 |
|
|
Home » Geology Articles » Abandoned Mines
If you are a mineral collector, hiker, recreational vehicle rider, swimmer or curious person you have no
business entering the property of an abandoned or inactive mine. In most instances you will be trespassing because many
abandoned mines are on private or corporate property.
Where Do Fatalities Occur?Deaths in abandoned and inactive mines occur across the United States. A disproportionate number occur in the eastern coal fields and in the sand and gravel quarries of the upper Mississippi Valley. How Do Fatalities Occur?Drowning is the number one cause of death. Most people who drowned entered a quarry and went swimming. Quarries are dangerous places to swim. Steep drop-offs, sharp rocks, flooded equipment and industrial waste can make swimming risky. Another risk factor is the very cold water. Many quarry operations excavate to depths below the local water table and use pumps to keep the mine dry while it is in operation. When mining stops pumping is discontinued and the quarry floods by the inflow of cold ground water. This ground water inflow can keep these quarries cold even in late summer. Unsuspecting swimmers jump in and are unable to swim in the extremely cold water.
Dangerous ATV RidingATV accidents are the second leading cause of death. Quarries and surface mines are dangerous places to ride an ATV. Riders unfamilliar with the quarry can speed over a quarry high wall or embankment. Death can result when an ATV is driven too close to a high wall and the rock, shattered by blasting, collapses from vibrations or weight. Other ATV riders have driven into wire fences at high speeds or lost control on gravel-covered surfaces.
Falls and AsphyxiationFalls are also deadly. Rock climbing in a mine or quarry is especially dangerous. The rock of a highwall or a mine has been fractured by blasting and can be highly unstable. The rocks that the climber depends upon for support can break free or the climbers weight can destabilize an entire face of rock. Falls also occur in underground mines when the victim walks across rotted timbers covering a vertical shaft or steps over a ledge while negotiating a dark rocky area. Asphyxiation typically happens in underground mines. They can contain dangerous gases or have low levels of oxygen. Some victims have not realized that they were inhaling dangerous air until it was too late. Other causes of death include electrocution, passage collapse and rock falls.
Why No Reclaimation?Today all mining operations must be reclaimed when work is completed. Miners are expected to return the land to a condition similar to before the mining was done - or in an alternative condition specified in their approved mining permit. To assure that reclamation is done the mining company must post a performance bond. The bond money is used to reclaim the land if the coal company goes bankrupt or fails to reclaim the land as required. Many abandoned mines were closed long before permitting and bonds were required. The responsibility to reclaim these mines can fall to the current property owner or to the government. Reclamation is expensive so these jobs are not progressing at a rapid rate.
People of All Ages Killed in Abandoned MinesAbandoned mine accidents claim the lives of people of all ages. Children sometimes enter mines without supervision and adults sometimes take children with them when entering an abandoned mine property. The table at left shows the age distribution of abandoned and inactive mine deaths. Most victims are young and die by drowning. Older victims die from a large variety of causes. If You Know of An Abandoned Mine...Report it to the proper authorities - especially if you know that there are dangerous activities going on there. You can start by reporting it to your local police and another good place to report can be found by consulting the Office of Surface Mining's Contact List. Spread the WordHelp educate people in your area about the dangers of abandoned mines. One live saved is worth a lot of efffort. ** Data used to produce the tables and map in this article can be viewed at the Mine Safety and Health Administration website |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
