Скачать или смотреть Moselle No 10 Open-Pit Mine Exploration: Acid mine drainage everywhere.

In our first foray into exploration of abandoned mine workings in the Missouri Ozarks, we take a look at the Moselle No. 10 mine. Originally worked as an open-pit hematite mine from 1872 to 1910, a shaft was sunk in 1934 that revealed a substantial quantity of pyrite in the deposit. Underground work was stopped due to dangerous and corrosive conditions, and the mine was developed into an open-pit operation in 1935. It was worked until 1940 by the Thomas & Williams Mining Company.

My commentary in the video was not completely accurate; the mine was only worked to a depth of 185 feet, not 300. This extreme depth led to a fatal collapse that closed the mine in 1940.

We encountered acid mine drainage on the site, matching the problems encountered by the mine's operators when it was worked underground. Most of the drainage appeared to be leaching from spoil piles, and there was a distinct odor of sulfur on the east side of the pit. I plan to return at a later date and take water and ore samples to determine just what we're dealing with on this site.