Search

The Middle Pennsylvanian Herrin and Springfield coals contain the majority of the Illinois basin’s resources. Many mining issues of these two seams are directly related to the geology of the region, including regional stress, faulting, and facies changes. Some of these conditions are widespread, while others are locally restricted. The long history of mining in these seams has been associated with many difficulties and hard-learned lessons related to mining geology especially concerning aspects of coal quality and roof geology along paleochannels, moisture-sensitivity in shales, fractures and “slips” in shales, floor heave, lateral stresses, clay dikes (veins), and coal balls. Both seams occur within classic “cyclothems,” resulting from sequences of deposition between lowstand and highstand deposition. Transgressive, marine black shales and limestones blanket the coals across much of the basin, except near syndepositional channels where wedges of gray silty shale and interbedded shale and sandstone intervene between the coal and transgressive shale. Differences in the thickness, chemistry and strength of various shales in each sequence influence coal quality and roof conditions in underground mines. Associations of mining geology issues not specifically related to tectonics and horizontal stress, are (1) syndepositional channel and channel margin conditions, (2) post-depositional channels, (3) gray-shale wedge margins, and (4) marine shale roofs; especially where limestones thicken. Many of these features are similar to both seams, while others are more common in the Herrin, than Springfield Coal. Similar conditions occur above other coal beds in the Illinois Basin, as well as coal-bearing strata in other basins. Herein we review horizontal stress, fractures, coal quality, partings, coal balls, clay dikes (veins), dips and swales, floor heave, moisture sensitivity in shales, shale rolls, limestone bosses and cutouts, paleochannels and cutouts, stackrock conditions, paleoslumps, coal riders, kettlebottoms, and concretions in the roof. Hopefully, this summary will be useful for understanding seams with similar geology, but with less research on mining geology or shorter mining histories.

The authors show the basic ways of making hard mineral mining with open pit method more efficient. The article gives a review of research aimed at improvement of open pit mining methods, intensification of mining, enhancement of mine safety and final product quality control (in terms of Bakchar iron ore deposit and coal deposits located in the Kuznetsk and Kansk-Achinsk Basins).

In order to solve the supporting problem of Wujiagou ore broken thick top-coal large sections coal roadway, in view of the mining geology and technology conditions, select the typical coal roadway 5106 tank and detect roof structure, detection results show that the major roof is coal, local contains feeble mudstone interlayer, shallow crack development, deep crack gradually reduce , then put forward the extra long bolt anchoring break top-coal to deep less fracture zone, and the theoretical calculation shows the feasibility and basic support parameters of using extra long bolt controlling deformation of coal roadway; Using FLAC numerical simulation method for different support scheme makes a comparative study, show that the extra long bolting effects obvious, and determined choosing extra long bolt + metal nets + W steel belt scheme. The site industrial test show that the extra long bolt + metal nets + W steel belt scheme supporting thick top-coal large sections of coal roadway effect is good.

Surface coal mining technology, practice and development of mining systems are introduced since the founding of China. The development of surface coal mining systems can be classified into two stages: shovel-train mining system used as the major mining technology before 1980, combined mining systems have been used since 1980, that is, shovel-truck mining system used as the major overburden removal system and the shovel truck/crusher/conveyor have been utilized as the major coal winning systems. The characteristics of the second stage in area mining methods include outside waste dumping and then gradually inside dumping in the mined out areas. After analyzing the coal occurrences in China, the practice and application of surface mining technology, it is proposed that the attention should be paid to the problems such as coal haulage system layout design and the reliability improvement of the system of shovel/truck/crusher in the future development of surface coal mining.

Development of mining of firm minerals technological systems is the constantly and multifactorial process having for an object to intensify mining in various mining and geological conditions of the person and the nature safety growing requirements. It is directed on improvement of the interconnected things of the technical and technological support including the organization of mining works.Herewith (in this article, in this report) some results of cooperation of Moscow state mining university and Scientific and Production Association “Hydrotechnology” dealing with designing and improvement of non-blasting, integrated technological systems of mining of ore and coal deposits by the opencast, underground and hybrid method with use of also hydraulically mechanized equipment. Technology options with partial processing and complete mineral enrichment at the mining enterprises are also presented. There are separate and complex technical solutions realized in the mining industry.

The following is an abbreviated introduction to coal geology and mining. Readers interested in further details of coal geology and mining, and its environmental impact, are referred to Rahmani and Flores (1984), Scott (1987), Thomas (1992), Gayer and Harris (1996), Pickering and Owen (1994), Whateley and Spears (1995), Evans (1997), Miller (2005), Warwick (2005), Greb and diMichele (2006), Masters and Ela (2008), Catelin (2009), Spitz and Trudinger (2009), Tabak (2009) and Botkin and Keller (2010). Studies of coal geology and mining are liable to become increasingly important in the future, as supplies of coal are set to outlast those of other fossil fuels, there being sufficient supplies of coal to last for approximately 130 years at current rates of production and consumption, but only sufficient gas and oil to last for approximately 60 years and 40 years, respectively (Catelin, 2009). The potential to sequester the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in coal could also come to realisation, with both economic and environmental benefits (Catelin, 2009; Miranda et al ., 2009). Note that burning coal causes potentially damaging emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides, particulates and trace metals, although it is possible to build or retro-fit coal-fired power stations with emission controls, albeit at some expense, and at the further expense of some efficiency loss.

Mineral exploration aims to discover deposits of minerals and rocks that can be used to meet the resource needs of society. It encompasses the search for industrial raw materials (e.g., clay, limestone, sulphur, salts, and fertilizer minerals and rocks), ores from which metals are extracted (e.g., iron, copper, and zinc ores), and gemstones (diamonds, sapphires, and opals), and includes the search for solid fuels (coal, oil shale, and uranium) but not liquid or gaseous fuels (petroleum and natural gas). Mineral exploration can be as basic as prospecting, using elementary techniques such as panning for gold, or it can be very sophisticated, involving the use of complex technology for data gathering and interpretation. This article considers our need for mineral resources, why different groups explore for minerals and the strategies they adopt and the tools they employ, what success and failure mean in the industry, the role of governments, and the future of exploration.

This paper discusses rock engineering criteria suggested for the design of mine openings on the basis of in-situ stress regime and rock discontinuity conditions. The criteria are based on documented experience for underground civil works in the U.S. and abroad. The relevance of the criteria is demonstrated by reference to selected coal mine examples in Utah and West Virginia. Field instrumentation suitable for the measurement of in-situ stress and for monitoring mine response to stress and rock discontinuity conditions is also discussed from experience at deep, underground coal mines in Colorado, Utah, and West Virginia. Instrumentation for in-situ stress includes the hydraulic fracturing techniques and the overcoring technique; for mine response, instrumentation includes electric, vibrating wire stressmeters in pillars and rock extensometers in mine roofs.

This article presents a synthesis of engineering geological aspects of heaving in argillaceous rocks in various coal mines of the U.S.S.R. The purpose of the study was to determine the nature of ro...

Coal Geology is conveniently divided into two fields, one which concerns the geology of coal beds, the other the geology of coal itself. In the first field study and research have to do with coal resource and related activities, with mining geology, with the natural history of coal beds; in the second field study is concerned with the botanical, petrographic, and chemical constitution of coal. It is particularly desirable that chemical studies be related to the geological factors that produced coal from precoal material and the subsequent metamorphism of coal. Systematic geological training, instruction, and research in all these branches of coal geology have been much neglected in the academic field.