Havasu Creek

Travis Chiotti puts a brass tag bearing his name on a hook on the “in” board before heading 1,400 feet down-shaft. It’s a pair — the other tag goes in his pocket. Just in case. Helmet, headlamp, heavy steel-toed rubber boots, emergency respirator. (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:11095963150525286,size:[0, 0],id:”ld-2426-4417″});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src=”//cdn2.lockerdomecdn.com/_js/ajs.js”;j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,”script”,”ld-ajs”); Check. Mining is hard work. Simply moving around is…

To critics, the mine poses too much of a risk. To the company, that claim is unsubstantiated.  Amber Reimondo, energy director for the Grand Canyon Trust, said the risk of uranium and other minerals migrating out of the mine after mining is completed is too great and too uncertain to allow further mining operations. (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:11095963150525286,size:[0, 0],id:”ld-2426-4417″});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var…

Unlike strip mines, the Pinyon Plain mine’s surface impact is only 14 acres. The geological formation containing the uranium ore body, called a “breccia pipe,” is about 250 feet in diameter and extends vertically down some 3,000 feet. To mine the ore, a vertical shaft was drilled and blasted down into the rock to the…