in Missouri, the blue entrails of the sunken Bonne Terre mine

Underground, in caves now submerged, only abandoned tools bear witness to the passage of men. It is the forgotten mine of Bonne Terre, in Missouri (United States). In the presence of a team from France Télévisions, a group of divers descended 50 meters underground. When the lead mine closed in 1962, the pumps that kept the galleries dry were stopped. Rainwater seeped in and submerged tunnels and caverns, creating a huge underground lake.

“From here, you can’t see the bottom of the water, it’s total darkness. It’s both terrifying and exciting”, says a diver. The water here never exceeds 15°C. The show, however, raises the temperature, because it has frozen the place for eternity. To reach the different rooms, you have to go through tunnels, with a simple flashlight as lighting.

The Bonne Terre mine takes its name from the French. Coming from Louisiana at the beginning of the 18th century, they noticed that the Native Americans of the region were using lead. They then exploited the ground, and discovered the largest reserve in the world. The activity decreased from 1945, before stopping completely in 1962. Nature has since regained its rights.