Gold Rush-era mercury mine closed in 1972 is still contaminating
Nearly half a century after a Gold Rush-era quicksilver mining operation shut down in Northern California, mercury continues to flow into a nearby creek, and federal officials blame the mine’s state landmark status for cleanup delays. … By the time the mine closed in 1972, it had produced more than 38 million pounds of mercury. Today, the site is a remote ghost town 135 miles southeast of San Francisco