An illuminating exchange with a miner who works 10-hour shifts in a vertical shaft: How he got into mining; his thoughts about its future; and his take on wellbeing, culture, safety, and teamwork.
Wow. That’s really interesting. I wonder why they flood it when they abandon a mine... Is it for safety reasons?🤔 Great interview, Bob. Shows that even jobs in salt mines are subject to the climate crisis.
That's a great question about flooding of mines. I learned a lot about salt mining while writing the post, but not that. I would have guessed it had something to do with equalizing some pressure so the abandoned mine is less likely to collapse (i.e. nature abhors a vacuum). But when I checked Wikipedia, it said, "One of the main reasons to let an underground mine be flooded is to avoid disulfide oxidation, and thus avoid acid mine drainage.[citation needed] Other important reason is safety: people coming to underground mines without safety precautions or the presence of dangerous mine gases."
I can't say I know exactly what that means or whether it's accurate. :(
Wow. That’s really interesting. I wonder why they flood it when they abandon a mine... Is it for safety reasons?🤔 Great interview, Bob. Shows that even jobs in salt mines are subject to the climate crisis.
Thanks, Louise.
That's a great question about flooding of mines. I learned a lot about salt mining while writing the post, but not that. I would have guessed it had something to do with equalizing some pressure so the abandoned mine is less likely to collapse (i.e. nature abhors a vacuum). But when I checked Wikipedia, it said, "One of the main reasons to let an underground mine be flooded is to avoid disulfide oxidation, and thus avoid acid mine drainage.[citation needed] Other important reason is safety: people coming to underground mines without safety precautions or the presence of dangerous mine gases."
I can't say I know exactly what that means or whether it's accurate. :(