24 AUGUST 2025 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Mine Shaft Overhaul Completed Adapted from Information by the Sanford Underground Research Facility Once America’s deepest gold mine, the Homestake Gold Mine in South Dakota became the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) and America’s Underground Lab. This high-tech facility is used to conduct experiments in biology, geothermal energy, engineering, and physics - including the world’s leading dark matter detector, LUX-ZEPLIN, and the massive Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). Experiments are conducted inside a massive structure consisting of 370 miles of tunnels and shafts from its gold mine days. To reach the main laboratory 4850 feet below the surface, workers use the World War II era Yates Shaft lined completely with a complex system of timber-framed wood beams. Since the Yates Shaft was initially constructed during a time when the country needed steel, the mine used timbers to support the walls of the structure, rather than steel. After more than 70 years of use, it was time to replace the timbers. “The hardest part was definitely at the beginning; we had to figure out how to approach this whole thing,” said Will Hover, Infrastructure Technician at SURF. “There aren't a lot of people even left alive that have worked timber inside a mine shaft like this. We had to learn for ourselves how to rebuild it from the top down.” While replacing the large timbers, the workers were amazed at the work the original miners did, by hand, to complete the timber-lined shaft so many years ago. Crews encountered areas of instability of the rock wall behind the timber-framed shaft. In fact, large boulders had broke off the shaft wall and were pressed against the timbers in some locations. In the end, the crews managed to build a one-mile timber-framed structure underground in a mine shaft - replacing or adding rock bolts and steel mesh along the shaft walls from the top to the bottom of the shaft. “The incredible work of this team, who spent the past three and a half years refurbishing the timber in this shaft, is a testament to their own perseverance and grit, and an extension of the long history and deep skill sets that made America’s Underground Lab possible. I’m so proud of our Yates team in reaching this milestone with strong safety performance,” said Mike Headley, Executive Director of the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority and Laboratory Director at SURF. This location has a lot of sentimental value to its workers, as several current employees have deep family connections with the facility. Russ Bauer, leader of one of the four-person crews working on the project for the past two years said, “My grandpa was a hoist operator. My dad was a hoist operator who just retired, and I got a couple uncles that are still hoist operators up here. I'm incredibly proud of my family history on this site.” Hover is equally proud of his family’s connection to the historic site. “My grandfather was a miner, my dad was a motorman for the mine, and then he was the head of the emergency response team here at SURF until he retired a couple years ago. Getting to see and experience this whole facility, where two generations of my family have dug into the Black Hills, is awesome,” he said. Some of the experiments being conducted at SURF could last for decades, so it’s possible Hover, Bauer, and others at SURF could see their own children take up the work where they leave off. “I grew up in the mining community and been around mining all my life. So, when someone asks what I do inside this shaft all day, I pretty much just tell them, we're mining for science,” Hover explained. SURF is planning to reline the Yates Shaft with steel, in a similar overhaul completed on the Ross Shaft, in the ramp up to the DUNE project. Regardless of the composition of the shafts, the maintenance required to keep them safe and operational will keep crews of workers gainfully employed at SURF for decades to come. Four crews, consisting of a total of 16 technicians, alongside two logistics coordinators, three superintendents, and eight hoist operators, completed the work to the highest standards while prioritizing safety. MIN For more information call: (270) 786-3010 or visit us online: www.geothermalsupply.com All New! Atlantis-Pro Vault • Traffic-Rated Capable • Simple installation • Trouble-free operation Dealmakers Sam and Ethan from Connelly & Associates in Frederick, Maryland, took delivery of their new Recon from Acker Drill Company in South Abington Twp, Pennsylvania. They spent the day with Acker’s Joe Winans, learning about the drill and testing out its performance by drilling at the facility. Acker Drill Company Send your deals to: michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com
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