Chapter Six

Teaming Across Boundaries

On August 5, 2010, more than half a million tons of rock suddenly caved in, completely blocking the entrance to the San Jose copper mine in Chile.1 Mining accidents are unfortunately common. But this one was unprecedented for several reasons: the distance of the miners from the Earth’s surface, the sheer number of miners trapped, and the hardness of the rock, to name a few. Thirty-three men were buried alive 2,000 feet under rock harder than granite. By way of comparison, an earlier rescue at the Quecreek Mine in Pennsylvania, with nine miners trapped 240 feet below ground, had been considered a remarkable feat.2 In Chile, initial estimates of the possibility of finding anyone alive were put at 10 percent—odds ...

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