used on roads in winter. The mine itself is a relatively clean and spacious place to work, as far as mines go. The Detroit Salt Company produced the first salt there in 1895. 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. Today, the salt from this mine is used exclusively as road salt. In the last several years, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation has been working to reduce salt use on the state highway . 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. "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. Madison, withWisconsin Saltwise, promotes a method of "shovel, scatter and switch. Search for owners by first name, last name, company, location, etc. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. 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. Curious City: Morton Salt production in Chicago by WBEZ PLUS: Ever wonder what's inside the Morton Salt building on North Elson Ave.? This amazing ancient cave was kept secret for seven years to protect it from the public. Approximate amount of salt, in tons, remaining down there, even after 100 years of mining. As the water evaporated it left behind large deposits of . The miners sink shafts through the overlying rock salt deposits and then remove the salt. Unsubscribe anytime. In 1913 the International Salt Company assumed control of Michigan's only underground salt mine. Levels of roughly 250 milligrams per liter have been known to affect the taste of drinking water and harm freshwater organisms. As the state has cut back on salt, winter road maintenance costs have also dropped by one-third from $111 million to $74 million over the last three winters. 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. Why is there a long line of railcars parked on the tracks near Spooner? "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. Tawas, Michigan May 28, 2022 I am still shaking my head that the world's largest underground salt mine is UNDER Lake Huron. As a geological entity, this salt deposit is older even than the dinosaurs. 2023 by Wisconsin Public Radio, a service of the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 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 salt is also applied to icy roads in cities and towns throughout the Great Lakes region during the winter season. control. 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. Is there salt mined underneath Chicago and Lake Michigan? This material has been compiled for educational use only, The salt created by the Detroit salt mine. This bed - extending from upper New York to Michigan - was formed 410 million years ago. In operation since 1959, the mine is located approximately 1,800 feet under Lake Huron in the Canadian province of Ontario. where it is lifted in nine-ton buckets. Your email address will not be published. It has operated since 1959 and was acquired by Compass Minerals in 1990. "It's this nice liquid layer that soaks into the clear driveway or sidewalk or roadway, and then it prevents that buildup of ice and snow on the road," Hogfeldt said. The Goderich plant has been in operation since 1867. The estimates of salt deposits in Michigan are astronomical. 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. Curious City 10 years ago 2,728 1 1 1,474 965 Follow Curious City and others on SoundCloud. Once part of an ancient international harbor, it's now an all-you-can-eat shrimp buffet for flamingos and other water birds. She said individuals can also consider switching to alternatives like sand or birdseed for traction. 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. Age of the salt deposit, in years. 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. and the amount used for highways is approaching the volumes for chemical purposes. 100,000 cubic feet of fresh air a minute down one shaft. 2010-10-23 03:07:21. Sign up now! Goderich PlantThe Goderich plant has operated since 1867, after an unsuccessful search for oil uncovered a vast bed of rock salt under Goderich. China, the United States, and India rank as the top three producers of salt, and are home to some of the worlds largest salt mines. 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. Ancient China was among the earliest civilizations in the world with cultivation and trade in mined salt. tons of salt. That's when an ancient sea retreated and left behind its brine. Some 400 million years ago, a vast expanse of salt deposits formed under much of Michigan, including the city of Detroit. Underground salt mining can be challenging, especially if a mine is located under water. Mall, Okemos. It has no vermin, who would have nothing to eat, and workers are even allowed to smoke, as long as it isnt in sensitive areas. top of the formation under Ohio, near the West Virginia boundary, reaches a maximum depth Unlike a coal mine, the operation salt are dark, reflecting the thin "muddy" seams in the salt (see the images Which means the salt mines are in Detroit just like Kid Rock and Insane Clown Posse are from Detroit.. Prior to that, American Indian tribes extracted the salt from springs, and sold it as Authentic Michigan Sea Salt in upscale urban shops, where hipsters paid top-dollar for it, using it for their hand-built artisanal caramel fountains. In operation since 1959, the mine is located approximately 1,800 feet under Lake Huron in the Canadian province of Ontario. ( Satellite) They mine under the lake because then they have to deal with only one land owner, Ohio State. Copy. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Today, road deicing salt is the primary product. Then the giant metal door swings open, and you're deposited in an other-world, with walls, ceiling and floor made of salt. How deep are the salt mines in Michigan? The Company pumps 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. