Coal Seam facts

While investigating facts about Coal Seam Gas and Coal Seam Fire, I found out little known, but curios details like:

The Centralia mine fire is a coal seam fire that’s been burning underneath Centralia, PA since at least May 27, 1962; suspected to be from a trash burning that hit a coal strip in a cave. The fire burns at depths of up to 300 ft. over an 8 mile stretch and, as of 2015, continues to burn.

how coal seam gas is extracted?

Coal seam fires burn for hundreds of years on every continent (except Antarctica) with 200 active fires in the US which emit carbon dioxide, methane, mercury and at least 40 other toxic compounds.

What is coal seam gas?

In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across answering what is coal seam gas used for. Here are 9 of the best facts about Coal Seam Gas Exploration and Coal Seam Gas Australia I managed to collect.

what's coal seam?

1. Brennender Berg, literally 'Burning Mountain' is the site of a coal seam fire in Germany that ignited in 1688 and it still burning to this very day.

2. About ten feet of plant debris will produce one foot of coal. Since plant debris accumulates very slowly, it could take thousands of years fifty feet of plant debris to turn into a five-foot-thick seam of coal. During that time, the water level must be stable. If too deep, the swamp will drown and if too shallow, the plants will decay. In order for a coal seam to be formed, the water level must be maintained for a long period of time.

3. A fire has been burning underneath Centralia, PA, since 1962. It was the result of trash being illegally burned in a former strip mine dump site. The fire ignited a coal seam, letting it burn freely. The town has been completely abandoned; only 7 stubborn residents remain.

4. In mid-2010, according to the Office of Surface Mining, more than 100 coal seam fires were burning beneath nine states, most of them in Colorado, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Utah and West Virginia.

5. Mount Wingen, located near Wingen, New South Wales in Australia, is better known as Burning Mountain because of the smoldering coal fire found in a seam beneath it. Scientists estimate that it has been burning for 6,000 years, making it the oldest known coal fire on Earth.