Property Survey Pins and Shifting Soil


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Old 06-06-23, 09:07 AM
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Property Survey Pins and Shifting Soil

My neighbor helped me locate my iron property/survey pins with an industrial magnetic locator, and two of the pins were pretty much 6-8 inches below grade, but the other two were at least 12+ inches down. The pin that was the deepest was located on a very steep sloped hill, and almost buried under an old growth tree.

The original survey was done in the mid-1950's, so how much movement due to natural forces could there be in regard to these old boundary markers? Specifically the ones buried the deepest?
 
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Old 06-06-23, 09:20 AM
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Right idea but I think wrong reason. I wouldn't be looking for the ground to move like a landslide. I'd look at erosion.

Five years ago the road in front of my office was repaved. They didn't put any dirt at the side of the road so it was a sharp 2" drop off from the new pavement to the ground. Now, it's flush.

I have piping that extends my downspouts away from the house. One discharges onto slightly sloping ground so I have to keep the outlet area clear. Every other year I have to shovel several inches of dirt, roof grit and grass out of the area. It just builds up over time.

20 years ago I saved tile scraps in the forest behind my home, just in case. 20 years later that later they are completely buried beneath decomposing twigs, pine needles, leaves and a fair bit of dirt.

If you sit still long enough Mother Nature will bury you... unless you live on the beach where she'll wash the ground away from under your house.

 
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Old 06-06-23, 09:32 AM
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Yes, but are you saying that property pins WON'T ever shift? What about fence posts, which sit in the ground much deeper... how do they end up bowed out away from their original line [not talking about warping wood]?
 
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Old 06-06-23, 10:28 AM
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You can never say anything with certainty. You can confirm if the pins shifted by measuring their position. If they are in the wrong spot they have moved or someone has moved them. You rarely see ground movement on level ground but as the incline increases so does the chance of movement. At some point land and rock slides become common.
 
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Old 06-06-23, 10:51 AM
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Frost heave will move lots of things, ever see a field full or rocks in the spring?

Just ask all the guys that build retaining walls with inadequate footers or drains, they get pushed over!
 
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Old 06-06-23, 11:37 AM
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This particular pin is halfway down a steep hill, and is twice the depth into the ground than the other pins, which are on level ground. If a fence line, where the posts are much, much deeper than property pins, can move with the terrain, why wouldn't a property pin?

I did mention that these pins were put in nearly 70 years ago.
 
 

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