Geology News
Coal Current Events

How diamonds form is one of the most common geological misconceptions. Diamonds form under a variety of conditions that rarely, if ever, involve coal as a source of carbon. In fact, most diamonds formed long before the first coal swamp or land plant!

Most homeowners insurance policies have exclusions that make them worthless when the home is damaged by common geologic problems such as floods, earthquakes, landslides, mine subsidence, cavern collapse and expansive soils. When a home is damaged the homeowner often is surprised that his “all perils” policy has these exclusions.

Two large coal mines in Wyoming accounted for 20% of United States coal production in 2012.

Exxon Mobil has an animation that compares the surface footprint of various energy production methods: wind, coal mining, nuclear power and unconventional gas.

Lawmakers in Pennsylvania are discussing the use of water from abandoned coal mines for hydraulic fracturing of the Marcellus Shale.

Botswana has been one of the world’s leaders in the production of gem-quality diamonds but production levels are not sustainable. To diversify their mineral industry the plan is to focus on coal.

Related: What countries produce gem-quality diamonds?

The Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana contains about 162 billion short tons of recoverable coal from a total of 1.07 trillion short tons of in-place resources according to a new USGS assessment.

Railroads revenues are dropping as electric power plants switch from coal to natural gas. However, the use of railroads to transport crude oil is rising. This is changing the geography of rail transport and also the types of rail cars that are needed.

A new report reveals that generating electricity from wind in Australia costs much less than generating by natural gas or coal. This means that Australia might have even more coal and natural gas for export.

Coal consumption in China has been rising rapidly. Soon the country will be using more coal than the rest of the world combined.

“Most of the oil consumed in South Africa, used mainly in the transportation sector, is imported from large producers in the Middle East and West Africa and is locally refined. South Africa also has a highly developed synthetic fuels industry, producing gasoline and diesel fuels from coal and natural gas.” Quoted from the Energy Information Administration country report.

“EIA estimates that South Korea was the world’s tenth largest energy consumer in 2011, and with its lack of domestic reserves, Korea is one of the top energy importers in the world. In 2011, the country was the second largest importer of liquefied natural gas (LNG), the third largest importer of coal, and the fifth largest importer of crude oil. [...] In an effort to improve the nation’s energy security, oil and gas companies are aggressively seeking overseas exploration and production opportunities.” Quoted from the Energy Information Administration.

“Recently published electric power data show that, for the first time since EIA began collecting the data, generation from natural gas-fired plants is virtually equal to generation from coal-fired plants, with each fuel providing 32% of total generation.” Quoted from the Energy Information Administration press release.

“Indonesia is the most populous country in Southeast Asia and the fourth most populous country in the world. The country struggles to attract sufficient investment to meet growing domestic energy consumption because of inadequate infrastructure and a complex regulatory environment. At the same time, it was the world’s largest exporter of coal by weight and the eighth largest exporter of natural gas in 2011.” Quoted from the Energy Information Administration report.

An interesting article that explores the different tax rates paid by companies who produce coal, minerals, oil and fish in Alaska.

“The United States has at least 2,400 billion metric tons of possible carbon dioxide (CO2) storage resource in saline formations, oil and gas reservoirs, and unmineable coal seams, according to a new U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) publication.”

Quoted from the United States Department of Energy press release.

“Dried acid mine drainage sludge, or residuals, that result from treating acid mine drainage discharges can be used as a low-cost adsorbent elsewhere to efficiently remove phosphorus from agricultural and municipal wastewaters.” Quoted from the USGS press release.

Coal exports from the United States to Canada have fallen sharply since 2008. The decline is a response to Canada moving their electric generating capacity to other fuels and methods.

The SWITCH project has an enormous collection of energy videos on a wide variety of topics. Check them out here.

In the video below, Dr. Steve Koonin, U.S. Undersecretary of Energy discusses the reasons why the pace of making energy change can be very slow.

Exports of metallurgical coal from the United States to destinations in Europe and Asia remains strong. Ports at Norfolk, Baltimore and New Orleans handle the most coal.

U.S. 2012 coal exports, supported by rising steam coal exports, are expected to break their previous record level of almost 113 million tons, set in 1981. Exports for the first half of 2012 reached almost 67 million tons, surpassing most annual export volumes dating back to 1949.

An article on the FuelFix.com website explores the difference between energy independence and energy security. The argument is made that energy security is more important.

Fossil fuels play an enormous role in Australia’s economy. However, their roles will change significantly with new carbon taxes and a goal of cutting emissions to 80% below 2000 levels by 2050.

The Illinois Geological Survey has published a Google map that allows you to zoom in on historic mining activity across the state. The map supplements a large collection of .pdf documents that show information about the mines and the coal seams in which they were developed.

“About 840,000 acres of Illinois land have been undermined for coal and other minerals. About 178,000 acres of residential and other built-up land in llinois lie close to underground mines and may be susceptible to subsidence.” Quoted from the publication’s introduction. This publication is a good companion to the mine maps described in the post above.

A podcast interview on the topic of “The Future of Coal Energy” featuring Massoud Rostam-Abadi and Scott D. Elrick of the Illinois Geological Survey is available on University of Illinois website. The interview has a focus on Illinois coal but most of the concepts apply globally.

Prior to the late 1970′s most of the coal produced in the United States was bituminous, then mines in the west started to produce subbituminous coal. The subbituminous production has grown steadily and for the past few years it has been the leading rank of coal produced.

Seeing a drop in demand, many coal producers are closing mines, slowing production and laying off miners. Much of this is in response to low natural gas prices displacing coal as a power plant fuel.

“Russia is a major producer and exporter of oil and natural gas and its economy largely depends on energy exports. Russia’s economic growth continues to be driven by energy exports given its high oil and gas production and the elevated prices for those commodities.” Quoted from the Energy Information Administration report.

“Canada is a net exporter of most energy commodities and is an especially significant producer of conventional and unconventional oil, natural gas, and hydroelectricity. It stands out as the largest foreign supplier of energy to the United States [...]. Just as the United States depends on Canada for much of its energy needs, so is Canada profoundly dependent on the United States as an export market. Quoted from the Energy Information Administration country report.