secrets...
 

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