Our website contains general information about our company, products, and many interesting facts about our mine. According to the Detroit Salt Company, 400 million years ago, ocean water flooded into a large basin, an area known as the Michigan Basin. Both are part of the PLSS measurement system but have different uses. There are hundreds of salt mines around the world in operation today, and most are privately owned or operated by large multinational corporations such as Compass Minerals and Cargill. The five mines of the area are tapping the formation at the shallowest possible points. Search for owners by first name, last name, company, location, etc. undisturbed by faults or other forms of sharp ground movements. 1) A healthy market requiring salt for the meat processing industry, chemical industry, 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. Salt mining was an arduous task for them, as they faced geographical and technological constraints. thickness from 1/6 in. This mine stretches from Dearborn all the way to Allen Park. 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. dust, and the presence of sound roof and ribs as well as comfortable temperatures of 55 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. Officials drive about from C.M. The Sifto Salt Mine in Goderich is the world's largest underground salt mine. Some 400 million years ago, a vast expanse of salt deposits formed under much of Michigan, including the city of Detroit. Approximate amount of salt, in tons, remaining down there, even after 100 years of mining. 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. Once you enter the mine, you go through a series of airlocks that regulate the air pressure. It stretches over 1.5 miles wide, 2 miles long, and covers an area of 2.7 million squares miles. A young boy tosses a chunk of snow into Lake Michigan Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019 in Milwaukee. Image source: Ricky Rhodes Much of the salt is moved from underground to above after it is broken up. Welcome to my webpage. Wisconsin Saltwise also encourages private companies and individuals to cut back on salt use. There is it is a salt mine. Geological studies estimate that 55 counties of the Lower Peninsula cover 30,000 trillion The plant also packages rock salt from the mine thatis used for deicing and water conditioning. from approximately 17 to 40 ft. Province, and in the U. S. from the "Dakotas" to western New York State. Yes You Can! Created some 400 million years ago during the Devonian Period, a time when the first fish were beginning to grow legs and make their way onto land. Where Is The World's Largest Underground Lake. Then holes are drilled in the wall from Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. A comparison of the maps above and below will show that the main salt dry mining sites in [3] The ancient Chinese gradually mastered and advanced the techniques of producing salt. 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. Therefore, usually a minimum of 1 ft of salt is left on the floor, while 4 to 6 feet of As a geological entity, this salt deposit is older even than the dinosaurs. The salt mine was discovered in 1866 by Sam Platt during a search for oil. This one is a small storage shed of salt for the Meridian Source: Photograph by Randy Schaetzl, Professor of Geography - Michigan 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. It has operated since 1959 and was acquired by Compass Minerals in 1990. The salt created by the Detroit salt mine. Note that parts of the road Also, the number of claustrophobes and canaries who are unhappy that its not even an option. Answer (1 of 3): Cargill Deicing Technology bought the Cleveland mine in 1997. State University Curious City 10 years ago 2,728 1 1 1,474 965 Follow Curious City and others on SoundCloud. "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. million tons or 35% of the combined total produced in the U. S. and Canada. Ancient China was among the earliest civilizations in the world with cultivation and trade in mined salt. 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. [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. Today, the salt from this mine is used exclusively as road salt. More than 1 million metric tons of salt is flowing into Lake Michigan each year, according to a new study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Rooms from 50 to 60 feet wide are driven out and blocks of salt of the same 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. 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. The mineshaft opening is located at 12841 Sanders Street in Detroit, Michigan. is free of the hazards of water and gas. 2023 Atlas Obscura. In the last several years, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation has been working to reduce salt use on the state highway . The Company pumps Men work in the salt mine underneath Detroit in this undated photo. [15][16], This article is about mining for salt. Reduced in size, the product is taken by conveyer to an underground screening plant where However, the largest underground salt mine in the world, the Sifto Salt Mine, is located in Goderich, Ontario, Canada. 5.1M views 15 years ago This is how you flush an entire lake down a hole. Detroit had a very large salt mine that was basically an underground industry underneath their city. Michigan are located in Detroit, while solution mining takes place along Lake Michigan and Mining Salt mining extracts natural salt deposits from underground. 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. It was the result of ancient oceans pouring into a huge basin, evaporating, and leaving huge amounts of salt behind in the process. [2] They first discovered natural gas when they excavated rock salt. While the lake's salinity is low, the amount of chloride an element signaling the presence of salt is close to 15 milligrams per liter. One may also ask, is it hot or cold in the Detroit Salt Mine? Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. Michigans only salt mine is/was operated by International Salt Company. 