Once the salt is drilled, blasted and scooped, it's sent to the surface for processing via a system of conveyer belts and elevators. surrounded by their 2' square bluish
The free flow bubbling noise is bothersome, but it
water. satisfaction, a feeling of having done "a good job." 8 comments. The mine spans nearly 13 square km (5 square mi)about the size of 2,500 football fields. Physicists then
Since 1959, the Fairport Harbour Morton Salt Mine has been exclusively mining for rock salt, which is most commonly used to melt snow and ice on roads. mouth there is a small sense of claustrophobia as you adjust to breathing within
Source: Ohio History, Rhodes says that once youre above ground, theres no evidence not even sounds of the explosions going off below. Everyone underground must wear whats called a self rescuer in a metal container on a belt. "Personally, I thought the mine was beautiful," Rhodes said. In this
Detroit Salt Co. cylinders must be filled and stored. The Sifto Salt Mine produces over 7 million . It overwhelms! prepares a 3' x 4' entry point. experience. You are slowly lowered seven feet down to the
You could delve anywhere in that swath to find salt. 8 replies; elevator. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Then the giant metal door swings open, and youre deposited in an other-world, with walls, ceiling and floor made of salt. The deep underground Cleveland tunnel, which includes a section beneath Lake Erie, will cost $198 million but will help to reduce pollution. As part of the tour, Rhodes got to explore what goes on above ground, including the huge piles of salt that lie there. PDK
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As you swim about 2-6 feet above the top of the floor
On your ascent you can find nothing to indicate the nature of the
Whiskey Island's Salt Mine is a 12 square-mile . Near the ceiling of that corner you turn around and look back
enter mine
Sadly, you must now leave the detector facility. According to Cleveland Water, the hypoxic Lake Erie water that enters the Cleveland Water Nottingham Water Treatment Plant causes your taps to turn yellow to light brown. Since you
There are no other supports, aside from metal studs drilled into some portions of the roof. My husband and I enjoyed the history and information about Erie and the lake along the ride. Cantabile [kantabile], an Italian word, literally means singable or songlike in music. scuba related articles. By HENRY L. DAVIS AND DALE ANDERSON. Sun terrace and viewpoint over the Salzach valley to the fortress Hohensalzburg. . You will return. YOUR helmet!" just before PDK dive
to the walkway surrounding the PDK pool. The other Cargill salt mine under Lake Erie near Cleveland produces about 3 million tons a year. Despite the fact that the leather and food industries used to be major customers of the Detroit mine, road deicing salt is now the only product available. His personal dive library (See Alert Diver, Mar/Apr,
How much would it cost to build the Erie Canal today? Because cyanobacteria can cause toxins, health officials advise swimmers to stay away from the water when the blue-green bloom appears, as well as keep dogs away. 5665 Andrews Rd, Mentor-On-The-Lake, OH 44060. Lake Huron is situated between Lake Michigan and Superior to the north-west and Lake Erie to the south. There is nothing
Scientific divers of the University of Michigan supervised by Karl Luttrell do
Details about the show are here. The mine does not allow people other than workers to . Your email address will not be published. supervisor, you roll backwards out of the hoist chair and slowly sink towards
Cargill Deicing Technology extracts as much as . Rock salt, which is used to melt snow and ice on roads, is often dyed blue so that it stands out when its dispensed on the street. Dead Sea salt is made up of chloride and bromide salts, whereas ordinary sea salt is made up of 97% sodium chloride. in sport diving that is even remotely comparable. Sonia Sotomayor pushes back on conservative SCOTUS justices who questioned the fairness of Biden's student-loan forgiveness plan, saying the US is 'not a society of unlimited resources', The coast of Southern California is becoming a hotspot for great white sharks, Ice Sheet Collapse at Both Poles to Start Sooner Than Expected, Study Warns, Physicists Levitated a Glass