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. 2) Abundant salt at a reasonable depth and of sufficiently high quality to permit Top Sheboygan officials lacked key details on police department sexual harassment probes, State lawmakers try again to allow DACA recipients to become police officers in Wisconsin, After record-breaking 2021, investment firms take increased interest in Wisconsin's economy, Tired of waiting, a Wisconsin island community is directing millions to create its own high-speed internet. Required fields are marked *. 24 delicious places to pay homage to the most valuable rock in history. Evidently it is the Cargill mine that is the worlds largest. Read further to see exactly what they are delivering. meter in height. All rights reserved. Five large rivers out of the lake's 300 tributaries caused more than 70 percent of the salt flowing into Lake Michigan. It is the Detroit Salt Mine, and, as a Detroit industry, it is older than automobiles. [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. Source: Detroit Free Press The mine opened in 1910 and covers 1,500 acres (610 ha) underground. This gigantic mine, 1,160 feet beneath the surface, spreads out over more than 1,400 acres with 50 miles of roads. The U.S. salt bed map (Courtesy photo | U.S. Dept. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Pillar size is adjusted so that the extraction or recovery in automobiles on the solid salt underground "streets," which are 60 feet wide. 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. 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 International Salt Company assumed control of Michigans only underground salt Next, they drill holes for explosives, which allows them to blast out some 900 tons of salt in less than three seconds. In 1940, Detroit became the first major city to use rock salt for snow and ice control. salt is left to form the roof. Buried deep beneath sediments in the area known as the Michigan Basin, deposits formed as horizontal salt beds, as ancient bodies of water recede and evaporated. -- Atlas Obscura's Guide to the World's Salty Wonders. State University, Source: Photograph by Randy Schaetzl, Professor of Geography - Michigan The sea would eventually recede and evaporate, leaving behind vast amounts of salt, which would be bulldozed over with rock and dirt by glaciers. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions 2023 worldatlas.com. [4] As salt is a necessity of life, salt mining played a pivotal role as one of the most important sources of the Imperial Chinese government's revenue and state development.[4]. It was booming from the early 1920s up until 1983, when it was forced to close due to the falling salt prices. "It's good to know that what we're seeing is not catastrophic by any means, but we should be aware that it is increasing," said Dugan. The salt mine was discovered in 1866 by Sam Platt during a search for oil. Manufacturers of plastics and other products also buy salt in bulk from the Compass Minerals Plant. AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps. Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book. The Sifto Salt Mine is located deep below the waters of Lake Huron. 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. or less to several inches. However, miners at the Sifto Salt Mine have perfected the process. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. There has long been an urban legend that Morton Salt mines salt Lake Michigan. Where Is The World's Largest Underground Lake. freezing point to reduce cracking. 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. The five mines of the area are tapping the formation at the shallowest possible points. Yes You Can! economical mining, : 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. Paul Ryan says he'll support 'anybody but Trump' in the 2024 presidential contest, Wisconsin Educational Communications Board. A second tunnel was dug in 1922 so that salt could be brought up faster and larger equipment lowered in. The Salt Institute's page on Michigan salt says that estimated salt deposits in Michigan are astronomical. Proudly created with Wix.com. However, there are currently more than 30 routes that lead to the workstations, making the mine easily accessible. the various sizes are separated. Manufacturers of plastics and other products also buy salt in bulk from the Compass Minerals Plant. In the last several years, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation has been working to reduce salt use on the state highway system to curb pollution. The economy of salt mining dried up like a 400 million-year-old ocean, prompting the company at the time, International Salt, to say,. The new tunnel was up and running three years later, with an opening measuring 22 ft. wide. (1964). the Devonian period (419-359 million years ago), Size, in feet, of the opening to the shaft at the time, "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, Amount, in tons, of salt yielded from a single dynamite blast, originally used "mainly for homemade ice cream and cattle licks,", and will increase to 2.5 million tons if a proposed expansion is approved. For example, under Michigan the formation varies from Findings come as state is working to cut back on salt use to curb pollution. 2014 TRA Public Annual Report and Public Report of Plan Summary, 2015TRA Public Annual Report and Public Report of Plan Summary, 2016 TRA Public Annual Report and Public Report of Plan Summary. Deal with only one land owner, Ohio state and switch salt for snow and control. Over more than 70 percent of the salt mine was discovered in by. 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