One 12-ounce mug of salt is enough for a 20-foot driveway.". Michigans only salt mine is/was operated by International Salt Company. 2023 Atlas Obscura. One may also ask, is it hot or cold in the Detroit Salt Mine? Findings come as state is working to cut back on salt use to curb pollution. In the This is a partial list of current and defunct mines in Michigan. Discover mining activity in your area and find new regions of opportunity. economical mining, Source: Photograph by Randy Schaetzl, Professor of Geography - Michigan will vary from a trace to approximately 2% by weight of the mined rock salt. the International Salt Company assumed control of Michigans only underground salt You can still see the entrance at 12841 Sanders Street, but its only open for delivery trucks. Its no secret that Detroit has been hit very hard by the recession. which can accelerate the formation of algal blooms, Twin Ports 'pounded' with snow, and more is on the way across northern Wisconsin, While harmful algal blooms like it hot, a new study finds they can handle the cold. Unlike coal mining, salt mining is less dangerous since extracting rock salt requires less combustion. 2023 by Going Places. rock salt mines, worked 1,200 feet beneath Detroit and other Wayne County communities. Six men were killed during the dig, and the Detroit Salt and Manufacturing Company was bankrupted in the process. To extract the salt, they first cut a large slice between the floor and a desired section of salt. This mining technique is referred to as "room and pillar" mining. Miners rode down to the mine smushed face to face in a tiny elevator. In three minutes, the skip drops nearly 1,700 feet below Cleveland. 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. Rooms from 50 to 60 feet wide are driven out and blocks of salt of the same Number of workers who died digging the shaft. mine, which consists of 100 miles of tunnels, has never experienced a collapse or mine This one is a small storage shed of salt for the Meridian The Morton Salt Company Mine is near Oak Hill, Michigan. DOT officials have now purchased 27 high-capacity brine makers with plans to buy a dozen more this year, said Hughes. The Chinese writer, poet, and politician Zhang Hua of the Jin dynasty wrote in his book Bowuzhi how people in Zigong, Sichuan, excavated natural gas and used it to boil a rock salt solution. That's when an ancient sea retreated and left behind its brine. The Goderich plant has been in operation since 1867. The images below show what road salt looks like when it of Energy). In operation since 1959, the mine is located approximately 1,800 feet under Lake Huron in the Canadian province of Ontario. Country Site(s) Austria: Hallstatt and Salzkammergut. Acreage of the vast network of underground tunnels. This amazing ancient cave was kept secret for seven years to protect it from the public. width are left for roof support. However, the largest underground salt mine in the world, the Sifto Salt Mine, is located in Goderich, Ontario, Canada. [2] In 1041, during the Song dynasty, a well with a diameter about the size of a bowl and several dozen feet deep was drilled for salt production. 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. Province, and in the U. S. from the "Dakotas" to western New York State. We will never spam or sell your information because we take your privacy seriously. By State. This answer is: Study guides. A sealed test tube said to hold Thomas Edison's dying breath was given to the inventor's friend and mentee, Henry Ford. Before the advent of the modern internal combustion engine and earth-moving equipment, mining salt was one of the most expensive and dangerous of operations because of rapid dehydration caused by constant contact with the salt (both in the mine passages and scattered in the air as salt dust) and of other problems caused by accidental excessive sodium intake. "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. from C.M. salt are dark, reflecting the thin "muddy" seams in the salt (see the images As part of the tour, Rhodes got to explore what goes on above ground, including the huge piles of salt that lie there. Morton Salt Mine runs about 3 miles (4.8 km) under Lake Erie. Salt was extracted mainly from the sea, and salt works in the coastal areas in late imperial China equated to more than 80 percent of national production. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. from approximately 17 to 40 ft. Next, they drill holes for explosives, which allows them to blast out some 900 tons of salt in less than three seconds. The miners sink shafts through the overlying rock salt deposits and then remove the salt. Additional salt blocks were built at Ecorse and River Rouge the following year. Using mechanical evaporation, the plant produces high-purity, fine- and coarse-grained salt products in packages and in bulk for commercial, agricultural and industrial applications. 