In 2006, a gold mine became America’s deepest lab; scientists search for dark matter 4,850ft down

Solar Neutrino Experiment 1 used a tank filled with chlorine-based perchloroethylene to detect neutrinos from the Sun. A gold mine in South Dakota once produced millions of ounces of precious metal. Today, the same site is being used to study some of the biggest mysteries in the universe.The Homestake Gold Mine in Lead, South Dakota, operated for 125 years before it closed in 2001. According to Sanford lab, during its lifetime, the mine produced about 41 million ounces of gold and 9 million ounces of silver, making it the largest and deepest gold mine in North America at the time.The mine later took on a completely different when in 2006, businessman T Denny Sanford pledged $70 million to help revive plans for an underground research laboratory. Barrick Gold Corporation, which owned the Homestake property, donated land, while South Dakota committed more than $40 million to the project. The efforts led to the creation of the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory, now known as the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), in 2007.Today, SURF is the deepest underground laboratory in the United States, reaching 4,850 feet below the surface. Scientists from dozens of c...