CORESafety Warning: 
It’s important to always avoid abandoned mine sites.

Mine sites that are unused or abandoned can present many dangers to anyone who encounters those sites on purpose or by accident.

In the United States, there are approximately 14,000 active mines and about 500,000 abandoned mines. These can be found in every state, which increases the likelihood of someone finding a mine that has been shuttered or is no longer in operation.

Stay Out, Stay Alive is a nationwide public awareness campaign to educate children and adults about the hazards of exploring and playing at active and abandoned mine sites. 

The initiative’s primary mission is to remind everyone what to do when encountering an active or abandoned mine site —

STAY OUT – STAY ALIVE.

Each year, these mine sites pose serious risks to explorers, hikers and off-roaders who are untrained and unfamiliar with the area. There have been numerous incidents of people getting injured or killed while exploring, swimming or playing on a mine property. This includes mine sites like quarries, tunnels and pits.

EXAMPLES OF HAZARDS AT ACTIVE AND ABANDONED MINES:

Explosives and Chemicals

Active and abandoned mines may be housing explosives. These materials can become unstable overtime and explode spontaneously. Explosive housing containers can also leak toxic chemicals.

Underground Tunnels

Many mines contain miles of underground tunnels. Without proper lighting, people can easily become lost and disoriented while inside. Even maps that are made available to the public can be outdated.

Open Pit Quarries and Highwalls

Quarries and pits that are filled with water can sometimes hide rock ledges, machinery, electrical currents and other hazards. The water may look refreshing, but can be deceptively deep and dangerously cold. Steep, slippery walls can make it difficult or even impossible to get out of the water.

Gases and Lack of Oxygen

There are thousands of gas wells that penetrate coal seams at active and abandoned mines. If someone hits or intersects with one of these wells, it could quickly fill that section of the mine with methane, carbon dioxide and other deadly gases. These gases can displace oxygen without you knowing it, causing suffocation.

Decayed Support and Unstable Rock

In a mine tunnel, roof and rib frameworks can decay over time and create fractures. This weakens the support from unstable rocks and can cause the tunnel to collapse.

Open Shafts

Many vertical shafts can be hundreds of feet deep and completely unprotected or hidden by vegetation, mine debris, dirt, rocks and water. It can be extremely dangerous to walk in areas where you might not see any indication of a shaft until it is too late.

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