Entire rooms are carved out in the salt, leaving behind massive stabilizing pillars, which, for some reason, have workers constantly looking over their shoulders. Heres what happens in Chicago. Offer subject to change without notice. Detroit Salt produces 1.7 million tons of salt annually, and will increase to 2.5 million tons if a proposed expansion is approved. When it all shook out, the Detroit Salt Co. purchased the mine in 1997 and started business up again. But there is another part of the city far fewer people seem to be aware of, and it lies directly underneath their feet. The salt beds themselves contain bands of anhydrite which vary in Then holes are drilled in the wall from Yes You Can! She said individuals can also consider switching to alternatives like sand or birdseed for traction. The salt is now used exclusively as road de-icer, thus proving the state of Michigan's preference that our cars be damaged by potholes instead of sliding into guardrails and ditches. Underground salt mining can be challenging, especially if a mine is located under water. mine, which consists of 100 miles of tunnels, has never experienced a collapse or mine The This mining technique is referred to as "room and pillar" mining. in automobiles on the solid salt underground "streets," which are 60 feet wide. Proudly created with. A second tunnel was dug in 1922 so that salt could be brought up faster and larger equipment lowered in. I am still shaking my head that the worlds largest underground salt mine is UNDER Lake Huron. For years it produced tons of rock salt daily, most of which is used for ice In operation since 1959, the mine is located approximately 1,800 feet under Lake Huron in the Canadian province of Ontario. Nov 23, 2022, 6:47 pm. This army of concretions is an unexplained geological phenomenon unlike anything else in the world. All rights reserved (About Us). There are no salt mines under Lake Michigan, however, About 2,000 feet under Lake Erie, 30 miles east of Cleveland in Fairport Harbor, Ohio, you'll find a vast site called the Morton Salt Mine. Its called the city beneath the city: the myriad tunnels and chambers of the Detroit salt mines comprise one of our great states man-made marvels, a true thing of fascination for Michiganders. [15][16], This article is about mining for salt. The shaft is considered one of the great engineering accomplishments in Michigan history, but dont say that too loud, because it makes the Mackinac Bridge feel insecure. "Then, if you have to salt it, scatter it, and use an appropriate amount rather than dumping salt down. Unlike coal mining, salt mining is less dangerous since extracting rock salt requires less combustion. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. A young boy tosses a chunk of snow into Lake Michigan Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019 in Milwaukee. There are hundreds of salt mines around the world in operation today, and most are privately owned or operated by large multinational corporations such as Compass Minerals and Cargill. A central Wisconsin food pantry grew fivefold during the pandemic. [3] In Southwestern China, natural salt deposits were mined with bores that could reach to a depth of more than 1,000m (3,300ft), but the yields of salt were relatively low. Here's an article about it: Salt mines are mines from which salt is extracted, typically in the form of rock salt, known as halite. In 1913 the International Salt Company assumed control of Michigan's only underground salt mine. Getting to the salt would prove to be the costliest and deadliest part of the operation. The economy of salt mining dried up like a 400 million-year-old ocean, prompting the company at the time, International Salt, to say,. Around 50 counties are now transitioning to using more brine and less road salt. sends the wall of salt crumbling down. One Curious City question prompted us to find out. Once down there, they extract the salt in the room and pillar method, where only 50% of the salt is removed, with the other half left behind as enormous pillars used for structural support to keep the mine from collapsing. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. Donkeys lowered into the mine to work never saw sunlight again, and didn't live very long. "A lot of people don't realize that all the salt we put down on streets, sidewalks, parking lots, ends up in our freshwater," said Allison Madison, the group's sustainability and development coordinator. Copy. higher up in this page). In operation since 1959, the mine is located approximately 1,800 feet under Lake Huron in the Canadian province of Ontario. Friday, March 22, 2019 World's largest salt mine is under Lake Erie Both Cargill and Morton have salt mines under Lake Erie. Manufacturing Company started sinking a shaft for underground mining of rock salt. Actual mining is confined completely to the salt bed. No purchase necessary. This material has been compiled for educational use only, As recently as a few years ago, miners at this mine, one of the worlds largest Age of the salt deposit, in years. Pillar size is adjusted so that the extraction or recovery Dugan said road salt is by far the biggest contributor to salt pollution in the Great Lakes region. Detroit had a very large salt mine that was basically an underground industry underneath their city. Communities around Milwaukee, Madison, Appleton, Wausau and Superiorare now using brineor other options to clear roads. actually consists of a number of individual salt beds separated by layers of shale, The salt mine was discovered in 1866 by Sam Platt during a search for oil. State University. where it is lifted in nine-ton buckets. Layer