Stripping Outcrop, Digging Trenches
This is usually done after rock sampling proves a target. Overburden (dirt, vegetation) is cleared off bedrock using a backhoe. Once exposed, the outcrop is then cleaned using high pressure water pumps and hoses. Trench is then mapped and often channel sampled.
Photo: Katarina washing rock with high pressure water (like the firemen use).
Channel sampling
Using a rock saw, a band of rock from a foot up to several metres long, is sampled by cutting two parallel grooves in the rock 1-2 inches apart. This is chipped out using a chisel and hammer and sent to the assay lab.
Photo: Dave using the rock saw to cut a channel sample.
Using a rock saw, a band of rock from a foot up to several metres long, is sampled by cutting two parallel grooves in the rock 1-2 inches apart. This is chipped out using a chisel and hammer and sent to the assay lab.
Photo: Dave using the rock saw to cut a channel sample.