Mojave Underground Forum

General Disclaimer, Privacy Policy, Community Terms & Limitation of Liability

Last updated: September 24, 2026

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Important Notice

Welcome to the Mojave Underground community.

Our forum provides a platform for enthusiasts, historians, researchers, photographers, and explorers to exchange information about abandoned mines, ghost towns, caves, historic locations, and outdoor adventures throughout the American West.

Our mission is to encourage historical preservation, responsible research, meaningful discussion, and the respectful exchange of knowledge.

However, the activities discussed on this forum may involve extreme physical danger, legal restrictions, and circumstances beyond the control of Mojave Underground.

Participation in this forum does not constitute authorization, encouragement, or an invitation to enter abandoned mines, caves, restricted properties, or other hazardous locations.

By accessing, registering for, or participating in this forum, you acknowledge the following terms and notices, subject to applicable law.

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1. General Disclaimer

All information published on this forum is provided for educational, historical, recreational, research, and general informational purposes only.

Information may include:

• Historical accounts and documentation.
• Geographic coordinates, maps, and location descriptions.
• Photographs, videos, and exploration reports.
• Equipment recommendations and technical discussions.
• Information concerning property ownership, public lands, and access restrictions.
• Personal experiences, opinions, and advice from individual members.

Mojave Underground does not independently verify every statement, photograph, location description, or recommendation submitted by forum members.

Information may be outdated, incomplete, misleading, or incorrect.

The opinions, statements, and activities of individual members do not necessarily reflect those of Mojave Underground or its administrators.

All forum content is provided "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE," without warranties of any kind, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.

Members and visitors are responsible for independently evaluating the accuracy, legality, and appropriateness of any information they encounter.

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2. Extreme Danger: Abandoned Mines and Exploration

WARNING: ABANDONED MINES CAN KILL.

Abandoned mines, caves, historic structures, remote desert environments, and similar locations can present severe and potentially fatal hazards.

These hazards may include:

• Unstable tunnels, mine shafts, ceilings, and support structures.
• Hidden vertical drops, collapsing ground, and falling rock.
• Oxygen-deficient environments and dangerous accumulations of toxic or explosive gases.
• Abandoned explosives, hazardous chemicals, radioactive materials, and contaminated water.
• Flooding, drowning, and rapidly changing underground conditions.
• Dangerous wildlife, extreme temperatures, dehydration, and difficult terrain.
• Remote locations with unreliable communications and limited emergency services.
• Deteriorating ladders, ropes, equipment, and abandoned machinery.

Conditions can change rapidly and without warning. An underground location previously visited without incident may become unsafe at any time.

No post, photograph, video, map, equipment recommendation, or exploration report should be interpreted as a professional safety assessment or guarantee of safety.

Advice provided by forum members concerning underground exploration, ventilation, atmospheric testing, climbing, rigging, rescue equipment, structural stability, or other safety-related subjects must not be treated as a substitute for appropriate professional training and qualified technical assessment.

Mojave Underground strongly discourages entering abandoned mines or other unstable underground environments.

For additional information, consult the Bureau of Land Management's abandoned mine safety guidance .

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3. Member-Organized Trips and Events

Forum members may independently organize trips, gatherings, expeditions, photography outings, or other activities through public discussions or private communications.

Unless an event is expressly identified as an official Mojave Underground event by an authorized representative, it must be considered an independent activity organized by its participants.

Mojave Underground does not automatically sponsor, organize, supervise, inspect, insure, or assume responsibility for activities arranged through this forum.

A trip posted on the Mojave Underground forum is not necessarily an official Mojave Underground event.

Members who independently organize or participate in an outing are responsible for their own decisions and arrangements.

Participation in an official Mojave Underground event, if offered, may be subject to separate eligibility requirements, safety procedures, participation agreements, and liability waivers.

Forum registration and acceptance of these terms do not replace any separately required event documentation.

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4. Property Rights and Legal Access

The publication of any location, geographic coordinate, historical record, photograph, or access description does not establish a legal right to visit or enter that location.

