RE: No drills at Diablo this year...pdwwdp I've never worked in the patch. My area of expertise is in open pit and underground mining.
You are probably right though, there may be drills that I am not familiar with such as rigs that drill oil/gas wells.
For the salt mines, the method of mining is unique because of the soft ground. However, most are mined with a cut into the salt which squeezes together after a certian period of time. The drills that are used in salt mines are the same one used in hardrock mining such as the Copco 1032 Top hammer among with a few other brand varities. Again, these drill use fresh water or in some cases they may drill dry with only compressed air for clearing the hole cuttings.
My son works in the patch in Alberta.
Thanks for the clarification Pdwwdp. LOL..
Have a good one...Mad