Carthage Underground
Encyclopedia
The Carthage Underground is a collection of marble
quarries
in Carthage, Missouri
, most of which is presently owned by Americold Logistics. They currently hold 43000000 square feet (3,994,830.7 m²) of the quarry, much of which is occupied by warehouses or factories, primarily for food production. The total area of the underground is difficult to trace, but is rumored to stretch as far as Joplin, Missouri
(roughly 20 miles (30 km) from Carthage). It is frequently visited by Urban Explorers due to the decrepit abandoned quarries mixed seamlessly with working underground factories and warehouses. Many of the local industries rely heavily upon the facilities to store foodstuffs there. It is also oddly present with an ecosystem
of its own, with underground lakes hosting turtles, fish
and various other species. This could be seen as remarkable given that the quarries were utterly devoid of life before the mining industry.
The temperature of the underground is frequently quoted as 60 °F (15.6 °C) year round, though artificial refrigeration
has altered the temperature to a range of -30 to 100 °F (37.8 °C).
The underground is also host to an underground motel, as well as having been rumored the site of government bunkers, though this has never been substantiated.
Urban Explorers should be extremely cautious exploring the undergrounds—the great amount of them are uninhabited and/or flooded, and wildlife is not rare there. Americold has a policy against photographs, but if you ask security nicely it's generally possible to get a tour. However, any unauthorized trespassing in their share of the underground can result in criminal prosecution, and the mostly uncharted abandoned areas are dangerous at best.
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
quarries
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
in Carthage, Missouri
Carthage, Missouri
Carthage is a city in Jasper County, Missouri, United States. The population was 14,378 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Jasper County and is nicknamed "America's Maple Leaf City."...
, most of which is presently owned by Americold Logistics. They currently hold 43000000 square feet (3,994,830.7 m²) of the quarry, much of which is occupied by warehouses or factories, primarily for food production. The total area of the underground is difficult to trace, but is rumored to stretch as far as Joplin, Missouri
Joplin, Missouri
Joplin is a city in southern Jasper County and northern Newton County in the southwestern corner of the US state of Missouri. Joplin is the largest city in Jasper County, though it is not the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 50,150...
(roughly 20 miles (30 km) from Carthage). It is frequently visited by Urban Explorers due to the decrepit abandoned quarries mixed seamlessly with working underground factories and warehouses. Many of the local industries rely heavily upon the facilities to store foodstuffs there. It is also oddly present with an ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
of its own, with underground lakes hosting turtles, fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
and various other species. This could be seen as remarkable given that the quarries were utterly devoid of life before the mining industry.
The temperature of the underground is frequently quoted as 60 °F (15.6 °C) year round, though artificial refrigeration
Refrigeration
Refrigeration is a process in which work is done to move heat from one location to another. This work is traditionally done by mechanical work, but can also be done by magnetism, laser or other means...
has altered the temperature to a range of -30 to 100 °F (37.8 °C).
The underground is also host to an underground motel, as well as having been rumored the site of government bunkers, though this has never been substantiated.
Urban Explorers should be extremely cautious exploring the undergrounds—the great amount of them are uninhabited and/or flooded, and wildlife is not rare there. Americold has a policy against photographs, but if you ask security nicely it's generally possible to get a tour. However, any unauthorized trespassing in their share of the underground can result in criminal prosecution, and the mostly uncharted abandoned areas are dangerous at best.