The stepped benches of the Mark Kathleen MIne. [0873]![The stepped benches of the Mark Kathleen MIne. [0873]](aussiePlaces/mtisaQLD/fulls/uranium/06-_D0A0873.jpg "The stepped benches of the Mark Kathleen MIne. [0873]")
The distinctive stepped benches were created by a method called open‑pit bench mining. Each terrace marks a level where rock was drilled, blasted, and hauled away in relative safety. After the mine closed, the pit gradually filled with groundwater.[0873]