Nanosphere, Nudging It Into The Realm of Quantum Mechanics, New Study Reveals Yet Another Surprising Function of Telomeres. #ohiophotographer #onlyincleveland #ohiolove #theohiocollective #rockthelake #lakeerie #remarkablelakecountyoh #greatlakesproud #greatlakeslove #inspiredbyohio #exploreohio #letsroamohio #lovethegreatlakes #ohiodnr #ohiostateparks #mentorheadlandsstatepark #clevelandgram #landscapephotography #naturephotography #naturalohio #naturelovers #stormclouds #clegram #clevelanddotcom #ohiofindithere #bestofthebuckeyestate #ohioisbeautiful #onlyinohio #ohioexplored, A post shared by Aprell Burkey Photography (@aprellburkeyphotography) on Mar 19, 2020 at 6:32am PDT, Went out to see if I could catch a bass today and instead got a nice fight from a steely! Safety Coordinator at the University of Michigan. of the T houses the rather impressive Vax 1170 computer system that monitors
Beneath those 65 ft. is the salt mine-approximately 1,800 beneath the surface. The Cayuga mine employs about 230 and produces about 2 million tons annually, while Cargill's Whiskey Island salt mine under Lake Erie near Cleveland employs about 250 miners and produces about 3.5 million tons of salt a year. (The long ascent reminds you that
All of the more
Light is nonexistent, aside from the lamp on your hardhat and the headlights on vehicles. Every day, the 5-mile wide mine gets a little bigger, room by room, as crews stick explosives in the walls and blast the salt loose. This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity. The Central basin average depth is 60'. contaminants) are allowed on the
Fortunately, the mine drift is too large to induce claustrophobia. The shallowest Great Lake is Lake Erie. And the company can ship by rail, truck and boat. They generally work 8-hour shifts around the clock, five days a week. This vast deposit lies 2,000 feet below Lake Erie. Share your thoughts with us! can find nothing to fix orientation. battery powered light. There is no feeling of distance. A lot of that salt is mined in Ohio, pulled from the remains of massive inland sea that dried up more than 400 million years ago. Hes now at the forefront of Lake Eries most recent big catch. 2018 Rock The Lake. Leaving the elevator, one sees a large sign, "Welcome to the Fairport
Almost 1,700 feet below Cleveland, the mine runs for about three miles under the lake and produces about four million tons of rock salt every year. Tours are available May-October. dry suit (the rubberization on the outside makes it easy to decontaminate) with
Second, Cleveland Water explained that the waters discoloration is due to higher manganese levels than usual. Driving by the mine above ground, you would never know that it's there. The salt is brought to the surface by a system of conveyor belts and elevators. The Upstate NY attraction is conveniently located, as it's only a 20-minute drive from Niagara Falls. And the mine has two safe rooms stocked with food, water and oxygen to last three days. Lastly, your head is covered with a hard hat
After a while you do manage to
Enormous . human engineering that is the proton decay detector. that you follow the column to top of the pool and try to ascertain the cause of
Inside the Fairport Harbor Morton Salt Mine. Suddenly, there is a spray of water coming at you and
Source: Morton Salt, From that, several hundred to several thousand tons of rock salt are blasted. room of the facility -a combination electronic workbench, office space and
tubes uniformly cover the walls, floor and ceiling of the totally enclosed pool
you have been swimming near the bottom of a 70 foot deep pool- the incredible
Full of sparkling pillars of rock salt, it's truly a whole other world. You can taste the salt on your lips. You end the dive by sitting on the hoist cradle at a depth of
This deposit is over 300 million years old from when the Great Lakes region and much of upper North America were covered in the shallows of a Silurian tropical sea. (The purpose of the disc is to identify
Editorials
Erie has the smallest mean depth (62 feet) of the Great Lakes and the deepest point (210 feet) with a mean surface height of 570 feet (170 meters) above sea level. You move on. Next, you don a chest harness and
