EACH SITE POSES ITS OWN UNIQUE SET OF ADDITIONAL RISKS THAT MAY VARY OVER TIME, including:
Abandoned mines can serve as natural dens or havens for bears and mountain lions, but especially rattlesnakes.
Abandoned surface structures, buildings, and equipment also provide shelter and concealment for rattlesnakes and other creatures, in addition to being unstable and prone to collapse.
Mines can also house bats and other rodents. Although they are physically harmless and ecologically valuable, they can startle and create a panic response, and their droppings can carry disease. Deer mice droppings in the Southwest are known to carry the often deadly hantavirus.
Radon gas can accumulate in high concentrations in mines; It is a natural radioactive decay product that is known to be a factor in some lung cancers.
High levels of hazardous alpha and gamma radiation occur in and around uranium mines and uranium ore tailings (waste rock) (see photo, below).
High levels of alpha and gamma radiation can also be found in association with many other types of mines as well. A variety of radioactive elements occur naturally in highly mineralized areas and can become concentrated in mines.
Chemicals and stockpiled waste rock may contaminate soils and water with cyanide, lead, arsenic, mercury, and other elements highly toxic to humans. Within a mine, such heavy metals may be incorporated in the dust and particulates you are breathing.
Impounded water may appear attractive to drink or swim in; however, such water is likely to be highly acidic or highly alkaline, as well as very deep and cold. Many people have drowned in abandoned open pits that have filled with water. Their systems go into shock before they can respond to the cold or other conditions. Steep walls may also hinder their escape. Imagine similar conditions deep within a mine.
Unfortuanately, due to vandalism, even mines with a known history of safety hazards cannot easily be isolated from the public. Warning signs are commonly removed, fenced enclosures are torn down, and even steel gratings are torn away to gain access. There may be little left to alert the next visitor to the waiting danger.
Finally, as one would expect, mines deteriorate and hazards increase with time. It is not unusual for an abandoned mine that has been entered many times to suddenly and unexpectedly turn deadly.
Still thinking about that gold?
