In 2015, DA Smith* completed 34 bed-to-bed methane monitoring holes at the OCI (now Ciner Group) Big Island trona mine near Green River, Wyoming, USA. Four continuous core holes were drilled between trona Beds 24 and 25 with BQ tools to verify lithology. Twenty four additional destructive holes were drilled. These holes were completed with surface casing, fitted with pressure transducers, and connected to a remote data logging system to monitor downhole methane pressures as part of an engineering ground control study.
DA Smith has completed substantial core drilling and numerous overcoring in situ stress measurements at the Big Island Mine in support of mine geotechnical design and resource evaluation since the 1990s.
* Formerly as Agapito Associates, Inc.