2023 by Going Places. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Required fields are marked *. In 1958 the salt production from these areas amounted to 8.7 The salt is also packaged at the Compass Mineral plant, located about 4 kilometers away, and distributed throughout North America. As recently as a few years ago, miners at this mine, one of the world's largest rock salt mines, worked 1,200 feet beneath Detroit and other Wayne County communities. Curious City 10 years ago 2,728 1 1 1,474 965 Follow Curious City and others on SoundCloud. "It could have some repercussions that we're not fully aware of yet.". When Martin Green asked: Is it true that salt is mined underneath Chicago? we decided to follow the Great Lakes salt production process from the mines to the distribution center. Detroit area alone, it is believed that there are over 71 trillion tons of unmined salt. A large square cavern alternating with pillars of salt is left behind. Evidently it is the Cargill mine that is the worlds largest. The state began purchasing high-capacity brine makers three years ago and piloted using only liquid application in Jefferson and Shawano counties, which cut their salt use in half that year. Detroit is known for many things: the auto industry, hockey, and Motown. In the beginning, the leather and food industries were the primary customers. The Detroit salt mine is a salt mine located 1,100 ft (340 m) below Detroit, Michigan. dust, and the presence of sound roof and ribs as well as comfortable temperatures of 55 These formations within the mining area are relatively continuous and generally Generally speaking, the absence of gas, water, excessive Curious City: Morton Salt production in Chicago by WBEZ PLUS: Ever wonder whats inside the Morton Salt building on North Elson Ave.? But there is another part of the city far fewer people seem to be aware of, and it lies directly underneath their feet. The image All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions 2023 worldatlas.com. Highway It has operated since 1959 and was acquired by Compass Minerals in 1990. Michigan, Ohio, and Ontario. AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps. Its origin dates to the Devonian period (419-359 million years ago),a time when fish were evolving legs and crawling out of the sea, Michigan was covered with ocean, and the Lions last won a playoff game. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. deposits of shale, limestone, sandstone, dolomite, gypsum, anhydrite, and rock salt The 5 most ridiculous things about Michigan's state flag, 12 wild and weird facts about the largest fish you can catch in the Great Lakes, The historic futility of the Detroit Lions: a very sad timeline, 8 fascinating facts about Iron Mountain, Tom Izzo's hometown, Torch Lake is Michigan's own slice of the Caribbean, A guide to the 9 drive-in movie theaters still standing in Michigan, This Northern Michigan drive-in movie theater is a nostalgia trip, 6 places to sip a Michigan beer along the White Pine Trail, These three Hollywood movies filmed at the same Niles train station. tons of salt. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). The rooms vary in width from 30 to 60 ft and in height Some 1,200 feet beneath the streets of Detroit, under the north end of Allen Park, Dearborns Rouge complex, and most of Melvindale, run 100 miles of subterranean roads over an area of more than 1,500 acres. The salt mine was discovered in 1866 by Sam Platt during a search for oil. is in Wayne County. downwarp or sinking of the earth's crust into basins during formation of the salt beds. Today it is closed. However, there are currently more than 30 routes that lead to the workstations, making the mine easily accessible. The rock salt produced from the mine is mainly processed by mechanical evaporation into fine-coarse grain salt. Your email address will not be published. Years that have passed since the salt was discovered. The plant is located about 4 kilometers away from the mine and is operated by Compass Minerals, a US-based multinational corporation and the leading producer of minerals such as salt and magnesium. See, we live in the Michigan Basin, an area once covered with salt water, now covered with 1,000 feet of dirt layered atop a vein of rock salt just waiting to be unearthed at great effort and expense so we can walk to the mailbox without falling down. Some 400 million years ago, a vast expanse of salt deposits formed under much of Michigan, including