The mineshaft, or mine shaft, is an important area located inside the FAYZ. For almost all of the books, it was the home of the gaiaphage, as well as the location of the battle of the mineshaft.
Before the FAYZ[]
Before the coming of the FAYZ, the mineshaft was used by Hermit Jim to mine gold. It is believed that when a meteor struck the nuclear power plant the Gaiaphage came to the earth, feeding on the uranium from the plant. It is unknown how or why the Gaiaphage later entered the mineshaft.
During the FAYZ[]
Lana travels here during Gone, where she encounters the gaiaphage and the coyotes.
In Hunger, Lana travels to the mineshaft in an attempt to destroy the gaiaphage, but she fails to do so. Later in the book, at the end of the mineshaft battle, Sam, Caine and Duck travel down into the mineshaft, and Duck uses his powers to send it down to the bottom of the FAYZ, killing himself in the process. Caine also collapsed the entrance, but the bugs fixed this in Plague.
In Fear, the Gaiaphage finally leaves the mineshaft, but a few rocks remain. In Light, Sam and Caine collapse the entrance for good. However, after the FAYZ, several expeditions were made to find the remains of the gaiaphage.