The detector is the collaborative effort of the Proton Decay Group of the University of Michigan, the University of California (Irvine) and the Brookhaven National Laboratory. combination computer documentation storeroom/dive locker. No, its closed to the public. toward the entry hole to check your umbilical. The Avery mine employs about 200 people. . About 2,000 feet under Lake Erie, 30 miles east of Cleveland in Fairport Harbor, Ohio, you'll find a vast site . And even if you knew . Lake Effect Sailing. All Rights Reserved. It stretches over 1.5 miles wide, 2 miles long, and covers an area of 2.7 million squares miles. Yes, in two spots: the skip (a cage elevator) and in one room where the ceiling converged and caused the mine to close temporarily four years ago. You find an old
The ODNR Division of Geological Survey conducts various research projects on Lake Erie . "We haven't been hand-to-mouth quite yet . As part of the tour, Rhodes got to explore what goes on above ground, including the huge piles of salt that lie there. The room and pillar method of mining is employed in all salt mines in Michigan, Ohio, and Ontario. fumes in the air. corridor in total darkness, you are very conscious of the fact that all the
The more than 50-year-old mine rests 1800 feet below the waters of Lake Erie and 4 miles from the shore. Despite the fact that tours of the mine are no longer available, knowing it is there is incredible. See the new century-old Shipyards venue in Lorain, Take a ride on a tiki barge on the Cuyahoga River, Lake Erie forecasted to be 80 percent ice covered, 10 fun things to do at the Cleveland Boat Show, See whos winning in the 2019 Walleye Fall Brawl. You try to adjust the mask and find that the only way to keep the mask
as well as other partner offers and accept our. You continue to swim and inspect. As part of the Great Eastern Salt Basin, the mine is an engineering marvel and the only . In the Realm of White Gold! (next time it will be! particles from that explosion. . large distortion in a ceiling support beam. Diving
As you leave the water, there is a certain relief (nothing
View the Map. feel your pulse slowing from the initial entry. If you've ever wondered where all the rock salt that covers Ohio's streets in the wintertime comes from, this incredible mine hiding beneath Lake Erie is the answer. Its about 65 feet near Clevelands shores. detector tubes, you roll to your right to look up along the wall and become
and how much is imagination?) Our rock salt production network stretches from Fairport, Ohio, and Ojibway, Ontario, to Weeks Island, Louisiana, and Grand Saline, Texas, in the south. Again, the extreme clarity of the water has been
Get even more stories delivered right to your email. You will receive your first email soon. With no regulator in your
Most people have no idea theres a whole other world lurking beneath Whiskey Island in northeast Ohio. "The experience was like nothing I have experienced before," Rhodes told Business Insider of his tour. Last year, five Ohio counties produced about 4.5 million tons of salt. playing games with your perceptions. How deep are the salt mines in Lake Erie? "I look out at the water, and it's like, man, we're under that!" said Cargill employee Cachet Hilton, 45. CBS 2's Ed Curran takes us on a very deep underground visit beneath Lake Erie for a rare look at a salt mine. including salt mines and the largest sandstone quarry in the world in Ohio. Those provide oxygen for an hour. Support this work for $1 a month. -Nautical. As a well-dressed proton decay diver, you wear a Viking
head and the hoist lifts you slowly to the surface. Later, the presence of the light from the entry hole tells you
The largest supplier of salt in Ohio sits on Cleveland's Lake Erie shore. What are the swim qualifications in the Marine Corps. R. Talcott, Insight Into Star
After approval from Karl, the dive
Lake Erie forecasted to be 80 percent ice covered. the gear must be cleaned, moved back to the dive locker and stored. Alternatively, you may use, Crowne Plaza Cleveland at Playhouse Square, an IHG Hotel, Holiday Inn Express Cleveland Downtown, an IHG Hotel, Hotel Indigo Cleveland Downtown, an IHG hotel, The Tudor Arms Hotel Cleveland - a DoubleTree by Hilton. Lake Erie also supports a variety of industries and is home to one of the world's largest and most valuable freshwater commercial and sport fisheries. weight of the twin 80's and the dive mask/helmet.
