Blast to the future: Subterranean lab digs further into Black Hills, particle physics

Excavation begins on new drift toward two new research caverns

Casey Peterson, (left) board chair of the SDSTA, is assisted by Cody Cruea, with Thyssen Mining, in touching off the first blast for the Phase A excavation of the SURF Expansion. Thyssen Mining is the contractor conducting the work on this portion of the expansion.  (Matthew Kapust / SURF)

South Dakota won’t soon be relinquishing its distinction as a leading site for some of the world’s most advanced scientific research.

That’s the intent, anyway, as crews at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead blast their way toward new laboratory caverns expected to keep the mine operating for decades to come.

SURF, where the study of dark matter and neutrino particulars has helped advance human understanding of the world since 2004, conducted the first underground explosions last week required as part of a $200 million expansion project that will see two new research caverns created at the complex miles underground.

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