Plackards which no longer exists from Nuclear Science Museum
Uranium Boom for Defense
When the US entered the nuclear age during World War II, the demand for uranium initiated mining booms on the Colorado Plateau or Four Corners Area. This region, where the borders of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado intersect, is where the largest quantities of uranium were mined in the US. The 27,000 square miles of Navajo country, overlaying much of this area, was and still is considered one of the premier US mining locations- the "Saudi Arabia of uranium." Many Navajos worked in the open pit and underground mines in the Church Rock-Crownpoint and Mount Taylor districts near Grants. They contributed some 13 million tons of uranium ore from 1945-1988.
Navajo Miners
During the uranium boom, massive earth-moving equipment produced an exponential increase in the size of the mines and in the transportation network connecting mines to mills to markets. It also affected the number of people involved and the impact on the land and water resources. While the uranium mining in the Four Corners region was instrumental in the success of the US defense efforts, it also left a legacy of environmental and health problems. Nearly one thousand abandoned mines, an abundance of mine tailings, and contaminated ground water have still not been fully remediated decades later. Many Navajo miners, exposed to high levels of radiation without protection, had especially high rates of lung cancer and respiratory ailments. As a result of their devastating history with uranium, the Navajo Nation passed the Dine natural Resource Protection Act in 2005, prohibiting all forms of uranium mining and processesing on Navajo lands.
Uranium Boom for Defense
When the US entered the nuclear age during World War II, the demand for uranium initiated mining booms on the Colorado Plateau or Four Corners Area. This region, where the borders of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado intersect, is where the largest quantities of uranium were mined in the US. The 27,000 square miles of Navajo country, overlaying much of this area, was and still is considered one of the premier US mining locations- the "Saudi Arabia of uranium." Many Navajos worked in the open pit and underground mines in the Church Rock-Crownpoint and Mount Taylor districts near Grants. They contributed some 13 million tons of uranium ore from 1945-1988.
Navajo Miners
During the uranium boom, massive earth-moving equipment produced an exponential increase in the size of the mines and in the transportation network connecting mines to mills to markets. It also affected the number of people involved and the impact on the land and water resources. While the uranium mining in the Four Corners region was instrumental in the success of the US defense efforts, it also left a legacy of environmental and health problems. Nearly one thousand abandoned mines, an abundance of mine tailings, and contaminated ground water have still not been fully remediated decades later. Many Navajo miners, exposed to high levels of radiation without protection, had especially high rates of lung cancer and respiratory ailments. As a result of their devastating history with uranium, the Navajo Nation passed the Dine natural Resource Protection Act in 2005, prohibiting all forms of uranium mining and processesing on Navajo lands.
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