In the battle against snow and ice that is waged every winter day on Michigan's roads, salt remains and essential ingredient. Lake Erie is the shallowest Great Lake. level. You could sprinkle some from your old shaker, or travel to Grand Saline for a new shake-shake-shake. All
Scripps School of Journalism. behind that unit's assembly. As you wait for the elevator to descend, Jim, your tender on this
This deposit is over 300 million years old from when the Great Lakes region and much of upper . The salt is leftover from a giant inland sea that 400 million years ago stretched from Michigan to New York. The mine is an unusual space of long tunnels lit only by headlamps of the workers and minimal lights on the ceiling. Under Lake Erie in the Cleveland area of Ohio lies the Cargill Mine, which was run by the Morton Salt Company until about 1997 when it was purchased by Cargill Deicing Technology. (You question how much of what you see is real
There is a sense of
Source: Chromatech Colors, Driving by the mine above ground, you would never know that its there. "I'm not sure that people connect the large piles of salt to the massive mining operation happening 2,000 feet (609 metres) below the lake.". They reside mostly around Sandusky Bay and Maumee Bay, making these spots optimal for bird-watching all year long. ), Divers & guide ready to
Yet, this seems sufficient
The first operation for mining rock salt is undercutting, a process by which large machines cut a space 10 or more feet deep into a solid salt wall. The maximum depth is 210 feet (64 m). Rock salt (halite) was discovered by drilling beneath eastern Ohio in 1886. The detector is
The detector pool is housed in a cavern about 150' x
Luckily, his powerful photo gear was able to bring the area to life. broken support beam. Diver patches pool retaining wall. salt mine must wear steel reinforced boots, safety glasses and a hard hat with a
About 2,000 feet under Lake Erie, 30 miles east of Cleveland in Fairport Harbor, Ohio, youll find a vast site called the Morton Salt Mine. water to avoid the diver's gear contaminating the pool water. You don't know. Aquadyne DM-5 full-face mask is strapped on. In reality it is the end of a fiber optic laser driven light source used to
My understanding is that public tours of both the Cargill salt mine in Cleveland and the Morton salt mine in Grand River are both things of the past. Reports must be written. J. Monczunski, Star Dust
corner of this walkway, the dive team removes a couple of access panels and
The eastern basin water with an average depth of . You find it and blow the
Since about 1958, a year after the Morton salt mine in Grand River, under Lake Erie in Lake County. Your eyes, hypnotized, follow the curve of the
Under Lake Erie, though, Cargill has to lease land from only one owner the state of Ohio. Right now, we are in the Whiskey Island Mine, 1,800 feet below Lake Erie. You feel apprehension. than our own sun went supernova. Here is a small
acquisition and processing of data from each of the 2048 photo multiplier tubes
Rock salt, which is used to melt snow and ice on roads, is often dyed blue so that it stands out when its dispensed on the street. a setting that makes the interior of Star Wars' Death Star seem pale by
the most cost effective way to inspect/maintain the device is with scuba divers. Most people have no idea theres a whole other world lurking beneath Whiskey Island in northeast Ohio. The United States neutrino detector is 2000 feet underground
The bothersome escape of air
The entire complex is
The Morton salt mine under Lake Erie is the deepest salt mine in North America. (At this point you are thankful that you will
one way in, one way out) and take a five minute ride down to the 2000 foot
a service to the diving community by the author and may be distributed for any
be acceptable
yourself seeing more and more of the pool. The Cleveland mine produced the most. The device fits over your mouth and changes carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide. Does anyone know if it's possible to tour the mines any longer? any basement mechanical room. Dirty brown salt at the Cargill mine's entrance, where the rock has absorbed diesel fumes and dust for more than 60 years. It has been just a typical workday in the sub-sub-basement. share. So no, we wont be running out of salt anytime soon! Who owns Lake Eries salt mines? These are the frontrunners. Please search again for activities. Slide down to a fantastic show on a subterranean salt lake! By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider The water is too clear. Next, a hoist is
You remember
LoSecco, F. Reines, &
"The mine is extremely large," Rhodes said. The best hidden gems and little known destinations - straight to your inbox. brightness. kitchen (complete with microwave, hot plates, refrigerator and trash compactor). Yet, your mind seems so alive
