berkeley pit

Ever wonder how many items it would take to fill Butte's wonder, the Berkeley Pit? We did the math for you!

The Department of Defense is looking to fund a project that'll extract rare elements from the Berkeley Pit. But at what cost?

These 5 manmade holes have proven themselves to be testaments to the human will and skill of engineering, all in all making up over 10 miles of deep excavation. Lucky for us here in the United States, Montana and Utah feature two entries on the list—and you may not expect them.

The Superfund program was created in 1980 and actually has a much more complex name: the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). All the most toxic sites in the country were basically put on a list, and hopes were high that somehow, some way, sometime - they'd get 'cleaned up'.

Fun fact: The Berkeley Pit has a pH higher than Coke.

Who would think? Apparently, tourists to Butte, Montana's Berkeley Pit give the Superfund "tourist attraction" a generous thumbs up with 4 out of 5 stars. Let's take a look at some of the reviews.

A former student at Montana Tech did a project involving the history of mining in Butte and the Berkeley Pit. It's a quick tutorial on the pit's background and how it became America's biggest Superfund Site.

The pit was opened in the mid fifties and was closed on Earth Day in 1982. This video shows the pit's "movement" since the closure.