Gone Cavin'

[nowforever13]

so i posted a picture of this thing that i think is a cave in anouther forum... the further down i dig the more rocks i find... is this a mine, cave, or just a pile of rock? please and thanks

 

[Dave J.]

The rocks appear to be limestone, and the trees are hardwoods (conifers prefer acid soils). Forested area means climate with enough precipitation to leach limestone.

Caves form in limestone under humid conditions. It's very uncommon for there to be anything worth artisanal hardrock mining in limestone. Where there is stuff worth mining in limestone, local folks will usually know that there's a history of mining and can tell you what was being extracted.

I believe that you have a hole in the ground that was backfilled with rocks either for safety reasons or for concealment. And that it wasn't a mine shaft. It could be a cave entrance, or could be a pit dug for some reason (root cellar?) that was abandoned.

 

[nowforever13]

if it helps you help me any. i live in east tennessee. in a rare hidden area that mimicks the conditions that made the great smokey mountians ( or so ive been told). the area is 20 ft from a bottle dump..... i have found a broken pot which is shown above.. and under it what appears to be a bone. could it also be an aboriginal burial CAVE? none of the native american maps of my area show my property on it.. although there are about 4 in my county