Tips for those doing legitimate research in mines and quarries:

• Some mines are radioactive or contain radioactive gas (radon) and radioactive equipment. Breathing the dust or gas, having the dust on your body and clothing, and simply being in the mine can be very dangerous. Less widely known is that “some old oil pits, pipes, and other facilities” associated with oil and gas wells are “more radioactive than uranium mines and nuclear power plants” due to their having come in contact with radon containing brine solutions during their normal operation (Kesler, 1994, p 75). Fortunately, modern practices of petroleum recovery address this issue far more effectively.
  
  
• Buildings and machinery in and around mines often suffer from the corrosive effects of acids and oxidizers in the area. Abandoned structures are prone to catastrophic collapse and should be avoided.
  
  
• Vertical shafts can be hundreds of feet deep. At the surface, shafts can be completely unprotected, hidden by vegetation, or covered by rotting boards. Openings may seem sturdy, but rotting timbers and unstable rock make cave-ins a real danger.
• Excavated vertical cliffs in open pit mines and quarries can be unstable and prone to collapse.
• Hills of loose material in stock or refuse piles can easily collapses and bury an unsuspecting climber. In quarries where active excavation is a daily practice, vertical walls in stock piles are common.
• Avoid working in areas where people are above you, even if those people are “just looking at something real quick.” Hazardous rock falls into your immediate area will be frequent as a consequence of the activity above your head.
• Water-filled quarries, pits and mines can hide rock ledges, old machinery, and other hazards. Because of the great depth and small surface area, the water can be dangerously cold resulting in rapid hypothermia. Further, the water can be caustic or poisonous. Steep and slippery walls make exiting these places very difficult if not impossible without immediate assistance.
• Roof collapse results from the combination of inadequate support structures within a mine and weak overburden material forming the roof of the mine. Abandoned underground sites often contain decaying timbers, loose rock and tunnels that can collapse at any time. The photo shows steel shoring and some shoddy wood shoring.
• Fire may occur if faulty wiring or a cigarette ignites explosive gases or dust.
• Unused and misfired explosives can become unstable and deadly. Vibrations from a touch or a normal footfall can trigger an explosion. Blasting caps may be left behind in great number and pose a significant danger.
  
  
• DO NOT HANDLE EXPLOSIVES!
• Mines may harbor undetectable and lethal concentrations of deadly gases such as methane, radon, carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide. The natural oxidation of pyrite (fools gold) is an exothermic reaction that can generate enough heat to ignite coal seams and wood shoring. The smoldering fire is not necessarily the danger here, but the lack of oxygen and presence of poison gasses resulting from the fire can be deadly.
• Drainage can be caustic and/or poisonous not only if ingested, but on contact with your skin. High concentrations of PCBs, cyanide, mercury, and arsenic are common as are other soluble toxic metals.
• The dust and rodent excrement in a mine could harbor Anthrax or Hantavirus.
• PCBs - among the most toxic substances known - are very common in old electrical equipment (and sometimes hydraulic equipment) which itself is often found abandoned and decomposing in old mines.
  
  
• Retro-reflective tape makes your gear EASY to find - especially in an emergency.
• ALWAYS have at least two independent light sources on your person at ALL times in the subsurface. Darkness and debris inside a mine only adds to the numerous hazards.
• ALWAYS wear a hard hat. Most cost less than $10.00 and are easy to get.
• ALWAYS have a buddy.
• Bats often occupy caves and old mines. If you spend a lot of time in these places, consult your doctor about getting a rabies vaccination and be sure to ask about the side effects.
• The listings of Mines, Pits, Quarries and Shafts Locations and other Mine related features are for informational purposes only and should NOT be considered a grant or permission to Trespass, Metal Detect, Relic or Treasure Hunt at any of the listed Features.
• If your plans are to locate sites for metal detecting or relic hunting. It is your responsibility to obtain written permission from the legal property owners. Please be advised, that any state or nationally owned features will probably be off-limits to metal detector use. Also be aware of any federal, state or local laws restricting the same.