by Layer: A Mexico City Culinary Adventure, Sacred Granaries, Kasbahs and Feasts in Morocco, Monster of the Month: The Hopkinsville Goblins, Get Real: Defining Reality With Ashley Christine, How to Grow a Dye Garden With Aaron Sanders Head, Paper Botanicals With Kate Croghan Alarcn, Writing the Food Memoir: A Workshop With Gina Rae La Cerva, Reading the Urban Landscape With Annie Novak, Secret Nun Cookies at Monasterio del Corpus Christi, Wonder Is Everywhere: Civil War Gold, a New Moai, and More From Around the Web, The Woman Preserving the Endangered Cuisine of Indian Jews, How a Lone Researcher Faced Down Millions of Army Ants on the March in Ecuador, Can I Lick It? Researchers examined past and current water data on the amount of salt flowing into the lake from 234 rivers and streams, according to Hilary Dugan, the study's lead author and assistant professor for the Center for Limnology at UW-Madison. We will never spam or sell your information because we take your privacy seriously. Rock salt, which is used to melt snow and ice on roads, is often dyed blue so that it stands out when it's dispensed on the street. Search for owners by first name, last name, company, location, etc. Best Answer. The Kissner Group owns and operates the famous Detroit Salt Mine and specializes in the manufacturing and distribution of bulk rock salt, bagged rock salt and specialty ice melters. It stretches over 1.5 miles wide, 2 miles long, and covers an area of 2.7 million squares miles. The 1,060-foot shaft was finally completed in 1910. AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps. for more information or permissions. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions 2023 worldatlas.com. Sign up now! In the beginning, the leather and food industries were the primary customers. along the St. Clair River. Leaders expect it to keep growing. Create a SoundCloud account Martin Green of Lakeview remembered hearing something about salt being mined under Lake Michigan and Chicago from a TV program. Ancient China was among the earliest civilizations in the world with cultivation and trade in mined salt. Last year, the state cut its overall salt use to less than 325,000 tons the least amount of salt used since the early 2000s. Some of the images and text on this page were taken from various issues Detroit area alone, it is believed that there are over 71 trillion tons of unmined salt. In 1958 the salt production from these areas amounted to 8.7 I'm on a journey across the USA to visit all 22 Paris' - and points in between. The Goderich plant has been in operation since 1867. Chris Stuber The Sifto Salt Mine in Goderich is the world's largest underground salt mine. Years that have passed since the salt was discovered. A comparison of the maps above and below will show that the main salt dry mining sites in The Cargill salt mine beneath Lake Erie Watch on Down, down, down. Salt is now plentiful, but until the Industrial Revolution, it was difficult to come by, and salt was often mined by slaves or prisoners. Unsubscribe anytime. The gigantic salt mine is located 1,200 feet beneath Detroit's surface, spreads out more than 1,500 acres and has over 100 miles of underground roads. The Detroit Salt Company is a part of the history and fabric of Detroit with nearly 100 years of operations. Image source: Ricky Rhodes Much of the salt is moved from underground to above after it is broken up. There are no salt mines under Lake Michigan, however, About 2,000 feet under Lake Erie, 30 miles east of Cleveland in Fairport Harbor, Ohio, you'll find a vast site called the Morton Salt Mine. The new tunnel was up and running three years later, with an opening measuring 22 ft. wide. About 2,000 feet About 2,000 feet under Lake Erie, 30 miles east of Cleveland in Fairport Harbor, Ohio, you'll find a vast site called the Morton Salt Mine. When business was good, they offered public guided tours, which was very popular with school groups. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0; . dust, and the presence of sound roof and ribs as well as comfortable temperatures of 55 "We easily do our winter maintenance more than $1,000 less per lane mile than either Minnesota or Michigan.". of approximately 6000 ft. Historically the site has been associated with the Manistee Mining District which is now part of the Manistee National Forest. Amy Pataki, Richard Lautens, Salt at the source: a day in a Lake Huron mine. Curious City 10 years ago 2,728 1 1 1,474 965 Follow Curious City and others on SoundCloud. That level has increased over the last 200 years from about 1 to 2 milligrams per liter in the 1800s, researchers said. For questions or comments, contact WPRs Audience Services at 1-800-747-7444, email listener@wpr.org or use our Listener Feedback form. The mine has lunch rooms for workers, a service depot, electric transformer rooms, a crushing plant, and dump trucks. However, there are currently more than 30 routes that lead to the workstations, making the mine easily accessible. That meant heavy machinery had to go down in pieces, be assembled, and never come out. Some 400 million years ago, a vast expanse of salt deposits formed under much of Michigan, including the city of Detroit. the various sizes are separated. There has long been an urban legend that Morton Salt mines salt Lake Michigan. Generally speaking, the absence of gas, water, excessive Stories about the worlds largest underground salt mine is located under water, the leather and food industries were primary... Worlds largest underground salt mine is under Lake Michigan in 1913 the International salt Company assumed of. 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