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. 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. A sealed test tube said to hold Thomas Edison's dying breath was given to the inventor's friend and mentee, Henry Ford. Province, and in the U. S. from the "Dakotas" to western New York State. Rooms from 50 to 60 feet wide are driven out and blocks of salt of the same One copy may be printed for The Detroit Salt Company is a part of the history and fabric of Detroit with nearly 100 years of operations. The plant also packages rock salt from the mine thatis used for deicing and water conditioning. Michigans only salt mine is/was operated by International Salt Company. What is mined under the Detroit area? Miners rode down to the mine smushed face to face in a tiny elevator. salt is left to form the roof. That level has increased over the last 200 years from about 1 to 2 milligrams per liter in the 1800s, researchers said. The salt beds themselves contain bands of anhydrite which vary in Men work in the salt mine underneath Detroit in this undated photo. One Curious City question prompted us to find out. Im glad that this piece of history did not shut down and close their doors forever. Wiki User. The salt mine was discovered in 1866 by Sam Platt during a search for oil. a minimum of approximately 800 ft to a maximum depth of approximately 6800 ft, while the 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. There was just one problem: it was located beneath a thousand feet of stone and glacial drift. How deep are the salt mines in Michigan? The Sifto Salt Mine in Goderich is the world's largest underground salt mine. The Cargill salt mine beneath Lake Erie Watch on Down, down, down. An enchanting natural wonder in Puerto Rico's Camuy River Park. 245 Regent StreetGoderich, Ontario N7A-3Y5519.524.8338, RELATED LINKS Mechanical Evaporation Underground Salt Mining About Goderich Huron County Museum 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. Geological studies estimate that 55 counties of the Lower Peninsula cover 30,000 trillion tons of salt. Which means the salt mines are in Detroit just like Kid Rock and Insane Clown Posse are from Detroit.. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. One 12-ounce mug of salt is enough for a 20-foot driveway.". 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. How big is the salt mine under Lake Michigan? Best Answer. The salt is packaged at the plant and shipped to several destinations. Groups have been pushing the state to reduce salt use to protect the environment, including Wisconsin Saltwise. Source: Detroit Free Press The salt created by the Detroit salt mine. It stretches over 1.5 miles wide, 2 miles long, and covers an area of 2.7 million squares miles. An exploratory drilling exercise miscalculates the location of a salt mine while drilling through a lake bed. It was booming from the early 1920s up until 1983, when it was forced to close due to the falling salt prices. The Sifto Salt Mine is located deep below the waters of Lake Huron. Length, in feet, of the original mineshaft. Our website contains general information about our company, products, and many interesting facts about our mine. 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 mineshaft opening is located at 12841 Sanders Street in Detroit, Michigan. 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. The Company pumps Virtually every city, county, and municipality has a storehouse of Michigan salt, to be 1 of 2. is crushed into a form that is "road ready". The salt mine was discovered in 1866 by Sam Platt during a search for oil. control. However, miners at the Sifto Salt Mine have perfected the process. 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. This video addresses this myth. The. In operation since 1959, the mine is located approximately 1,800 feet under Lake Huron in the Canadian province of Ontario. Getting to the salt would prove to be the costliest and deadliest part of the operation. All rights reserved (About Us). "We easily do our winter maintenance more than $1,000 less per lane mile than either Minnesota or Michigan.". The Sifto Salt Mine is located deep below the waters of Lake Huron. In 1913 ", "Shovel first. The rock salt produced from the mine is mainly processed by mechanical evaporation into fine-coarse grain salt. The mine is as deep as the CN Tower in Toronto is tall. of approximately 6000 ft. The She said individuals can also consider switching to alternatives like sand or birdseed for traction. "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. Michigan, Ohio, and Ontario. We will never spam or sell your information because we take your privacy seriously. The mine has lunch rooms for workers, a service depot, electric transformer rooms, a crushing plant, and dump trucks. 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). All rights reserved. mine, which consists of 100 miles of tunnels, has never experienced a collapse or mine [2] They first discovered natural gas when they excavated rock salt. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0; . Unlike a coal mine, the operation 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. to 75 F, permit working conditions in a salt mine to be excellent. Detroit is known for many things: the auto industry, hockey, and Motown. 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. The U.S. salt bed map (Courtesy photo | U.S. Dept. rock salt Leaders expect it to keep growing. The Sifto Salt Mine in Goderich is the world's largest underground salt mine. 2023 Compass Minerals. Tawas, Michigan May 28, 2022 I am still shaking my head that the world's largest underground salt mine is UNDER Lake Huron. Sign up now! The sea would eventually recede and evaporate, leaving behind vast amounts of salt, which would be bulldozed over with rock and dirt by glaciers. The size of the room depends on the thickness of the salt deposit, although most rooms are 60 feet by 60 feet. Years the salt mine was abandoned, from 1983-1998. 2023 by Going Places. Unlike coal mining, salt mining is less dangerous since extracting rock salt requires less combustion. Since 1959, the Fairport Harbor Morton Salt. and may not be reproduced without permission. : Canada: Sifto Salt Mine in Goderich, Ontario, which, at 1.5 miles (2.4 km) wide and 2 miles (3.2 km) long, is one of . The salt is packaged at the plant and shipped to several destinations. area: Years that have passed since the salt was discovered. For example, under Michigan the formation varies from The salt is also applied to icy roads in cities and towns throughout the Great Lakes region during the winter season. 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. At night, the holes are loaded with dynamite and the blasting operation 2) Abundant salt at a reasonable depth and of sufficiently high quality to permit It was over 1,500 acres big and had over 100 miles of roads making up this underground salt mine. [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 has operated since 1959 and was acquired by Compass Minerals in 1990. Today, the salt from this mine is used exclusively as road salt. fatality. 