I've been struggling with deciding which forum was the best place to share this information. This one seems like the best fit. (BTW - I am also very pleased to find this group, what a great topic!)
For those who really like to dig into the details (sorry), the USDA maintains a comprehensive database of soil information. I became acquainted with using it for evaluating ranch land, but some of the data may be of interest for detecting. Soil types, salinity, composition, conductivity and a million other things are available. I have to warn you that this is a very technical site, and learning to use it is even more challenging than picking a V3i for your first metal detector (yup, I did that - ouch!). Unfortunately, the USDA isn't interested in catering to the needs of metal detecting, so the information we might find useful is a bit scattered (try the chemistry and engineering reports). It is possible to view reasonably detailed soil maps as well as generate reports, but NOTHING on this site is easy, so no whining, you were warned ;^).
If only I can get my coin garden to sprout and produce a money plant or two, I am going to petition the USDA to add a metal detecting report to the site!
Here is the link: <http://soils.usda.gov/>
You can pull a quick report or two on a specific area by going to: <http://soildatamart.nrcs.usda.gov/>
Just remember, a dedicated team of scientists, engineers, bureaucrats, politicians, and attorneys worked very hard to make this as simple to use as they could.
For those who really like to dig into the details (sorry), the USDA maintains a comprehensive database of soil information. I became acquainted with using it for evaluating ranch land, but some of the data may be of interest for detecting. Soil types, salinity, composition, conductivity and a million other things are available. I have to warn you that this is a very technical site, and learning to use it is even more challenging than picking a V3i for your first metal detector (yup, I did that - ouch!). Unfortunately, the USDA isn't interested in catering to the needs of metal detecting, so the information we might find useful is a bit scattered (try the chemistry and engineering reports). It is possible to view reasonably detailed soil maps as well as generate reports, but NOTHING on this site is easy, so no whining, you were warned ;^).
If only I can get my coin garden to sprout and produce a money plant or two, I am going to petition the USDA to add a metal detecting report to the site!
Here is the link: <http://soils.usda.gov/>
You can pull a quick report or two on a specific area by going to: <http://soildatamart.nrcs.usda.gov/>
Just remember, a dedicated team of scientists, engineers, bureaucrats, politicians, and attorneys worked very hard to make this as simple to use as they could.