questions about dirt (dump and privy digging)

shmoo · May 5, 2016

So I was digging my first dump the other weekend and I kept noticing that the dirt would change color after I got about 6-10 inches deep. It would turn med-to-light brown, whereas the soil above it was dark. It seemed that the buried stuff was only in the top, dark layer.

Is that true? If I hit the light dirt, can I stop digging because there will be nothing buried deeper than that?

CanadianBottles · May 6, 2016

It depends. Generally, yes the light soil is the bottom of the dump. But it could also be where they dumped dirt to cover up the garbage underneath. Large dumps will usually have clay caps on top. But if it's a farm dump then it's quite likely just a surface dump.

sunrunner · May 6, 2016

dumps are different from place to place . for instants down here were I live . town dumps have a small layer of topsoil over them , then ash and trash , then heavy sand at the bottom . farm and house holed trash pits may be right on the surface with the topsoil . 6 to 10 inches isn't very deep , sounds like a surface dump.

RIBottleguy · May 6, 2016

If you're in the country, then that's a sign you're at the bottom. If you near an old village or city, there's a chance it could be a cap. If the soil changes color immediately, then it's probably cap. If there is an area of gradual transition in the soil color, odds are that it's natural.

shmoo · May 8, 2016

Heh, on the one hand, the dump is in the country, on the other hand, it was a pretty immediate color change. Another thing to note is that I started hitting rocks in this lighter soil. No rocks in the darker top layer.

MINNESOTA DIGGER · May 9, 2016

this is what a PROBE determines , use a PROBE .

shmoo · May 9, 2016

Thanks for the tip, MINN. I'm still a newbie to this... I've read that probes could be used to detect the wooden sides of outhouse pits, but how are they used in dumps? What I mean is, would I be feeling for it to hit a layer of solid rock or something?

Thanks!

sunrunner · May 12, 2016

it takes practice to use a probe . bottles , bricks and rocks sound deferent when you touch them. the trash layer in a dump will have a crunching sound and feel.

shmoo · May 20, 2016

Ok, so the probe i used to find the pieces of "stuff" underground. Got it.

So what's the best thing to use as a probe? Or does someone actually manufacture probes for this purpose?

Tombstone Brick · May 24, 2016

A metal detector will make sure.

questions about dirt (dump and privy digging)

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