100,000 cubic feet of fresh air a minute down one shaft. The estimates of salt deposits in Michigan are astronomical. actually consists of a number of individual salt beds separated by layers of shale, 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. from approximately 17 to 40 ft. Morton Salt Mine runs about 3 miles (4.8 km) under Lake Erie. Donkeys lowered into the mine to work never saw sunlight again, and didn't live very long. Both are part of the PLSS measurement system but have different uses. Heres what happens in Chicago. Nov 23, 2022, 6:47 pm. Historically the site has been associated with the Manistee Mining District which is now part of the Manistee National Forest. 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. Lake Erie is a geological newcomer compared to the salt buried below it. Curious City: Morton Salt production in Chicago by WBEZ PLUS: Ever wonder what's inside the Morton Salt building on North Elson Ave.? Friday, March 22, 2019 World's largest salt mine is under Lake Erie Both Cargill and Morton have salt mines under Lake Erie. This amazing ancient cave was kept secret for seven years to protect it from the public. "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 image 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. The Detroit mine now supplies Michigan and several other states, You can still see the entrance at 12841 Sanders Street, but its only open for delivery trucks. There has long been an urban legend that Morton Salt mines salt Lake Michigan. Here are the Detroit salt mines, by the (really, really big)numbers. 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. "It could have some repercussions that we're not fully aware of yet.". Curious City: Morton Salt production in Chicago by WBEZ PLUS: Ever wonder whats inside the Morton Salt building on North Elson Ave.? The mine opened in 1910 and covers 1,500 acres (610 ha) underground. The findings come as the state has been making significant strides to reduce salt use on roads to curb pollution. Wisconsin Saltwise also encourages private companies and individuals to cut back on salt use. Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you. Yes! Source: Photograph by Randy Schaetzl, Professor of Geography - Michigan Approximate amount of salt, in tons, remaining down there, even after 100 years of mining. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. State University. Number of workers who died digging the shaft. undisturbed by faults or other forms of sharp ground movements. The study found urban areas like Milwaukee are contributing the most salt with the highest readings stemming from a stormwater outflow at General Mitchell International Airport, which is just a few miles from the lake. Some of the images and text on this page were taken from various issues rock salt mines, worked 1,200 feet beneath Detroit and other Wayne County communities. According to the Detroit Salt Company, 400 million years ago, ocean water flooded into a large basin, an area known as the Michigan Basin. In the beginning, the leather and food industries were the primary customers. Dugan said freshwater mussels and zooplankton are more sensitive to salt concentrations. This is a partial list of current and defunct mines in Michigan. The Salina Group In 1997, the Detroit Salt Company, LLC, purchased the mine from Crystal Mines, Inc. and began salt production in the fall of 1998. Although we cannot provide tours to the public at this time, it is our hope that our newly upgraded website will provide a salt mine experience that will expose you to the wonderful world of salt. Mining For the secret CIA prison, see. I'm on a journey across the USA to visit all 22 Paris' - and points in between. 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. The Detroit salt mine is a salt mine located 1,100 ft (340 m) below Detroit, Michigan. 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. Three important factors lie behind the location and development of the Detroit salt mining The Detroit Salt and Manufacturing Company began digging in 1906, and went bankrupt trying to complete the task. The Goderich plant has been in operation since 1867. Even so, Superior cut its salt use and costs by more than half last year compared to 2010. Again by conveyer, the salt is taken to the larger shaft water softening snow and ice removal from roads and highways. "There's a tremendous amount of salt going into the lake each year," said Dugan. 2023 by Wisconsin Public Radio, a service of the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Workmen "undercut" the walls of salt with a 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. DOT officials have now purchased 27 high-capacity brine makers with plans to buy a dozen more this year, said Hughes. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). The new tunnel was up and running three years later, with an opening measuring 22 ft. wide. 2010-10-23 03:07:21. The mine itself is a relatively clean and spacious place to work, as far as mines go. 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 miners sink shafts through the overlying rock salt deposits and then remove the salt. 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. miners here have mined out an area 22 feet high for about 300 acres. Answer (1 of 3): Cargill Deicing Technology bought the Cleveland mine in 1997. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. 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. One Curious City question prompted us to find out. Please contact Randall Schaetzl (soils@msu.edu) Where is the World's Largest Underground Salt Mine? Your email address will not be published. The answer is NO! Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. This variation in depth is in part attributed to a gradual When business was good, they offered public guided tours, which was very popular with school groups. Davis Readings in the Geography of Michigan The Detroit Salt Company is a part of the history and fabric of Detroit with nearly 100 years of operations. This one is a small storage shed of salt for the Meridian This video addresses this myth. But there is another part of the city far fewer people seem to be aware of, and it lies directly underneath their feet. Part of the salt mine 1959, the salt was discovered in 1866 by Platt. Are more sensitive to salt concentrations get atop your quadruple-double-XL order of McDonalds.. Lies directly underneath their feet as mines go 3.0 ; defunct mines in Michigan are astronomical salt. On Facebook to get the latest on the world 's largest underground salt mine in is... 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