Properties discussed on this forum may be privately owned, actively claimed, publicly managed, environmentally protected, archaeologically sensitive, or otherwise restricted.

Members are responsible for independently determining current property ownership, access rights, and applicable legal restrictions.

Members must respect private property and comply with all applicable federal, state, local, and tribal laws.

Mojave Underground does not authorize:

• Trespassing or unlawful entry.
• Tampering with fences, gates, barriers, or mine closures.
• Unauthorized excavation or removal of historical artifacts.
• Vandalism or damage to historic structures.
• Violations of environmental or archaeological protection laws.

The absence of fencing, warning signs, or locked entrances does not establish that access is legal or safe.

Legal opinions and interpretations published by individual forum members should not be relied upon as professional legal advice.

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5. Assumption of Risk and Limitation of Liability

Any decision to travel to, approach, enter, or explore a location discussed on this forum is made independently by the individual involved.

You acknowledge that outdoor recreation, underground exploration, travel, and related activities may expose participants to serious hazards, including injury, permanent disability, property damage, and death.

Mojave Underground does not guarantee the safety, legality, accessibility, accuracy, or suitability of any location or activity discussed on this forum.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Mojave Underground, its owners, administrators, moderators, contributors, and affiliated individuals disclaim liability for damages, losses, injuries, or other claims arising from the use of or reliance upon information published on this forum.

This limitation is intended to apply, where legally permissible, to consequences associated with inaccurate information, equipment recommendations, navigation errors, travel, exploration activities, and independently organized member events.

Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

These website terms are not a substitute for a separately executed release of liability where one is legally required or appropriate.

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6. Community Responsibilities

Mojave Underground encourages respectful discussion, responsible research, and preservation of historical resources.

Members are responsible for the content they publish and their interactions with other members.

The following conduct is prohibited:

• Harassment, threats, stalking, or intimidation.
• Publishing another person's private information without appropriate authorization.
• Knowingly publishing materially false or misleading information intended to endanger others.
• Encouraging or coordinating unlawful entry, vandalism, theft, or destruction of historical resources.
• Distributing malware, fraudulent material, or unsolicited commercial spam.
• Uploading copyrighted material without appropriate rights or permission.
• Impersonating other members or misrepresenting an official affiliation with Mojave Underground.

Members should exercise particular care when publishing detailed directions or coordinates for sensitive locations.

Administrators and moderators may edit, restrict, move, or remove content, and suspend or terminate accounts when reasonably necessary to enforce community rules, protect members, address legal concerns, or maintain the forum.

Moderation does not guarantee that all inappropriate or dangerous content will be identified or removed.

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7. Privacy Policy

Mojave Underground respects the privacy of its members.

This section describes the general categories of information that may be collected, processed, stored, or disclosed in connection with the forum.

7.1 Information We Collect

Depending on the forum configuration and features used, information may include:

• Account details, including usernames, email addresses, and account preferences.
• Authentication information and account security records.
• Forum posts, private messages, uploaded photographs, attachments, and profile information.
• IP addresses, browser and device information, access timestamps, and technical server logs.
• Cookies and session information necessary for authentication, preferences, security, and website operation.
• Information voluntarily supplied when contacting administrators or participating in forum activities.

7.2 How Information Is Used

Information may be processed to:

• Operate and maintain the forum.
• Manage user accounts and authentication.
• Enable discussions, messaging, notifications, and other community features.
• Prevent spam, abuse, fraud, and unauthorized access.
• Investigate technical problems and enforce community rules.
• Respond to inquiries and applicable legal obligations.

7.3 Public Posts and Profiles

Forum posts, public profile information, photographs, attachments, and other publicly accessible contributions may be visible to anyone, including search engines and automated indexing services.

Members should avoid publishing personal information they do not wish to make public.

Deleting a post does not guarantee its removal from search engine caches, archived copies, quotations by other members, or external websites.

7.4 Private Messages

Private messages are intended for communication between their designated participants.

