The Blasting Advisory Board held a Seismic Energy in Action contest for STEM students from Miami Lakes Educational Center.
At Miami Lakes Town Hall on May 27, students presented their models and findings about how seismic energy from limestone mining blasts in western Miami-Dade County can travel like waves underground and through the porous Biscayne Aquifer.
They discussed how impact from such waves can affect homes, swimming pools and other structures.
Blasting Advisory Board Chair Miguel Martinez said waves from mining blasts can travel up to 11 miles and potentially affect 400,000 properties.
Leading mining company White Rock Quarries says on its website that subcontractor Dyno Nobel uses “...the most advanced and controlled blasting technology available, producing vibration levels well below established limits.”
Shown from left: Miami Lakes Blasting Advisory Board member Dr. David Bennett, D.D.S.; STEM students Lucas Meier, Daliyah Durand and Nicholas Morales Roche, students at Miami Lakes Educational Center; Blasting Advisory Board member Franchesca Vasquez-Ortega and Miguel Martinez, chair, Blasting Advisory Board. Nicholas won 1st Place and a $500 prize for his presentation; Daliyah won 2nd Place and $300 while Lucas placed 3rd and took home $200. Bennett, of United Dental Specialists, donated $1,000 in cash prizes. He said he hoped the students will eventually return in future contests with solutions to preventing property damage from mining blasts.