Where does one find Anthracite?

Factual Questions
1

No, not the poster, silly…that’d be in MPSIMS.

So far as I can tell from my limited resources, the only significant deposits of anthracite coal are in the Northeastern Pennsylvania coalfields. But I know that cannot be right, because the British definition of the line between bituminous and anthracite is different than the American, and despite a tendency to do everything possible differently, it would not make sense for the British to reclassify the hard coal they import from the Lehigh and Wyoming Valleys. Obviously there’s gotta be more of it worldwide than the maps I have show. Where do ya find it?

2

First, I wrote a little bit about Anthracite in here:

Good Morning, Anthracite

Second, it seems you are going to force me to look up the difference between the ASTM and British and DIN and JIS etc. definitions of Anthracite. Sigh. Wait until tomorrow.

3

OK, first, I’m going to apply the term “Anthracite” to mean “defined as coals of Class 1 in ASTM D388-90”, which consist of Groups 1, 2, and 3". This means Meta-Anthracite, Anthracite, and Semi-Anthracite as ASTM D388 calls them. To further define these coals:

Meta-Anthracite : coal which has a fixed carbon content on a dry, mineral-matter-free basis of greater than or equal to 98%.

Anthracite : coal which has a fixed carbon content on a dry, mineral-matter-free basis of less than 98% and greater than or equal to 92%.

Semi-Anthracite : coal which has a fixed carbon content on a dry, mineral-matter-free basis of less than 92% and greater than or equal to 86%.

All of these said coals must be of non-agglomerating character as well. I deciced not to use the various internationl measures, because as far as Anthracites are concerned, there is not an appreciable difference between the methods (as opposed to bituminous coals, or agglomerating coals of any type).

Now. As to quantities - there is an enormous amount of data I would have to go through to find quanities from each country. So instead I will only post quantities from the US, which I have readily available.

1997, EIA Data:

States East of the Mississippi - 3975 million tons of underground mineable
States East of the Mississippi - 3370 million tons of surface mineable
States West of the Mississippi - 116.4 million tons of underground mineable
States West of the Mississippi - 15.5 million tons of surface mineable

US Total, 1997 : 7476.9 million tons of Demonstrated Reserve Base Anthracite
OK. Where does one find Anthracite then? Anthracite coals are found in nearly every country that has some coal, but I will include only the countries that have a significant amount of Anthracite.

Australia - while the majority of Australia’s good coal is bituminous, they do produce some Semi-Anthracite.

Bulgaria - A small deposit of economically recoverable Anthracite lies north of Sofia.

Canada : has some Semi-Anthracite in the mountain regions of Alberta and British Columbia, but these are not really mined due to high cost and cheaper bituminous coals being available elsewhere. Specifically, the Cascade Seam in Alberta is a known, mined Semi-Anthracite.

China - China has a wide variety of coals, including a very large amount of high-ash Anthracite. Some of this coal can be as much as 55% ash and rock!

Ecuador - a small amount of Anthracite can be found, however due to many factors it is not economically recoverable.

India - some Meta-Anthracite and Anthracite is produced in the Raniganj and Jharia coalfields in the East of India.

Indonesia - has some Anthracites in the Bukit Asam coalfields, esp. near Suban.

Ireland - the Leinster (Castlecomer) field produces a high-grade Anthracite, which is mostly used for non-power purposes (domestic heating).

Japan - has some Anthracites on the islands of Hokkaido and Kyusku, but most of Japan’s coal production is bituminous.

Korea - nearly all of the coal found and mined in Korea is very high-ash Anthracite.

Mexico : some coals in the Barrancas basin are anthracitic, but only a small quantity.

Morocco - almost all Moroccan coal is Anthracite, and is mined by a State company (Societe des Charbonnages Nord-Africains) at Dejerada in the East.

New Zealand - New Zealand has some Anthracite coal of high quality, and use it mostly for coking (not cooking).

Peru - In the Andean ranges, especially in the Oyon area, there are many Anthracitic and bituminous coals. A developed coal deposit in Rio Santo is mostly Anthracite.

Russia - in the Ural mountains, there are two seams (Egroshinsk and Poltavsk) which produce Anthracite, but the terrain is so rugged that they are almost inaccessable. In Siberia, the Kuznetsk Basin has a region known as Anzhero-Sudzhesky that has Semi-Anthracite, although it is almost impossible to get to.

South Africa - South Africa has a large amount of Anthracite, and exports it. Anthracites and other coals in S.A. are fond in small, isolated basins. Anthracite is found mainly southeast of Vryheid.

Spain - has several Anthracite deposits, especially in the distrcits of Leon and Oviedo, of the high-moisture and high-moisture varieties, but these are rapidly being mined out.

Ukraine - The Donetz basin has extensive anthracite deposits, more than 3.3 times as much as is estimated for bituminous coals in the region.

United Kingdom - Wales has Anthracite (Aberpergwym), and there are (or were, that is) several other fields mainly located in the South region of England producing it.

United States : Large Anthracite deposits are found in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Virginia. Some deposits are located in Western Arkansas and in a region which lies partly in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The Rocky Mountains have small deposits that are not commercial quality and quantity, as does Oregon and Washington State.

Venezuela - Semi-Anthracite can be found in the Coro district of the State of Falcon.

Vietnam - the only known coal deposits in Vietnam are Anthracite, manily found in the Nong-Son area.

Zaire - has small Anthracite deposits that are not commercially mined.

Zimbabwe - small Anthracite deposits which are mined for heating and cooking (not coking) use.

I hope this helps.

4

Thanks, now I understand why Welsh coal was the preferred fuel for steam locomotives, to the extent that some were designed run at their best on it.

5

Rather surprising. I was unaware that the northwest had any fossil fuels. Must have come here from somewhere else.

6

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by dtilque *
**

Obviously you’ve never been to Flaming Geyser State Park.

FWIW, Newcastle and Black Diamond are both named for their coal deposits.

7

Uhm, it occurs to me that some of these place names may not be familiar to all of you. They are all in King County, State of Washington. King County is the county where the city of Seattle resides.

Newcastle is a suburb just south of Bellevue. Black Diamond is a small community somewhat south of there and Flaming Geyser State Park is just south (and a little west) of Black Diamond.

Flaming Geyser State Park is named for a natural gas fountain which is located therein. If you light the gas escaping from the fountain it will maintain a flame 4 to 6 inches tall. According to the conveniently mounted plaque the fountain was once much more vigorous (5 or 6 foot flame) but coal-mining activity early in the twentieth century (i.e., in Black Diamond) greatly reduced its outflow.

FWIW, Black Diamond, although a small town, has two of the best places to eat in South King County – The Black Diamond Bakery and The Dinner House.

8

Hey, just a mentioning… I live in good ol’ PA and there is Antracite Coal up here, and its not all too far north I believe… Off the top of my head, LocaWana Coal Mine has (or used to have) some Antracite Coal :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: (Btw, My spelling DOES suck and I’m too tired to fix it) ;’)

9

Anth, you are having way too much fun with this.

Someone please ask a question about Montreal’s metro. Please, please, please…

10

Anth, would you be so kind as to explain why there is such a disparity in the distribution of coal between the Eastern and Western regions. I am aware that the Appalachian mountains are much older than those of the West but it still seems odd. I would think that continental uplift would have allowed for the accumulation of organic matter in fairly similar patterns on either coast. Was the existence of an inland sea on the great plains part of the reason for this dramatic difference?

Just curious.