Abandoned mines focus of hunt

Researchers at the University of Nevada in Reno are collaborating with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to help track down the state’s abandoned mines.

“No one has ever attempted to identify every abandoned mine in the state,” said Christopher Henry, a research geologist with the Mackay School of Mines and the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology.

“Only a small percentage of the abandoned mines in Nevada are either physical or environmental hazards. But public concern dictates that all abandoned mines be counted and that any related problems be identified and corrected. “Our pilot program will first look at the Humboldt drainage basin, and later in the year we will map out the mines in the rest of Elko Cty.” By tabulating shafts, adits, trenches and holes, the researchers hope to accumulate valuable geographical data, which will then be translated into maps.