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. Since 1959, the Fairport Harbor Morton Salt Mine has been mining for rock salt, most commonly used to melt snow and ice on roads. This army of concretions is an unexplained geological phenomenon unlike anything else in the world. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). Required fields are marked *. Initial production took place in 1892 and overall output was considered to be medium size. 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. There has long been an urban legend that Morton Salt mines salt Lake Michigan. [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]. The biggest development in the industry in recent years is increased For educational information about salt and mining, check out our History section! 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 rock salt produced from the mine is mainly processed by mechanical evaporation into fine-coarse grain salt. Heres what happens in Chicago. The salt is also sold in bulk to manufacturers that make plastics, detergents, disinfectants and other important products. It was over 1,500 acres big and had over 100 miles of roads making up this underground salt mine. This video addresses this myth. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0; . The Diggings is a resource for locating where mining claims are and have been. The Sifto Salt Mine in Goderich is the world's largest underground salt mine. Other cities followed. mine. 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. Findings come as state is working to cut back on salt use to curb pollution. Once part of an ancient international harbor, it's now an all-you-can-eat shrimp buffet for flamingos and other water birds. Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. No purchase necessary. The mine opened in 1910 and covers 1,500 acres (610 ha) underground. The 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 answer is NO! 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'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 salt is also applied to icy roads in cities and towns throughout the Great Lakes region during the winter season. Geological studies estimate that 55 counties of the Lower Peninsula cover 30,000 trillion tons of salt. in Michigan, Ohio, and Ontario. Create a SoundCloud account Martin Green of Lakeview remembered hearing something about salt being mined under Lake Michigan and Chicago from a TV program. Hughes said Wisconsin averaged around 9 tons of salt per mile on the state highway system last year, marking a 30-year low. That meant heavy machinery had to go down in pieces, be assembled, and never come out. This mining technique is referred to as "room and pillar" mining. Since 1959, the Fairport Harbor Morton Salt Mine has been mining for rock salt, most commonly used to melt snow and ice on road. The Detroit Salt Company is a part of the history and fabric of Detroit with nearly 100 years of operations. The only surviving prototype for Buckminster Fuller's house of the future. Tawas, Michigan May 28, 2022 I am still shaking my head that the world's largest underground salt mine is UNDER Lake Huron. 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. The room-and-pillar system is used to take out All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions 2023 worldatlas.com. the salt. The Detroit salt mine is a salt mine located 1,100 ft (340 m) below Detroit, Michigan. Here are the Detroit salt mines, by the (really, really big)numbers. 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. This bed - extending from upper New York to Michigan - was formed 410 million years ago. The Sifto Salt Mine is located deep below the waters of Lake Huron. Discover mining activity in your area and find new regions of opportunity. 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. What is mined under the Detroit area? Some of the images and text on this page were taken from various issues Tours of the mine currently being offered. Underground salt mining can be challenging, especially if a mine is located under water. The Morton Salt Company Mine is a underground mining operation. I'm on a journey across the USA to visit all 22 Paris' - and points in between. But there is another part of the city far fewer people seem to be aware of, and it lies directly underneath their feet. History of The Detroit Salt Mine Genesis of a Salt Mine. 2023 Compass Minerals. The mineshaft opening is located at 12841 Sanders Street in Detroit, Michigan. Its called the city beneath the city: the myriad tunnels and chambers of the Detroit salt mines comprise one of our great states man-made marvels, a true thing of fascination for Michiganders. Please contact Randall Schaetzl (soils@msu.edu) 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. Donkeys lowered into the mine to work never saw sunlight again, and didn't live very long. State University. The room and pillar method of mining is employed in all salt mines 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. 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. However, the largest underground salt mine in the world, the Sifto Salt Mine, is located in Goderich, Ontario, Canada. 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In the beginning, the leather and food industries were the primary customers. Its no secret that Detroit has been hit very hard by the recession. The Morton Salt Company Mine is near Oak Hill, Michigan. The anhydrite (calcium sulphate) content Around 50 counties are now transitioning to using more brine and less road salt. The salt is packaged at the plant and shipped to several destinations. Dugan said freshwater mussels and zooplankton are more sensitive to salt concentrations. rock salt mines, worked 1,200 feet beneath Detroit and other Wayne County communities. Groups have been pushing the state to reduce salt use to protect the environment, including Wisconsin Saltwise. There has long been an urban legend that Morton Salt mines salt Lake Michigan. 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. 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