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Mine Safety and Health Administration
Protecting Miners' Safety and Health Since 1978
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Digitize Old Mine Maps
Effort to
  Digitize Abandoned Mine Maps


The problem with abandoned mines was highlighted as a result of the Quecreek accident in July of 2002, when nine miners were trapped underground for four days. Shortly after the Quecreek accident, MSHA held a symposium to make all stakeholders aware of problems with abandoned mines. We created a Public Service Announcement (PSA) which we distributed to television stations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Virginia asking for the public to share old mine maps with us.

Recently, MSHA granted almost $4,000,000 to mining states for the collection, electronic scanning, georeferencing of mine maps to adjacent mines, electronic sharing of mapping, and archiving of original maps.

We are asking anyone who has an old mine map to call us toll free at 1-888-753-9427 and we will send an agency official will pick up the map, copy it, and return the original to you. We will give copies to the appropriate states where the mines are located. If you need access to these maps or the final digitized maps, please contact that state’s mining agency.

Your effort may save a life.
Maps will be returned!



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Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)
1100 Wilson Boulevard, 21st Floor
Arlington, VA 22209-3939
Phone:    (202) 693-9400
Fax-on-demand: (202) 693-9401
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