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| Copper ore. Photo by Jasper. |
The Britannia Mine, on Howe Sound just north of Vancouver, BC closed in 1974 after 70 years as a huge copper mining operation. Now it's a pretty cool museum. We started with a ride through one of the mine tunnels, where we stopped so our guide could demonstrate some of the drills they actually used. They were LOUD! Then we went outside where she blew the horn that signaled the end of shifts, etc. It was one of the loudest sounds we've ever heard! She also demonstrated the technique they used to extract the copper. First they would pulverize the rocks. Then they would add a chemical that would mix with the copper and make it hydrophobic (repelled by water). After that, they would introduce soap bubbles, and the copper would cling to the bubbles and separate from the rest of the minerals. This is called froth flotation and is still used today. In addition to the mine tour, there is a great little museum with historical displays, a theater that plays a short historical film, and a big gold panning area. Everyone is invited to try out real gold panning equipment and learn how to use it. Jasper thought this was pretty cool!
There are 210km of mining tunnels here, and when it rains, water and oxygen react with the metals to create a strongly acidic compound that was pouring into Howe Sound and killing all life in the water. According to their website, "When two pennies worth of copper are dissolved in a swimming pool, it becomes toxic to marine life. That said, the mine was pumping out the equivalent of 69 pennies worth of copper plus 20,800 pop cans worth of vinegar every minute." There has since been a drastic cleanup, and the acid and metals are completely removed from the water that drains from the mine before it flows into Howe Sound. Life is beginning to return. The story of their environmental challenge is a big part of the story of the mine and is definitely emphasized here.
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| In the mine tunnel. |
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| One of the machines used to remove rocks from the mine. |
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The "honey bucket", a portable toilet, which the kids naturally thought was
totally hilarious. |
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| A vast collection of core samples. |
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| Demonstrating froth flotation. |
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| Panning for gold. |
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| Found some! (Fool's gold, at least...) |
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