Soudan Underground Mine State Park - Underground Laboratory

Underground Laboratory

In the 1980s, scientists from the University of Minnesota began to develop the Soudan Mine as a site for sensitive physics experiments because of the very low rate of cosmic rays in the deep underground site. The mine was originally home to the Soudan 1 proton decay experiment and its successor, Soudan 2 which operated from 1989-2001. The University and the Department of Natural Resources have since expanded the laboratory to accommodate other physics projects, such as the currently active MINOS neutrino detector, CDMS-II, a dark matter search experiment, and work on electro forming copper to create pure radiation free copper. Low-background materials screening facilities are in use and continuing development. The mine was proposed as one possible site for a U.S. Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory, but that project has since been awarded to the Homestake Mine (South Dakota). Parts of the laboratory are open for daily tours, and there is an annual open house with more access to the facilities and representatives of the experiments to help with the tours and answer questions.