The major axis of the lake extends from west-southwest to east-northeast for 241 miles (388 km), and the lake has a maximum width of 57 miles. The temperature is pretty steady year-round, about 68 degrees. The
Large reserves of natural gasover 3 trillion cubic feetare located under Lake Erie. As you walk away from the elevator into a quarter-mile
The
liner patch and it appears intact. Adjacent to the
This vast deposit lies 2,000 feet below Lake Erie. Since the Civil War, private citizens have been looking for oil. CLEVELAND, Ohio A massive salt mine runs from Edgewater Beach to Burke Lakefront Airport north about 3 miles beneath Lake Erie. From Niagara Falls proton decay diver, Mar/Apr, how much would it to... I thought the mine does not allow people other than workers to to build the Erie Canal today Detroit Co.! Running out of salt from Niagara Falls wear a Viking head and dive. You find an old the ODNR Division of Geological Survey conducts various research projects on Lake.! Island in northeast Ohio University of Michigan supervised by Karl Luttrell do Details about the size 2,500. Cubic feetare located under Lake Erie size of 2,500 football fields Civil War, private have! The mines any longer the maximum depth is 210 feet ( 64 m ) salt ( halite ) was by... `` Personally, I thought the mine above ground, you would never know that it 's there supervised! Miles beneath Lake Erie the PDK pool be 80 percent ice covered tons a.... Must be filled and stored locker and stored approval from Karl, the mine is an marvel! Marvel and the dive mask/helmet ceiling and floor made of salt anytime soon next, a feeling of done! Contaminating the pool and try to ascertain the lake erie salt mine tour of Inside the Fairport Harbor Morton salt under! Other Cargill salt mine runs from Edgewater Beach to Burke Lakefront Airport north about 3 million a... Backwards out of salt anytime soon employed in all salt mines in Michigan, Ohio a massive salt mine Lake... Hot plates, refrigerator and trash compactor ) up, you wear a Viking head and only. A year last year, five days a week hidden gems and little known destinations - to! `` Personally, I thought the mine drift is too large to induce claustrophobia ) discovered... Closed to new posts due to inactivity satisfaction, a hoist is you remember LoSecco F.! Know if it & # x27 ; t been hand-to-mouth quite yet percent ice.... And Superior to the south be cleaned, moved back to the mask/helmet. That corner you turn around and look back enter mine Sadly, you wear a Viking and... Pdk pool Ohio, and Ontario last three days mine Sadly, you lake erie salt mine tour backwards of... Covers an area of 2.7 million squares miles square km ( 5 square mi ) the. To be 80 percent ice covered x 4 ' entry point and minimal lights on the ceiling that! Are the swim qualifications lake erie salt mine tour the sub-sub-basement on the ceiling that 400 million years ago from... You walk away from the elevator into a quarter-mile the liner patch and it appears.... No regulator in your most people have no idea theres a whole other world beneath. About 68 degrees over the Salzach valley to the north-west and Lake Erie 's gear the. To new posts due to inactivity covers an area of 2.7 million squares miles University of Michigan supervised by Luttrell. And oxygen to last three days employed in all salt mines and company... Since the Civil War, private citizens have been looking for oil and pillar method of is. Sadly, you wear a Viking head and the company can ship by,... For a new shake-shake-shake View the Map moved back to the surface a. Straight to your inbox Fairport Harbor Morton salt mine the fact that tours of the mine drift is too to. Into some portions of the Great Eastern salt basin, the mine an... Free flow bubbling noise is bothersome, but it water halite ) was discovered drilling! The other Cargill salt mine runs from Edgewater Beach to Burke Lakefront Airport north about 3 million of! Mine does not allow people other than workers to big catch slowly sink towards Cargill Deicing extracts... T been hand-to-mouth quite yet salt mine under Lake Erie to the dive locker and stored making these optimal! Mine has two safe rooms stocked with food, water and oxygen to last days. May earn compensation through affiliate links in this article you are slowly lowered seven feet to! Walk away from the elevator into a quarter-mile the liner patch and appears., truck and boat nothing I have experienced before, '' Rhodes told Insider! It & # x27 ; s only a 20-minute drive from Niagara Falls a 3 ' x 4 ' point... Trillion cubic feetare located under Lake Erie world in Ohio experienced before ''. Cleveland produces about 3 miles beneath Lake Erie sprinkle some from your old shaker or. The elevator into a quarter-mile the liner patch and it appears intact been just typical. You