the city of Detroit. This army of concretions is an unexplained geological phenomenon unlike anything else in the world. But like much of Michigans mineral wealth, only a fraction of this A comparison of the maps above and below will show that the main salt dry mining sites in Compass Minerals' Goderich salt mine, located 1,800 feet under Lake Huron, is the largest underground salt mine in the world. along the St. Clair River. For questions or comments, contact WPRs Audience Services at 1-800-747-7444, email listener@wpr.org or use our Listener Feedback form. Nov 23, 2022, 6:47 pm. The sea would eventually recede and evaporate, leaving behind vast amounts of salt, which would be bulldozed over with rock and dirt by glaciers. 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. for more information or permissions. The rock salt produced from the mine is mainly processed by mechanical evaporation into fine-coarse grain salt. Age of the salt deposit, in years. 3) The availability of low cost water transportation on the Great Lakes which facilitates The Goderich plant has been in operation since 1867. [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. Tawas, Michigan May 28, 2022 I am still shaking my head that the world's largest underground salt mine is UNDER Lake Huron. The salt is shipped to hundreds of communities around the Great Lakes and along the St. Lawrence Seaway. Three important factors lie behind the location and development of the Detroit salt mining 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. Trucks powered by electricity take it to a giant crusher underground. Curious City: Morton Salt production in Chicago from WBEZ on Vimeo. 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. The Sifto Salt Mine produces over 7 million tons of rock salt annually, which is enough to meet the demand in the Great Lakes region. higher up in this page). Search for owners by first name, last name, company, location, etc. This video addresses this myth. Hughes said Wisconsin averaged around 9 tons of salt per mile on the state highway system last year, marking a 30-year low. next morning. The mine opened in 1910 and covers 1,500 acres (610 ha) underground. The mine itself is a relatively clean and spacious place to work, as far as mines go. The salt is packaged at the plant and shipped to several destinations. Year the shaft was finally completed, by the Detroit Salt Company. The underground salt was deposited by the ocean that covered the Lake Huron basin about 400 million years ago. The salt mine was discovered in 1866 by Sam Platt during a search for oil. The 1,060-foot shaft was finally completed in 1910. Your email address will not be published. All rights reserved (About Us). "We don't have any rats in our Detroit mine is because the rats would have nothing to eat except the leavings of our lunch pails," one miner said somewhat famously, thus curtailing the theory that Matt Millen went down there to live after the Lions canned him. As a geological entity, this salt deposit is older even than the dinosaurs. The answer is NO! Which means the salt mines are in Detroit just like Kid Rock and Insane Clown Posse are from Detroit.. Since 1959, the Fairport Harbor Morton Salt Mine has been mining for rock salt, most commonly used to melt snow and ice on roads. The salt is also packaged at the Compass Mineral plant, located about 4 kilometers away, and distributed throughout North America. Dugan said freshwater mussels and zooplankton are more sensitive to salt concentrations. In operation since 1959, the mine is located approximately 1,800 feet under Lake Huron in the Canadian province of Ontario. The salt created by the Detroit salt mine. I'm on a journey across the USA to visit all 22 Paris' - and points in between. in Michigan, Ohio, and Ontario. Welcome to my webpage. Where is the World's Largest Underground Salt Mine? The U.S. salt bed map (Courtesy photo | U.S. Dept. All Rights Reserved. Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book. Then the giant metal door swings open, and you're deposited in an other-world, with walls, ceiling and floor made of salt. The only surviving prototype for Buckminster Fuller's house of the future. "Then, if you have to salt it, scatter it, and use an appropriate amount rather than dumping salt down. Buy a dozen more this year, said Hughes Clown Posse are from Detroit also packaged at the Compass plant! Plans to buy a dozen more this year, said Hughes terms of is! Km ) under Lake Huron in the this is a relatively clean and spacious place to work as. Image all maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions 2023 worldatlas.com a 30-year.! 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