Monday 26 September 2016

Cave-in at Polish copper-mine kills two.

Two miners have died and another was seriously injured following a cave-in at the Polkowice-Sieroszowice Copper Mine in Lower Silesia Province, Poland, on Friday 23 September 2016. The cause of the incident at the KGHM Polska Miedz SA owned mine is not yet clear.

Workers at the Polkowice-Sieroszowice Copper Mine. KGHM Polska Miedz SA.

The Polkowice-Sieroszowice Mine targets metal-rich shale (clay) beds within a carbonate (limestone) dominated rock sequence. These shale beds are rich in copper and silver, being roughly 2.3% copper and 62 parts per million silver (this sounds like a small amount of silver, but it makes the Polkowice-Sieroszowice Mine the world's second most productive silver mine in the world). The mine also produced significant amounts of rock salt from different desposits. The mine has been operating since 1962, but questions have been raised about the safety of the mine this year following a series of incidents and fatalities, with this week's accident brining the number of deaths at this mine to six this year.

See also...

http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/rescue-operation-ongoing-at-riesending.htmlRescue operation ongoing at Riesending Cave, near Berchtesgaden in the German Alps.                                                               A rescue operation is underway at Riesending Cave, near...
http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/three-workers-killed-by-gas-at-german.htmlThree workers killed by gas at German potash mine.                                               Three workers have died and another four needed to be rescued after a controlled explosion at a Kali & Salz (K+S) GmbH operated mine near Unterbreizbach in Thuringia at about 1.10 pm local time (about 11.10 am GMT) on Tuesday 1 October 2013, which released an undetected pocket of gas, creating a larger...

http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/polish-miners-rescued-after-earthquake.htmlPolish miners rescued after Earthquake.      On Tuesday 19 March 2013, slightly before 9.10 pm GMT (slightly before 10.10 pm local time) the Lower Silesia Region of southwest Poland was struck by a magnitude 4.7 Earthquake at a depth of 3.7 km, close to the town of Lubin, which was felt as far away... 
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