Levels of roughly 250 milligrams per liter have been known to affect the taste of drinking water and harm freshwater organisms. Dugan said road salt is by far the biggest contributor to salt pollution in the Great Lakes region. The salt is also packaged at the Compass Mineral plant, located about 4 kilometers away, and distributed throughout North America. Tawas, Michigan May 28, 2022 I am still shaking my head that the world's largest underground salt mine is UNDER Lake Huron. It stretches over 1.5 miles wide, 2 miles long, and covers an area of 2.7 million squares miles. Curious City 10 years ago 2,728 1 1 1,474 965 Follow Curious City and others on SoundCloud. They want to keep our highway safe and clear, and they don't want to use any more chemicals than they need to," Hughes said. 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. This blog is offered as part of the information literacy mission of the Moraine Valley Library. The salt was originally used "mainly for homemade ice cream and cattle licks," which means six men died and a company went bankrupt so humans and bovines could have something delicious to drag their tongues across. Even though it has changed ownership a few times, there is a lot of history underneath the city of Detroit that most people dont even realize. next morning. One Curious City question prompted us to find out. All rights reserved (About Us). For the secret CIA prison, see. [3] The ancient Chinese gradually mastered and advanced the techniques of producing salt. The greatest rock salt production in the U. S. is obtained from the The Cargill salt mine beneath Lake Erie Watch on Down, down, down. The rock salt produced at the mine is used to keep citizens in North America safe as they travel through winter snow and ice. This video addresses this myth. By State. width are left for roof support. The salt is then crushed, and thousands of feet of conveyor belt move the salt to the hoisting shaft, where it is lifted out in ten-ton loads. This answer is: Study guides. a minimum of approximately 800 ft to a maximum depth of approximately 6800 ft, while the The estimates of salt deposits in Michigan are astronomical. Again by conveyer, the salt is taken to the larger shaft Mining "That's a big game changer.". The mineshaft opening is located at 12841 Sanders Street in Detroit, Michigan. As a geological entity, this salt deposit is older even than the dinosaurs. Proudly created with. Laura Johnson, The Cargill salt mine: an other world under Lake Erie, "Bulgarians find oldest European town, a salt production center", "CBC-TV - Geologic Journey - Goderich, Ontario and Detroit Michigan", "Salt mine in the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia, 2015", "The Detroit Salt Company -- Explore the City under the City", "American Rock Salt to expand in Livingston", "All 17 Cargill Salt Miners Trapped on Underground Elevator Freed", "Definition of back to the salt mines | Dictionary.com", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Salt_mining&oldid=1135677242, Socit de Sel de Mohammedia (Mohammedia Rock Salt company) near, This page was last edited on 26 January 2023, at 04:10. [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. Next, they drill holes for explosives, which allows them to blast out some 900 tons of salt in less than three seconds. The sea would eventually recede and evaporate, leaving behind vast amounts of salt, which would be bulldozed over with rock and dirt by glaciers. top of the formation under Ohio, near the West Virginia boundary, reaches a maximum depth An enchanting natural wonder in Puerto Rico's Camuy River Park. The 80 foot tire which looms over Michigan's I-94 was once a Ferris wheel in the New York World Fair. Also, the number of claustrophobes and canaries who are unhappy that its not even an option. sends the wall of salt crumbling down. Heres an article about it: Salt mines are mines from which salt is extracted, typically in the form of rock salt, known as halite. The biggest salt dry-mining operation in Michigan today 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. the salt. This material has been compiled for educational use only, The 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. In 1940, Detroit became the first major city to use rock salt for snow and ice control. However, there are currently more than 30 routes that lead to the workstations, making the mine easily accessible. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. The salt was first used by local Native American tribes, who extracted it from salt springs. However, miners at the Sifto Salt Mine have perfected the process. Unlike a coal mine, the operation In slang, the term salt mines, and especially the phrase back to the salt mines, refers ironically to one's workplace, or a dull or tedious task. A second tunnel was dug in 1922 so that salt could be brought up faster and larger equipment lowered in. Although the leather and food industries were once large customers to the Detroit mine, road deicing salt is the only product the mine currently provides. Groups and transportation officials have been working to educate communities on the harmful effects of road salt,which can accelerate the formation of algal blooms in waterways. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. There was just one problem: it was located beneath a thousand feet of stone and glacial drift. This gigantic mine, 1,160 feet beneath the surface, spreads out over more than 1,400 acres with 50 miles of roads. will vary from a trace to approximately 2% by weight of the mined rock salt. 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. Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book. This is a partial list of current and defunct mines in Michigan. Beneath our very feet is more salt than we can imagine even more than youll get atop your quadruple-double-XL order of McDonalds fries. The Detroit salt mine is a salt mine located 1,100 ft (340 m) below Detroit, Michigan. Both are part of the PLSS measurement system but have different uses. Amount, in tons, of salt yielded from a single dynamite blast. Hughes said Wisconsin averaged around 9 tons of salt per mile on the state highway system last year, marking a 30-year low. http://www.flickr.com/photos/carrieburnett http://michpics.wordpress.com/2008/12/10/m http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=17, http://www.metafilter.com/26378/Salt-Mine-Under-Detroit. "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. Yes You Can! Davis Readings in the Geography of Michigan This amazing ancient cave was kept secret for seven years to protect it from the public. Detroit salt mine: Wayne: 1906- salt . Chris Stuber The rooms vary in width from 30 to 60 ft and in height Once part of an ancient international harbor, it's now an all-you-can-eat shrimp buffet for flamingos and other water birds. : Bosnia and Herzegovina: Tuzla: Bulgaria: Provadiya; and Solnitsata, an ancient town which Bulgarian archaeologists regard as the oldest in Europe and the site of a salt-production facility approximately six millennia ago. machine that bites out a channel at the floor. Initial production took place in 1892 and overall output was considered to be medium size. Number of workers who died digging the shaft. But like much of Michigans mineral wealth, only a fraction of this A radical change in salt production occurred in 1906 when the Detroit Salt and Year digging of a second shaft began. Detroit area alone, it is believed that there are over 71 trillion tons of unmined salt. in automobiles on the solid salt underground "streets," which are 60 feet wide. The Detroit Salt Company (MLive photo | Ben Solis). actually consists of a number of individual salt beds separated by layers of shale, A large square cavern alternating with pillars of salt is left behind. Its no secret that Detroit has been hit very hard by the recession. The anhydrite (calcium sulphate) content However, the largest underground salt mine in the world, the Sifto Salt Mine, is located in Goderich, Ontario, Canada. floor to roof. is free of the hazards of water and gas. Megan Hoegfeldt, a water resources specialist in Superior, said brine can be used to pretreat roads at temperatures below 15 degrees Fahrenheit unlike salt, which loses its ability to melt in colder weather. Thats deeper than the Chrysler Building is tall, but not quite as far down as the salt bae meme needs to be buried. Sign up now! All Rights Reserved. Other cities followed. -- Atlas Obscura's Guide to the World's Salty Wonders. Unsubscribe anytime. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Groups have been pushing the state to reduce salt use to protect the environment, including Wisconsin Saltwise. Here are the Detroit salt mines, by the (really, really big)numbers. Geological studies estimate that 55 counties of the Lower Peninsula cover 30,000 trillion tons of salt. below, from a salt mine, shows a vertical "wall of salt" about a little over a Oil drillers accidentally discovered the deposit in the 1860's. (halite). Year the shaft was finally completed, by the Detroit Salt Company. For questions or comments, contact WPRs Audience Services at 1-800-747-7444, email listener@wpr.org or use our Listener Feedback form. Workmen "undercut" the walls of salt with a Where is the World's Largest Underground Salt Mine? [4] The Chinese made use of natural crystallization of salt lakes and constructed some artificial evaporation basins close to shore. Today, the salt from this mine is used exclusively as road salt. 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. is crushed into a form that is "road ready". Detroit had a very large salt mine that was basically an underground industry underneath their city. 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. The U.S. salt bed map (Courtesy photo | U.S. Dept. Source: Photograph by Randy Schaetzl, Professor of Geography - Michigan tons of salt. The mine itself is a relatively clean and spacious place to work, as far as mines go. A central Wisconsin food pantry grew fivefold during the pandemic. to 75 F, permit working conditions in a salt mine to be excellent. It is the Detroit Salt Mine, and, as a Detroit industry, it is older than automobiles. Additional salt blocks were built at Ecorse and River Rouge the following year. 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? Source: Detroit Free Press We will never spam or sell your information because we take your privacy seriously. This empty Detroit high school was too expensive to maintain or destroy. Since 1959, the Fairport Harbor Morton Salt Mine has been mining for rock salt, most commonly used to melt snow and ice on road. from C.M. The salt is also applied to icy roads in cities and towns throughout the Great Lakes region during the winter season. Length, in feet, of the original mineshaft. Then the giant metal door swings open, and you're deposited in an other-world, with walls, ceiling and floor made of salt. Way more. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. Officials drive about Source: Photograph by Randy Schaetzl, Professor of Geography - Michigan Even so, Superior cut its salt use and costs by more than half last year compared to 2010. 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 underground salt was deposited by the ocean that covered the Lake Huron basin about 400 million years ago. The Salina Group Paul Ryan says he'll support 'anybody but Trump' in the 2024 presidential contest, Wisconsin Educational Communications Board. 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. will attain a maximum of 70%. DOT officials have now purchased 27 high-capacity brine makers with plans to buy a dozen more this year, said Hughes. Both are part of the Lower Peninsula cover 30,000 trillion tons of salt option. The biggest contributor to salt pollution in the Geography of Michigan this amazing ancient cave kept. But have different uses this amazing ancient cave was kept secret for seven years to protect environment! F, permit working conditions in a salt mine, and covers an area 2.7... And defunct mines in Michigan deposited by the ( really, really big ).. Even more than 30 routes that lead to the workstations, making mine... 1.5 miles wide, 2 miles long, and, as a Detroit,! 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