TIMELINE
Day 1: Aug. 6 —A seismic event registering 3.9 on the Richter scale is recorded by the University of Utah Seismograph Stations in the area of the Crandall Canyon Mine at 2:48 a.m.
About an hour later, an Emery County sheriff's deputy receives a call about a mine collapse.
Rescuers attempt four separate ways to access six miners believed to be trapped 1,800 feet underground.
Day 2: Aug. 7 — Another seismic "bump" collapses part of the tunnel, shutting down underground rescue work. "We are back to square one underground," mine owner Bob Murray says.
During a news conference, Murray offers updates but also attacks unions and some news media outlets.
Atop the mountain, workers clear a road and begin drilling a 2-inch-diameter 1,800-foot vertical shaft.
Day 3: Aug. 8 — Drilling efforts on the mountain above the mine make progress, cutting more than halfway to the chamber.
The names of the trapped miners are learned. "They'll walk out of there," one family member says.
Utahns pray at vigils and celebrate Mass for the miners and their families.
Day 4: Aug. 9 —Descending 1,868 feet, the drill boring a 2-inch hole breaks through into a chamber at 9:47 p.m. A microphone picks up no human noise. Oxygen-level samples from the mine vary.
A high-resolution camera is flown in as another drill grinds steadily toward the collapsed area.
Communities in Utah's coal country rally behind families of trapped miners.
Day 5: Aug. 10 —As work continues in the mine tunnels, federal mine officials say the drill may have missed the chamber where the trapped miners are.
The families of three of the trapped miners ask people to "light a candle and raise a prayer for our miners."
Day 6: Aug. 11— A second, larger drill punches an 8 5/8-inch hole into the mine about 3 a.m. After quieting their machines, rescuers tap on the drill steel but hear no response.
A camera is lowered, and rescuers later announce they have found "survivable space" in the area where the drill broke through but no trace of the miners. Water and other obstacles hamper the camera.
LDS Church members in the sister towns of Huntington, Cleveland and Elmo begin a 24-hour fast to show support for the miners.
Day 7: Aug. 12 — Mine officials announce they will drill a third hole between the cavity where the miners were working and an exit where they could have fled to safety.
A video camera is dropped into the second completed borehole, which now has a steel liner. This time a horizontal lens finds a tool belt and chain from a conveyor belt but still no sign of the miners.
Day 8: Aug. 13 —A new roadway and clearing are cut on top of the mountain for the third drill and its rig. The 8 5/8-inch borehole is directed toward an area with good air at the back of the mine where the trapped miners could have retreated.
Day 9: Aug. 14 —The mining company releases video showing miners clearing and shoring up the collapsed tunnel.
The third drill hole proceeds about halfway to its target area.
Day 10: Aug. 15 —Devices called geophones placed on the mountain detect "noise," or vibrations — offering hope that the trapped miners may be alive.
Work begins on a fourth large borehole, targeting the area of the vibrations.
Images from the third drill hole also offer good news, showing a chamber with breathable air.
Community residents host a concert to honor the missing six miners and those working to rescue them.
Day 11: Aug. 16 — As work continues inside the mine, video images from the third borehole atop the mountain show no sign of the miners.
Three rescue team members are killed or mortally injured, and six others injured when another seismic bump inside the mine buries the men in coal and debris. The 6:35 p.m. bump registers as a 1.6 magnitude seismic event. Ambulances and medical helicopters take the injured to hospitals in Price, Provo and Salt Lake City. Work underground halts, while the drilling efforts above continue.
Day 12: Aug. 17 —The underground rescue operation is suspended indefinitely.
Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. says the Crandall Canyon Mine collapse has gone from a tragedy to a catastrophe. "These men died as heroes," he says of the rescuers killed on Thursday.
Huntsman says he intends to have a panel conduct the state's own investigation into the disaster, parallel to the expected federal inquiry, to determine if Utah should have more control over mine safety.
Day 13: Aug. 18 — A fourth borehole yields no signs of the six trapped miners. A Deseret Morning News analysis of Crandall Canyon Mine's safety record shows fewer accidents there but higher fines.
Day 14: Aug. 19 — Rob Moore, vice president of Murray Energy, says it is likely the miners may not be found.
Day 15: Aug. 20 — Mine owner Bob Murray says he is doubtful the miners will be found alive and suggests that the mine may be the six men's tomb. MSHA floats the idea of drilling a hole for a rescue capsule, raising hopes.
Day 16: Aug. 21 — Funeral services are held for Dale Black, one of the miners killed in the Aug. 16 rescue attempt. Murray defends himself against critics, saying he's hurt by allegations of an unsafe mine.
Day 17: Aug. 22 — Funeral services are held for MSHA inspector Gary Jensen, killed in the Aug. 16 collapse. A fifth borehole shows no sign of life. Murray says a sixth borehole scheduled to be drilled would be the final one.
Day 18: Aug. 23 — Congress announces plans for hearings on the disaster. Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. appoints Scott Matheson Jr. to lead a state commission on mine safety. Families lash out at Murray, revealing details of a heated confrontation. Murray says he is bearer of bad news; he never returns to family briefings.
Day 19: Aug. 24 — The families of the miners suggest they may go to court to stop the mine from being sealed and accuse Murray of breaking promises. Murray calls the mine and mountain "evil" and says he will never reopen it, yet he suggests it may be explored for mining years from now.
Day 20: Aug. 25 — The sixth borehole breaks through but yields no sign of the miners. After a public feud with Huntsman, Murray writes letter to governor, saying he will not be a "whipping boy" and threatens to cut 700 jobs in Carbon and Emery counties.
Day 21: Aug. 26 — Murray lays off 170 workers from his Utah mines. He offers jobs in Ohio and Illinois mines. Plans to bring in a robotic camera and to drill a seventh hole are announced; drilling efforts continue.
Day 22: Aug. 27 — Bad weather delays drilling of the seventh hole. Released 911 recordings show seismologists made the first call to Emery County sheriff's dispatchers about a 3.9 magnitude event at the Crandall Canyon Mine Aug. 6. More congressional probes into the mine disaster are announced.
Day 23: Aug. 28 — Weather continues to delay efforts to drill a seventh hole and put a robot camera into the mine. The robot camera finally makes it down one hole, only to be halted 10 feet from the mine itself.
Day 24: Aug. 29 — Federal mining officials tell the Utah Legislature the miners may never be recovered. MSHA tells the families it still considers it a "rescue operation."
Day 25: Aug. 30 — The seventh borehole breaks through into rubble. The discouraged families talk about a possible eighth hole. A cousin of trapped miner Don Erickson volunteers to go into the mine to find them. MSHA announces an investigative team to look into the mine disaster. The U.S. Department of Labor announces an outside investigation into MSHA's role in the disaster. Laid-off miners try to land new jobs.
Day 26: Aug. 31 — MSHA announces it is suspending the search effort. Family members are devastated.
Day 27: Sept. 1 — As family members mourn, some memorial services are planned and investigators schedule meetings for the following week.