Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Minnesota Tower Soudan Underground Mine State Park

Soudan Underground Mine State Park

Minnesota's oldest and deepest mine is now an underground physics laboratory.

Tower, Minnesota

Added By
Alex Timian
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
MINOS neutrino detector   http://www.flickr.com/photos/codyhanson/30...
MINOS neutrino detector   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MINOS_Pr...
Inside the mine   http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattimattila/...
Informative sign at Soudan Underground Mine   http://www.flickr.com/photos/codyhanson/30...
  superadventuregirl / Atlas Obscura User
  superadventuregirl / Atlas Obscura User
  superadventuregirl / Atlas Obscura User
  superadventuregirl / Atlas Obscura User
  superadventuregirl / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Cutting 2,341 feet into the earth, Soudan Underground Mine is the deepest mine in Minnesota, and one of the only mines in the world that also plays host to a physics laboratory.

Opened in 1882 when rich ore deposits were discovered, Soudan Mine was active for the next 80 years until it was donated to the state and deemed a historic site. Sitting basically unused, researchers from the University of Minnesota began work on an underground physics laboratory in the 1980s. Their main objective was to study proton decay, but as science evolved, so did the mine.

Currently, research in the mine uses a MINOS detector and is on the hunt for dark matter, the ever-elusive material that cannot be seen because it does not emit light. The space that holds the neutrino detector fits into a cavern the size of a football field, and is just part of the miles of underground world that comprise the mine.

Today, visitors can take a tour of the mine during the summer months, and spend roughly 1.5 hours on the 27th level, 2,341 feet below the surface.

Update as of July 2022: The physics lab is no longer located at the site.

Related Tags

Neutrino Detectors Instruments Of Science Retro Tech Subterranean Sites

Know Before You Go

Take US Highway 169 North through Tower to Soudan. Once in Soudan follow the directional signs.

Community Contributors

Added By

atimian

Edited By

lesf999, superadventuregirl

  • lesf999
  • superadventuregirl

Published

January 18, 2012

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Soudan Underground Mine State Park
Tower, Minnesota, 55790
United States
47.84111, -92.218877
Visit Website

Nearby Places

Stuntz Bay Boathouses

Soudan, Minnesota

miles away

Floating Loon of Virginia

Virginia, Minnesota

miles away

Paul Wellstone Memorial

Eveleth, Minnesota

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Minnesota

Minnesota

United States

Places 184
Stories 25

Nearby Places

Stuntz Bay Boathouses

Soudan, Minnesota

miles away

Floating Loon of Virginia

Virginia, Minnesota

miles away

Paul Wellstone Memorial

Eveleth, Minnesota

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Minnesota

Minnesota

United States

Places 184
Stories 25

Related Places

  • Sudbury, Ontario

    Sudbury Neutrino Observatory

    A neutrino detector built into the largest man-made underground cavity in the world.

  • Wardenclyffe Laboratory

    Shoreham, New York

    Tesla's Wardenclyffe Laboratory

    An unrealized dream to wirelessly electrify the entire Earth.

  • Ulugh Beg Observatory.

    Samarkand, Uzbekistan

    Ulugh Beg Observatory

    Light still pours into the ruins of this ancient Islamic observatory.

  • Meyrin, Switzerland

    CERN

    Home of the Large Hadron Collider and the birthplace of the World Wide Web.

  • IceCube Research Station

    Antarctica

    IceCube Research Station

    The world's largest neutrino telescope searches for secrets of the universe at the South Pole.

  • The mighty Bagger 258

    Schipkau, Germany

    Bagger 258: The "Blue Wonder"

    The industrial monstrosity known as Bagger 258 is a colossal mining machine built in the DDR - but now left for dead in a German field.

  • The azimuth theodolite.

    Beijing, China

    Beijing Ancient Observatory

    This ancient Chinese observatory still contains early astronomy technology.

  • A model of the Marconi’s original Table Head station at Glace Bay.

    Glace Bay, Nova Scotia

    Marconi National Historic Site

    Site of the first official transatlantic wireless communications.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.