However, private messaging should not be treated as an encrypted or confidential communications service.

Depending on system configuration and applicable law, authorized administrators or service providers may have technical access to stored message data for maintenance, security, abuse investigations, or legal compliance.

Message recipients may also copy, save, or disclose communications independently.

Do not transmit passwords, financial information, or other highly sensitive personal information through forum private messages.

7.5 Cookies and Third-Party Services

The forum may use cookies to support authentication, session management, security, preferences, and normal website functionality.

External content, including embedded videos, maps, photographs, and links, may be subject to the privacy practices of the relevant third-party providers.

7.6 Information Sharing

Publicly submitted information may be accessed and redistributed by other internet users.

Nonpublic information may be accessible to authorized administrators and service providers as reasonably necessary to operate and secure the forum.

Information may also be disclosed when required by applicable law or valid legal process.

7.7 Data Retention and Security

Forum records, account information, communications, technical logs, and backups may be retained for different periods depending on operational requirements and website configuration.

Mojave Underground uses reasonable administrative and technical security measures appropriate to its operations.

Nevertheless, no internet-connected system can be guaranteed completely secure.

7.8 Account Deletion and Privacy Requests

Members may contact the forum administrator with questions regarding their personal information or requests concerning account access, correction, or deletion.

Requests will be addressed in accordance with applicable law.

Account deletion may not automatically remove public discussions, historical contributions, quotations, technical records, or information retained for legitimate operational or legal purposes.

Privacy contact: [email protected]

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8. Photographs, Location Data, and Personal Information

Photographs, videos, and other uploaded materials may contain sensitive information.

Examples include embedded geographic coordinates, timestamps, vehicle registration information, identifiable individuals, and location-specific details.

Members are responsible for considering the privacy and safety implications of the material they upload.

Members should obtain appropriate consent when publishing identifiable photographs of other individuals and avoid disclosing sensitive location information that could facilitate vandalism or unauthorized entry.

Mojave Underground does not guarantee that uploaded photographs or attachments will have embedded metadata removed.

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9. Copyright and Content Submissions

Members retain ownership of their original contributions, subject to applicable law and any separate agreements or licenses.

By submitting content to the forum, members grant Mojave Underground a nonexclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, store, reproduce, display, format, and distribute that content as reasonably necessary to operate, maintain, back up, moderate, and present the forum.

This license does not transfer ownership of member-created material to Mojave Underground.

Members represent that they have the rights and permissions necessary to submit their contributions and grant the license described above.

Members should not assume that material posted by other users is available for unrestricted republication or commercial use.

Copyright contact: [email protected]

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10. External Links and Third-Party Content

The forum may contain links to external websites, maps, commercial products, historical archives, videos, and other third-party resources.

Mojave Underground does not control external websites and is not responsible for their content, security, accuracy, availability, or privacy practices.

References to equipment, services, products, or external organizations do not necessarily constitute endorsements.

Members are responsible for evaluating third-party information and services independently.

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11. No Professional Relationship

Information shared on this forum does not establish a professional relationship between members, administrators, contributors, or Mojave Underground.

Discussions concerning mining, geology, engineering, structural stability, atmospheric monitoring, rigging, rescue techniques, legal access, or other specialized subjects should not be treated as individualized professional advice.

Claims of expertise made by individual members are not necessarily verified or endorsed by Mojave Underground.

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12. Changes to These Terms

Mojave Underground may update these terms and policies to reflect changes in forum functionality, operational practices, applicable laws, or community requirements.

Updated versions will be published with a revised effective date.

Where required by applicable law, additional notice or consent will be obtained.

Continued use of the forum after changes become effective may constitute acceptance where legally permissible and where appropriate notice has been provided.

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13. Contact Information

For questions, corrections, privacy concerns, reports of dangerous content, or other administrative matters, contact:

Mojave Underground

Website: mojaveunderground.com

Forum: mojaveunderground.com/forum

Contact: [email protected]

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