One Hundred Years of Federal Mining Safety and Health Research

at the schools, establishing mutually beneficial arrangements to both the government and the
universities.
The major activities of the Bureau in the mid-1960s were:
1. Research into the extraction, processing, and utilization of minerals, minerals fuels, and
metals; and the safe use of explosives.
2. Development and conservation of minerals and fuel raw material resources.
3. Health and safety of persons engaged in the minerals industries.
4. Production and distribution of helium.
5. Special federal mineral industry programs, such as anthracite mine drainage and control
of fires in inactive coal deposits.
Unlike many other federal research agencies, the Bureau’s research programs were accomplished
almost entirely in-house rather than by contracts or grants. In 1965, the Bureau had offices in 28
states and the District of Columbia.
4.3 USBM Research Laboratories in the 1960s
Most USBM research in the 1960s was focused on the efficient extraction, processing, and
utilization of minerals and mineral fuels. Research primarily related to miner safety and health
was performed at only a few labs, as described below.
4.3.1 Denver Mining Research Center, Denver, CO
This center performed basic and applied research on ground stabilization and control in mining,
and the utilization of high-speed computers for the development of total mining systems. The
Denver center maintained a close liaison with the Colorado School of Mines, located about six
miles away.
4.3.2 Applied Physics Research Laboratory (Mining), College Park, MD
This lab specialized in theoretical laboratory and field studies on the behavior of rock formations
under redistribution of stresses caused by mining, and also studies of stresses and rock breakage
effects of blasting operations. This laboratory was closed in 1965 with the personnel and
research transferred to Denver and Minneapolis.
4.3.3 Minneapolis Mining Research Center, Minneapolis, MN
This center performed mining research studies of rock penetration and fragmentation, including
basic research in rock and mineral structures and their bonding systems.
4.3.4 Reno Mining Research Laboratory, Reno, NV
This lab undertook investigations into mining technology related to open-pit slope stability. The
mining research and staff were transferred from Reno to Denver in 1966.
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