This is what an underground copper miner's 18-hour day looks like, from loading explosives into a truck to 'hunting' for dinosaurs

Sat, 04/01/2023 - 07:00

Cory rockwell before and after work — Underground miner Cory Rockwell before (left) and after his shift at Nevada Copper.
Courtesy of Cory Rockwell

Cory Rockwell is an underground miner at Nevada Copper in the town of Yerington, Nevada.
He works 12-hour shifts for seven days straight under tough conditions and makes six-figures.
This is what a typical day at the mine looks like, as told to Insider's Aaron Mok.

This as-told-to essay is based on e-mail exchanges with Cory Rockwell, a 38-year-old underground miner at Nevada Copper, a copper mine based in Yerington, Nevada. The following has been edited for length and clarity.