Derby Underground Mine Finale

Panoramic view of roof fall

I promise this will be the last post on the Derby Mine (at least for a while). We are about to move out to New Mexico for work, so I don't anticipate getting back to Derby any time soon. This time, our main goal was to completely map the accessible underground workings.

Floating haul truck tire

Using a laser measuring device, I was able to determine that both rooms and pillars average 35-40ft across, while the back is around 18ft tall. The relatively shallow depth of the Derby mine eliminates the requirement for colossal pillars to support the column of rock above the mine. The extraction ratio at Derby was probably near to 75%, which is quite excellent.

Truck used to transport explosives

This truck looks to have been parked for quite some time.

Mostly-blind mine turtle

The Derby Mine has a decent population of frogs and turtles. The turtles seem to be mostly blind from living underground for generations.

The worst roof fall I've ever seen

Reports indicate that the Derby Mine shut down around 1983 after a serious roof fall. I believe this may be the roof fall in question, but it's very possible that more falls exist in the flooded portion of the mine. Fortunately, no injuries or loss of life resulted from this roof fall - based on the muckpile in the back of this heading, I think the roof came down about the same time as the heading was shot.

Map of Accessible Underground Workings - Derby Underground Mine

There is doubtlessly more to the Derby mine than we could access. A raft or small boat is needed to access the flooded workings.