The (Theoretical) Advantage of Aluminum Caps

nice work

Nice survey work. I would be pleased to find a monument like that. However I am wondering what the difference is between a rock mound and a stone mound. Are you just following the descriptions left in the field notes?

Howdy Kent,

What about a little flagging wrapped around that rebar?
It does serve a purpose.

not my real name, post: 379194, member: 8199 wrote: Nice survey work. I would be pleased to find a monument like that. However I am wondering what the difference is between a rock mound and a stone mound. Are you just following the descriptions left in the field notes?

As the term "stone" was generally used by 19th-century surveyors, it usually means a rounded field stone or cobble. "Rock" on the other hand usually described something with fractured faces.

Robert Hill, post: 379198, member: 378 wrote: What about a little flagging wrapped around that rebar?
It does serve a purpose.

Well, when you consider that when the capstone was replaced on the rock mound, you wouldn't see the rod and cap monument even with a whole roll of flagging wrapped around it, would the main purpose be to stimulate the sale of plastic flagging? The purpose of the rod and cap is to give a permanent reference point to the corner inexactly marked by the rock mound. I'll grant you that the 21st-century may well deliver survey parties who would not recognize a rock mound if it were in front of them, I'm not sure that flagging is a cure for that.

Kent McMillan, post: 379200, member: 3 wrote: Well, when you consider that when the capstone was replaced on the rock mound, you wouldn't see the rod and cap monument even with a whole roll of flagging wrapped around it, would the main purpose be to stimulate the sale of plastic flagging? The purpose of the rod and cap is to give a permanent reference point to the corner inexactly marked by the rock mound. I'll grant you that the 21st-century may well deliver survey parties who would not recognize a rock mound if it were in front of them, I'm not sure that flagging is a cure for that.

No, not really.
I can remember many a time digging for a corner and all that I found was small remnants of old flagging. Hmmm. So
It confirmed IMO, that the monument was removed at some point by someone somehow and they were not careful in their action. It is just another piece of evidence to leave for future a surveyor's benefit.

Robert Hill, post: 379205, member: 378 wrote: No, not really.
I can remember many a time digging for a corner and all that I found was small remnants of old flagging. Hmmm. So
It confirmed IMO, that the monument was removed at some point by someone somehow and they were not careful in their action. It is just another piece of evidence to leave for future a surveyor's benefit.

That particular rod that the cap is affixed to was driven into a drill hole in limestone. It would take a fairly major effort to pull it out. That is the upside to having shallow soil and a rock drill.

If I recover a deeper monument of any type (it's almost always something with iron around here) I typically leave an upside down tail of surveyor's ribbon coming back towards the surface to give the next guy encouragement that he is going to find something useful. These typically aren't so deep that an additional new surface monument is warranted but sometimes that is also part of the program.