Bingham Tunnel

Bingham Tunnel. RioTinto. Thousands of miles of old mining tunnels surround the Bingham Canyon Mine. Unlike today's open pit, the old mines were a network of underground tunnels and shafts. , The Bingham Tunnel was completed in April 1951 to provide access to the Lark and Niagara workings, or ore bodies. The length was reported as 3.9 miles. The tunnel was used for production until acquired by Kennecott in the late 1970s, at which time the tunnel began to be used only for water management. , Water management and extraction are important for open-pit mine walls. Not only does groundwater come up from below the earth through natural springs, but every time it rains, water flows into the deepest hole it can find. , The Bingham Tunnel remains one of the main dewatering tunnels for the mine and was recently updated in 2016 to maintain water flows from the tunnel using a mix of traditional and modern mining techniques. , Protecting Utah's water sources, Subsurface water is directed through a collection system, including mining tunnels, and is either piped to the Bingham Canyon Reservoir system or treated and reused in Kennecott's operations. , Subsurface water -> Bingham Tunnel -> Collection system -> Bingham Canyon Reservoir -> Mining operations, (photo captions:), ·The original tunnel structure remained strong for many decades. Modern updates were completed in 2016 to ensure the stability of the open-pit mine well into the future., ·Engine and mantrip , Underground locomotives like this one were known as "loci." This one was affectionately named "Joan" by the local miners. This well-designed equipment did its job well, transporting men and equipment back and forth in the tunnels for generations., ·Rock bolter and steel erector , Updating miles and miles of tunnels had to be done with custom machinery that was engineered to be efficient and safer than manual labor. Rock bolters were a single machine that could drill holes, insert bolts and attach steel plates which secured the rock surrounding the tunnel. Steel erectors supported old timber with stronger steel arches and beams, creating a rigid, rounded shape to the tunnels.