flydash8
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Exploration Traverse Bolting – Abandoned Copper Mine
This 600+ foot long narrow Stope was mined out the full accessible 180 feet depth however the bottom 30 feet is flooded due to a collapse in the drainage adit. In the middle is the remains of a tramming level. The top has a rotten wooden 1800’s walkway containing many a gap interspersed with a few welcome rock bridges. In the 80’s, explorers with legs of iron and nerves of steel navigated this level wearing boots with a magnetic attraction to mushy rock. They life-lined their way to the far end describing the enterprise as ‘extremely dangerous’, the reward being the discovery of an extensive area of impressive blue mineral flows.
A number of CNCC workshops hosted by a chirpy Training Officer gave confidence about the strength of differing types of fixings plus knowledge on ideal placements for a traverse line. It was outlined that a line needs to run along one side of a passage at a certain height so the missus can use it without complaint. Armed with this data, a bucket of krabs, a couple of drums of rope, a few kg of through bolts and hangars, bolting kit + egg butties, we ventured into this almost never-visited time capsule. The mine was found to be in a pristine state of decay with formations and mineral flows peacefully developing undisturbed in the serene inky blackness.
The stope varied in width with sporadic ledges but usually on the wrong side (the overhang side). Some timbers could be used for balance but any purchase gleaned from anything was a bonus. Rock was either hard metamorphic ‘hornfels’ or rotten mush which was hacked off in the hope there was something better underneath. Through bolts pre-armed with a hanger were smacked in without delay on what was a sawtooth waveform journey of fear and excitement. The closer the bolts were placed, the more exposed the scenario with the least number of footings. The line went wherever a placement could be made – crossing the stope at times creating a snag-hazard which went against the ideal.
Fixings and krabs soon ran out so we had to keep buying stuff – downgrading to 7mm maillons which were cheap and cheerful. Following one visit, the eyelet on the not-for-purpose tackle bag ripped out whilst hauling meaning we lost the drill, batteries, and spare team underpants down the entrance shaft. In our absence between trips, a certain character got wind of our investment, choosing to abseil uninvited into the project. A timber unsurprisingly gave way under their weight leaving them dangling alone 150 feet above water between two spaced out bolts deep inside the darkness. The traverse handline arrested their fall saving the opportunistic grabber from a somewhat dramatic ending.
Armed with a new drill, new bags and more kit, we reached the end of the traverse with progress halted by a collapse. This was eventually dug through creating a temporary squirm hole which led to a precarious blue rock arch of death then on into the wonderful world of vivid blue. Thankfully there was a natural welly washing section before entering the Blue Stope as places like this are not pristine for long if not managed carefully. On the final visit, the dig had caved in entombing the blue zone once again. The traverse was de-rigged with fixings either levered out or tapped flush for safety as not tested or stainless. The rope had swollen due to water so was challenging removing maillons - this wouldn’t have been an issue if we had had more karabiners!
> Makita drills are durable and can be fixed
> M7 Maillons can be restrictive when derigging
> Screwfix M10 Throughbolts work a treat for exploration bolting
> Warmbac 125m Bags are better for hauling than a cheap crappy bag
> Explore rigging can be unknowingly drop-tested for free by live crash-test dummies if you know which dark gossipy corner of the mine explore ‘community’ to whisper secret project updates into: ‘hush hush and all that, don’t tell anyone!’.
We learned!
This 600+ foot long narrow Stope was mined out the full accessible 180 feet depth however the bottom 30 feet is flooded due to a collapse in the drainage adit. In the middle is the remains of a tramming level. The top has a rotten wooden 1800’s walkway containing many a gap interspersed with a few welcome rock bridges. In the 80’s, explorers with legs of iron and nerves of steel navigated this level wearing boots with a magnetic attraction to mushy rock. They life-lined their way to the far end describing the enterprise as ‘extremely dangerous’, the reward being the discovery of an extensive area of impressive blue mineral flows.
A number of CNCC workshops hosted by a chirpy Training Officer gave confidence about the strength of differing types of fixings plus knowledge on ideal placements for a traverse line. It was outlined that a line needs to run along one side of a passage at a certain height so the missus can use it without complaint. Armed with this data, a bucket of krabs, a couple of drums of rope, a few kg of through bolts and hangars, bolting kit + egg butties, we ventured into this almost never-visited time capsule. The mine was found to be in a pristine state of decay with formations and mineral flows peacefully developing undisturbed in the serene inky blackness.
The stope varied in width with sporadic ledges but usually on the wrong side (the overhang side). Some timbers could be used for balance but any purchase gleaned from anything was a bonus. Rock was either hard metamorphic ‘hornfels’ or rotten mush which was hacked off in the hope there was something better underneath. Through bolts pre-armed with a hanger were smacked in without delay on what was a sawtooth waveform journey of fear and excitement. The closer the bolts were placed, the more exposed the scenario with the least number of footings. The line went wherever a placement could be made – crossing the stope at times creating a snag-hazard which went against the ideal.
Fixings and krabs soon ran out so we had to keep buying stuff – downgrading to 7mm maillons which were cheap and cheerful. Following one visit, the eyelet on the not-for-purpose tackle bag ripped out whilst hauling meaning we lost the drill, batteries, and spare team underpants down the entrance shaft. In our absence between trips, a certain character got wind of our investment, choosing to abseil uninvited into the project. A timber unsurprisingly gave way under their weight leaving them dangling alone 150 feet above water between two spaced out bolts deep inside the darkness. The traverse handline arrested their fall saving the opportunistic grabber from a somewhat dramatic ending.
Armed with a new drill, new bags and more kit, we reached the end of the traverse with progress halted by a collapse. This was eventually dug through creating a temporary squirm hole which led to a precarious blue rock arch of death then on into the wonderful world of vivid blue. Thankfully there was a natural welly washing section before entering the Blue Stope as places like this are not pristine for long if not managed carefully. On the final visit, the dig had caved in entombing the blue zone once again. The traverse was de-rigged with fixings either levered out or tapped flush for safety as not tested or stainless. The rope had swollen due to water so was challenging removing maillons - this wouldn’t have been an issue if we had had more karabiners!
Before exiting, the lower tramming level was visited which connected to the entrance shaft where the somewhat crunchy drill bag was found. Back at base, the batteries took a charge after drying out. A local repair centre fixed the drill by replacing the fractured casing.
Lessons Learned:
> Blue Mine Pearls exist
> Explorers were ‘courageous’ in the 80’sLessons Learned:
> Blue Mine Pearls exist
> Makita drills are durable and can be fixed
> M7 Maillons can be restrictive when derigging
> Screwfix M10 Throughbolts work a treat for exploration bolting
> Warmbac 125m Bags are better for hauling than a cheap crappy bag
> Explore rigging can be unknowingly drop-tested for free by live crash-test dummies if you know which dark gossipy corner of the mine explore ‘community’ to whisper secret project updates into: ‘hush hush and all that, don’t tell anyone!’.
We learned!
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