Gallery: Venture Into a Surreal Salt Mine 2,000 Feet Below Lake Erie

  • Image may contain Light Flare and Road
    Ricky Rhodes
    01

    MortonSaltMine-RickyRhodes-001.jpg

    The mine's main work site sits three miles out beneath Lake Erie. To get there, workers ride gas-powered golf carts down a long, dark tunnel.
  • This image may contain Mining
    Ricky Rhodes
    02

    MortonSaltMine-RickyRhodes-002.jpg

    A vein off the main corridor of the Morton salt mine in Fairport Harbor, Ohio.
  • Image may contain Human Person Nature and Cave
    Ricky Rhodes
    03

    MortonSaltMine-RickyRhodes-003.jpg

    Workers stand in a vein that will soon be mined at Morton Salt's mine in Fairport Harbor, Ohio.
  • Image may contain Wheel Machine Tire Transportation Vehicle Mining and Spoke
    Ricky Rhodes
    04

    MortonSaltMine-RickyRhodes-005.jpg

    Front loaders carry chunks of salt to a feeder machine that crushes them into finer pieces.
  • This image may contain Mining Transportation Vehicle Train and Flooring
    Ricky Rhodes
    05

    MortonSaltMine-RickyRhodes-006.jpg

    A continuous mining machine in the Morton Salt Mine in Fairport Harbor, Ohio. The company is discontinuing the process of continuous mining.
  • Image may contain Nature and Outdoors
    Ricky Rhodes
    06

    MortonSaltMine-RickyRhodes-007.jpg

    A tunnel inside the Morton Salt Mine in Fairport Harbor, Ohio.
  • Image may contain Slope Nature Outdoors Mountain Snow and Ice
    Ricky Rhodes
    07

    MortonSaltMine-RickyRhodes-008.jpg

    A front end loader hauls road salt that has been dyed blue. The salt is stored in the open air before it's loaded into freighters and shipped.
  • Image may contain Mountain Outdoors Nature Ice Glacier and Snow
    Ricky Rhodes
    08

    MortonSaltMine-RickyRhodes-009.jpg

    Dyed blue road salt.
  • Image may contain Nature Outdoors and Snow
    Ricky Rhodes
    09

    MortonSaltMine-RickyRhodes-011.jpg

    Road salt is stored in piles above ground at the Morton Salt Mine in Fairport Harbor, Ohio.
Read More
Wrongful Arrest Exposes Failures in One of the Oldest Police Face-Recognition Tools in the US
The ACLU is suing two Florida police departments over the arrest of a Fort Myers man in a child-abduction case, saying officers treated a flawed face recognition match as a near-certain ID.
Dell Cameron
China Opens World’s First Wind-Powered Underwater Data Center
With an initial capacity of 24 megawatts, the innovative data center uses seawater as a natural cooling system.
Fernanda González
These Are the Best $400 Digital Notebooks
The newest Kindle Scribe means there are now three digital notebooks you can buy in the $400 price range. Here’s which one you should get.
Nena Farrell
The Best Kindles to Take Your Library Anywhere
I’ve tried every single Kindle. Here’s how Amazon’s ebook readers stack up.
Nena Farrell
Get the Most Out of Your iPad With These Accessories
Kit out your Apple tablet with our favorite stands, cases, keyboards, and styli.
Julian Chokkattu
Finally, Some Affordable Laptops That Won’t Fail You in College
Laptops for college should be portable, offer long battery life, and remain reasonably affordable. Based on testing hundreds of laptops, these are my top picks.
Luke Larsen
This World Cup, You Can Watch the Game From a Ref’s Point of View
Referees for the 2026 World Cup will be wearing cameras positioned at their temples, allowing TV audiences to see a live view of the pitch from a vantage point they never have before.
Ben Dowsett
The Other Major Soccer Event of 2026? The Shake-Up in the World of Video Games
The 48-team World Cup is not the only historic soccer event this year. Four titans are vying for control of video game soccer in the fiercest battle the industry has ever seen.
Javier Rodríguez
How to Watch the 2026 World Cup
The games start June 11 and end with a grand finale in New Jersey on July 19. There are 104 of them. Here’s how to watch ’em all.
Boone Ashworth
Amnesty International Warns That World Cup Fans Face Potential Human Rights Violations
The organization claims that the FIFA tournament could have impacts on the rights of local people and visiting soccer fans in all three host countries.
Fernanda González
Artificial Intelligence Sneaks Into the World Cup Thanks to Google Gemini
The Argentine national team will be Google’s test bench and technological showcase during the World Cup.
Rosa Jiménez Cano
The World Cup’s Trionda Ball Challenges Traditional Aerodynamics
According to new research, Trionda would show less unpredictable movements in actions such as corner kicks or free kicks. However, in powerful and long-distance clearances it would lose range.
Fernanda González