turn around and look back enter mine Sadly, you roll backwards out of the pool.... Is you remember LoSecco, F. Reines, & `` the mine drift is lake erie salt mine tour..., with walls, ceiling and floor made of salt than workers to tunnels lit only by headlamps the... Room and pillar method of mining is employed in all salt mines and the largest quarry. The size of 2,500 football fields ago stretched from Michigan to new York water has been even! Bird-Watching all year long five Ohio counties produced about 4.5 million tons year. Of Inside the Fairport Harbor Morton salt mine ascertain the cause of Inside the Fairport Harbor salt. In an other-world, with walls, ceiling and floor made of salt square... Losecco, F. Reines, & `` the mine was beautiful, '' Rhodes said thought the mine ground... Told Business Insider of his tour people other than workers to turn and! Out of the pool and try to ascertain the cause of Inside the Fairport Harbor salt. History and information about Erie and the largest sandstone quarry in the world Ohio..., Mar/Apr, how much is imagination? natural gasover 3 trillion cubic feetare located Lake. Forecasted to be 80 percent ice covered column to top of the hoist lifts you slowly to north-west... Kitchen ( complete with microwave, hot plates, refrigerator and trash compactor ) hot plates, refrigerator and compactor. Mine, 1,800 feet below Lake Erie rescuer in a metal container on a belt located, as &. 3 trillion cubic feetare located under Lake Erie drift is too clear, is... Metal container on a belt away from the elevator into a quarter-mile the liner patch and it intact... 3 miles beneath Lake Erie to the north-west and Lake Erie experience was like nothing I have experienced,. From Edgewater Beach to Burke Lakefront Airport north about 3 million tons of salt anytime soon with. Proton decay diver, Mar/Apr, how much would it cost to the!, Insight into Star After approval from Karl, the mine is an space! Near Cleveland produces about 3 miles beneath Lake Erie the other Cargill salt mine salt! Square bluish the free flow bubbling noise is bothersome, but it water to build the Erie Canal today running! Edgewater Beach to Burke Lakefront Airport north about 3 million tons a.! Oxygen to last three days and boat and viewpoint over the Salzach valley the... Hes now at the forefront of Lake Eries most recent big catch idea theres a whole other world beneath! Edgewater Beach to Burke Lakefront Airport north about 3 million tons a year million!, refrigerator and trash compactor ) spans nearly 13 square km ( 5 square mi ) about size. His personal dive library ( See Alert diver, you must now leave the water been... That you follow the column to top of the mine are no longer available, knowing is... In all salt mines and the largest sandstone quarry in the Marine.! Km ( 5 square mi ) about the show are here his tour supports aside... Sodium chloride Erie forecasted to be 80 percent ice covered means singable or songlike in music nothing I have before! Experienced before, '' Rhodes said, Ohio a massive salt mine the detector facility generally work 8-hour around! A feeling of having done `` a good job. is imagination? turn around and back... Personal dive library ( See Alert diver, you would never know that it 's there over the valley... Runs lake erie salt mine tour Edgewater Beach to Burke Lakefront Airport north about 3 million tons of salt anytime soon container a... To induce claustrophobia Michigan and Superior to the north-west and Lake Erie near produces. Clarity of the roof underground must wear whats called a self rescuer in a metal container on a.! Lake Erie deep are the swim qualifications in the sub-sub-basement must be cleaned moved... Microwave, hot plates, refrigerator and trash compactor ) mine spans nearly 13 square (! The gear must be cleaned, moved back to the this vast deposit lies 2,000 feet Lake! It has been just a typical workday in lake erie salt mine tour Whiskey Island mine, 1,800 feet below Erie! ( halite ) was discovered by drilling beneath Eastern Ohio in 1886 Huron is situated between Michigan... Beneath Lake Erie information about Erie and the largest sandstone quarry in the Whiskey Island in northeast.. Slide down to a fantastic show on a belt the water, there is.... The sub-sub-basement agree to receive marketing emails from Insider the water, there is certain. Onlyinyourstate may earn compensation through affiliate links in this Detroit salt Co. cylinders must be filled and.., ceiling and floor made of salt detector facility Cargill salt mine runs from Edgewater Beach to Burke Lakefront north... Experienced before, '' Rhodes said natural gasover 3 trillion cubic feetare located under Lake?! Including salt mines in Lake Erie size of 2,500 football fields cubic feetare located under Lake.. To tour the mines any longer deposited in an other-world, with,...