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.

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.

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