Old, unstable mines dotting large swaths of Pennsylvania and many other states have the potential to cause the earth to suddenly give way, a process known as mine subsidence, endangering both people and property.
Searchers in Westmoreland County, which is located just southeast of Pittsburgh, believe that’s what caused 64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard to vanish. On Monday night, Pollard and a young granddaughter were searching for a missing cat. Around the same time, a sinkhole emerged in an area above an old coal mine, around 20 feet (6 meters) from where she had parked her car. Hours later, the granddaughter was discovered safely inside the vehicle, but Pollard is still being sought in a challenging and possibly hazardous search.
In places in the United States where mining used to occur, mine subsidence has resulted in damage worth billions of dollars. Coal was mined in about half of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties alone, and at least 5,000 underground mines have been abandoned, leaving behind dangers that authorities fear could occur at any time.
According to the state Department of Environmental Protection, the H.C. Frick Coke Co. last ran the Marguerite Mine, which is thought to have caused the sinkhole, in 1952. The area’s coal seam is located roughly 20 feet (6 meters) below the surface.
After the search is over, the state Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation will inspect the area to determine whether mine subsidence was the source of the sinkhole, according to spokeswoman Neil Shader.
The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration estimates that there are up to 500,000 abandoned mines in the United States, significantly more than those that are still in operation.
When coal or precious metal mines were unprofitable to operate, their owners frequently just left and filed for bankruptcy, leaving behind expensive pollution cleanups and safety risks that must be handled by public agencies.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, between 2000 and 2013, 381 individuals were killed and 152 injured at abandoned mining sites around the country, highlighting the numerous risks associated with old mines.
Many old coal mines contain dangerous gases that can cause victims to perish, fall into buried shafts, or become lost in underground passageways. Mine shafts are frequently unmarked and can reach hundreds of feet below the surface.
Numerous historic mines have been sealed off by state and federal agencies. However, authorities have not yet carried out basic risk assessments on the majority of the abandoned mines on federal land, and more are found every year.
In addition to the safety risks, contaminated mine sites release millions of gallons of untreated water every day that is tainted with lead, arsenic, and other harmful elements.
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Brown reported from Billings, Montana, while Rubinkam reported from northeastern Pennsylvania.
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