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Course Outline

Abandoned Mine Shaft

Pennsylvania is home to approximately 250,000 acres of abandoned mine lands as a result of decades of unregulated mining.

  • Abandoned mine openings may be unmarked or unprotected at the surface and can be hundreds of feet deep.
  • Openings covered by decaying material may give way under the slightest weight.
  • Unmarked mine shafts and tunnels can be hundreds of feet deep and will swallow you without a trace.
  • Unstable cliffs, water-filled pits, old explosives, and abandoned buildings all add to the danger.
  • To report the location of an abandoned mine or quarry, please contact Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Mine Safety at:
    Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
    Department of Environmental Protection
    Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation
    P.O. Box 69205
    Harrisburg, PA 17106-9205
    717-783-7442
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