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Mining in the USA Part 30: Washington Adapted from Information Provided by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources Mining of coal and metallic minerals in Washington began in the mid to late 1800s. Metals historically mined in Washington include gold, sil- ver, lead, zinc, mercury, uranium, and copper. Newer mines have pro- duced magnesium and aluminum, in addition to gold, lead, and zinc. Most of the major metal-mining districts in Washington were active in the early part of the 20th century and are now inactive. The majority of metal mining was concentrated in the north Cascade Range and in the Okanogan geologic province. Currently, Washington has several permitted metal mines, but only one is operational - the Buckhorn Mountain gold mine in Okanogan County, managed by Kinross Gold Corporation. Coal has been mined in Washington since 1853. Although produc- tion within the past few decades was from surface mines, nearly all coal produced prior to 1970, came from underground workings. Since early in this century, Washington State law has required mine operators to submit detailed plans of all underground coal operations to the state on an annual basis. There are currently no active coal mines in Washington State. The Centralia Coal Mine, in Lewis County, was once the state’s largest coal mine. Production came from five coal beds within the Skookumchuck Formation. Production ended in 2006. The John Henry Mine, located in the Black Diamond Coal Field, produced about 250,000 tons per year during the mid-1990s and closed in 1997. Both the Centralia Coal Mine and the John Henry Mine are both undergoing reclamation at this time. Historically, industrial minerals have been mined statewide; however, most of the production has been on the east side of the state. Major nonmetallic minerals are diatomite, shale, silica, olivine (dunite), barite, and carbonates (limestone, dolomite, and marble). Coal miners in the Roslyn-Cle Elum coal field, circa 1957. Drilling operations in the Buckhorn Mountain gold mine. Photo courtesy of Kinross. 47 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® APRIL 2016