80,000-lb Blast at Central Nevada Gold Mine
Channel: John Louie
Date: 22/02/2011

You're standing at the edge of a pit 1500 feet deep and a mile across. Wait until about 27 seconds in, and look on the left for the big one! Three mining blasts at Barrick's GoldStrike gold mine northeast of Battle Mountain, Nevada, May 22, 2002. The third, at the left edge of the frame, is the largest at 80,000 lbs of ANFO in 100-ft shot holes. It causes a landslide into the pit. Such blasts are a daily part of regular mining operations for production of disseminated Carlin-type gold deposits. The blast was equivalent to a magnitude 3.5 earthquake, and this blast was monitored by sensitive recorders 400 km away.