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Casting call for new movie at Soudan mine
This Saturday, July 26, producers of the new movie “Sdanka’s War” will be holding an open casting call at the Soudan Underground Mine State Park on Northern Minnesota’s Iron Range. You need to be there by 7 a.m. The Duluth-based production by LZ Productions and Almighty Dog Entertainment is seeking “20 or more guys dressed in plain tees,…
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Vermilion Range Old Settlers Picnic this Saturday
After talking about the Cuyuna Iron Range yesterday, we have to spend a little time talking about the Vermilion as well. I was just up there last month with my Great Northern Radio Show, and am happy to pass along word that the Vermilion Range Old Settlers Picnic will be held this Saturday, July 19…
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To the Nether and back
Summer vacation is well underway, and not more than a few days into the annual ritual the boys had trod well-worn digital paths across the pretend universe of the video game Minecraft. They are obsessed with finding virtual ore to make tools, houses and various contraptions. Though the geology of Minecraft is a bit suspect…
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Physicists who inspired Soudan lab win Nobel Prize
The scientists who first theorized about the Higgs boson particle, the so-called (usually by non-physicists) “God Particle,” will share this year’s Nobel Prize for Physics. Normally that’s not something you’d see touted here on this unusual regional website, but it so happens that there is a sophisticated laboratory located deep beneath the Iron Range at…
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Ain’t no party like a Range nerd party cause a Range nerd party don’t (PUNCH) (BLEEDING)
How did I miss this? On July 17, Northland’s Newscenter reported on the fact that Popular Science named the Soudan Underground Mine as its top travel destination for nerds. (Attention media nerds, Northland’s Newscenter is a conglomeration of several formerly autonomous TV network affiliates in the Duluth, MN market). Feast your eyes on the story:…
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Unique story of underground mine radio show in Iowa
Photo / Martin Marietta Materials A longtime reader from Iowa, Fred Borgen, shared this story of a radio broadcast from an underground mine located under, of all places, the cornfields of his home state. I hadn’t heard about any mines in Iowa until this, and now I’m deeply upset that I haven’t done a radio…
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Soudan underground mine reopens after last year’s fire
A year after the frightening underground fire that threatened both an important historical state park and a multi-million dollar physics research laboratory, the Soudan Underground Mine has reopened for tours. Related posts: No related posts.
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Officials: Maintenance work spark caused Soudan mine fire
A spark from maintenance work that left a smoldering ember on old timbers has been identified as the cause of the fire at the Soudan Underground Mine state park. It appears unlikely that the mine will open for tours this summer. There was no damage at the advanced physics laboratory located deep within the mine.…
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Work ahead, but also optimism after Soudan Mine fire
With the Soudan Underground Mine fire finally stopped, officials are now able to show optimism over the mine’s ability to re-open as a state park and advanced physics research facility. A story by Janna Goerdt from today’s Duluth News Tribune is a useful look at the fire, how it was put out and what will…
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Soudan mine shaft fire out, power restored to pumps
Some good news from the state DNR and others fighting the fire deep in the the Soudan Underground Mine. A crew was sent into the mine today and was able to restore power and confirm that there were no more flames amid the water and fire suppressing foam. Pumps that had been shut down are…
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DNR fights fire, time in underground blaze at Soudan mine
The DNR reports that fire fighters are making significant progress in its battle against the fire at the Soudan Underground Mine State Park. The advanced physics laboratory at the 27th level, just below the fire at the 23rd-25th levels, is still OK. The fire might still be burning, however, and more work and danger lies…
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In northern Minn., Soudan mine fire menaces underground science lab
The uncontrolled fire deep in the Soudan Underground Mine now threatens the advanced $60 million scientific MINOS laboratory two levels below the fire, reports WDIO. It’s not the fire, but the water collecting at the bottom of the mine that poses a risk. Pumps that normally keep the mine dry are without power. In 1-2…
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Reports of fire at historic Soudan Underground Mine
I’m trying to find details, but the Mesabi Daiy News is reporting a fire between the 23rd and 25th levels of the Soudan Underground Mine burning since yesterday. UPDATE: A press release from the DNR: Fire underway in mine shaft at Soudan Underground Mine State Park Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Minnesota…
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Understanding the (parameters of the discussion of the) true nature of the universe, featuring dark matter Powerpoint
Fans of this blog know that I’m a sucker for underground mines and dark matter. It’s like peanut butter and chocolate. Here’s the press release for an upcoming event related to both at the Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm. Get to the bottom of Soudan lab experiments On Wednesday, July 21 and Thursday, August 5,…
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Watch for smoke monsters
Read more about the new underground physics lab near the Iron Range. Between this place and the existing lab in the Soudan underground mine this scientific project is just vaguely starting to remind me of the Darma Initiative from “Lost.” I guess that makes me a “hostile.” Or an “other?” Where’s John Locke when you…