What do you think of the mine owner in Utah?

Question

INSISTING that an earthquake caused the collapse of the mine when siesmotologists say that there was no quake at all? Did they missed a quake in their readings?

Answer 1

I'm fascinated by his claim that he knows more about earthquakes than whole teams of seismologists. His mine is geologically unstable, which caused the collapse and is complicating the rescue/salvage mission. I don't know for sure that this instability was caused by irresponsible mining practices, but his claim that the collapse was caused by an earthquake is becoming more and more irrelevant. Also, he claims that no retreat mining took place, even though his contractors filed a permit request for retreat mining; he's either negligent or a liar, and I'm not even sure which is worse. He did eventually concede that retreat mining took place in the past.

Answer 2

It seems doubtful that seismic activity was responsible for the collapse of the mine. The miniscule amount of seismic activity was more than likely due to the structural failure of the mine. In general, the practice is probably fairly "safe" from a structural and geological engineering perspective as this sort of catastrophic event occurs quite rarely.

Remember.... the mine owner will very likely be held financially responsible for the collapse by state and federal agencies along with more than likely punitive damages above and beyond the life insurance from the families of the deceased miners. It's difficult to assess exactly "how" much he cares about his employees safety when the cameras aren't rolling. Drilling the 2nd 7 and 5/8" hole is more than likely more of a show than a practical measure as the miners won't be alive after 4-5 days without water. Each hole costs him possible 2-3 million dollars (maybe more depending on the rig move to inaccessible locations.) I think at this point that atleast this part of the recovery operation is to avoid collateral damage after an in depth operation is conducted.

This guy is one of the largest mine operators in the U.S., and I'm assuming he is very aware of how public relations could have a significant impact regarding the scrutiny of his practices into the future. I doubt he will ever fully admit that the collapse was due to mechanical failure despite the fact that seismologists are ridiculously more qualified (and accurate) to make this assessment.

Answer 3

I think its one part him knocking it out to the cheap seats, one part him knowing more about working underground than a lot of us ever will.

I'm sure this guy has had slot of successes in mining and has overcome lots of challenges, giving him tons of confidence. He probably can't fathom that one of his mines could have had something like this happen to it as a result of his decisions.

He's also very aware that the cameras are on and he has his business to think about. There will be litigation later and he is not about to admit that he did anything at fault. He knows that he has a better chance in court letting lawyers argue it out.