© Andy Brandl / PhotonMix (2012)

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An old empty mining transport bucket is suspended in front of more recent and vibrant constructions, in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen.

A mining bucket is suspended outside a small museum in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen.

Photos taken in mid-late July, 2020 during a visit to Svalbard. These photos were taken during a brief "green" travel window with freedom of movement between Denmark, Norway, and Svalbard. With significant care and caution, I joined a small group for several days in Longyearbyen before taking a six day sailing trip with Hurtigruten up to the far northern tip of Svalbard, where we crossed 80 degrees north, and then returned to Longyearbyen. During the trip we also paused at the Russian settlement of Barentsberg.

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Very few buildings remain in this once bustling mining town

Thom with old mining buckets at Greenhorn Park, Yreka, CA