Safety

Old Mine Safety and Rockhounding Ethics: What Federal Agencies Say

Most sites on RockWoof are old mines, quarries and prospects. Federal mine safety and land agencies are blunt about the risks.

Old mines

• MSHA says abandoned and inactive mines exist in every state, with about 17,000 abandoned underground mines and 56,000 abandoned surface mines nationwide.
• Hazards include vertical shafts, unstable ground and highwalls, bad air, flooded workings, old explosives, decaying timbers and loose rock. Do not enter any mine opening, shaft, or fenced or posted area.
• BLM says the leading cause of death at abandoned mines is drowning in water-filled pits and quarries, and the second is falling into vertical openings that can be hidden by debris. Never swim in quarries or pit lakes.
• Report unsecured openings to the land manager or property owner.

Collecting ethics

The Forest Service rockhounding guide asks collectors to:

• respect public and private property and learn the rules for the land you are on,
• fill excavation holes and leave minimal signs of disturbance,
• take only small, reasonable amounts for personal use,
• not use blasting materials or firearms in collecting areas,
• pack out litter, and
• avoid archaeological, sacred and historic sites, and not collect where artifacts are on the surface.

In New Hampshire, see where you can legally collect.

Sources: MSHA, Stay Out of Abandoned Mines; BLM, AML Dangers; USDA Forest Service Rockhounding Guide.