coal mining

Introduction
History
- Ancient use of outcropping coal
- Developments in mine entry
  - Shafts
  - Hoisting
- Ventilation
- From manual to mechanized extraction
  - Conventional mining
  - Development of continuous mining
  - Origins of longwall mining
  - Roof support
- Haulage
  - Manual labour to electric power
  - Mechanized loading
  - Conveyors
- Preparation
Coal deposits
- Formation
  - Coalification
  - Major coal eras
  - Rank and grade
- Resources and reserves
  - Distribution worldwide
  - Economic factors
Prospecting and exploration
- Mapping
- Drilling
  - Spatial patterns
  - Core drilling and rotary drilling
  - Dozer cutting
- Geophysical exploration
Choosing a mining method
Surface mining
- Mining methods
  - Contour strip mining
  - Area strip mining
  - Open-pit mining
  - Auger mining
- Equipment
  - Dozers and scrapers
  - Drilling and blasting
  - Shovels and trucks
  - Draglines
  - Wheel excavators
  - Coal removal
  - Reclamation equipment
Underground mining
- Mining methods
  - Room-and-pillar mining
  - Longwall mining
  - Shortwall mining
  - Thick-seam mining
- Auxiliary and unit operations
  - Access
  - Ground control and roof support
  - Haulage
  - Ventilation
  - Monitoring and control
  - Health, safety, and environment
Coal preparation
- Levels of cleaning
- Preparation steps
  - Characterization
  - Liberation
  - Separation
  - Disposition
Coal transportation
- Railroads
- On-highway trucks
- Barges
- Conveyors
- Slurry pipelines
- Electric wire
- Ships

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

Mongolia: coal mine

The harsh realities of coal mining in the early 20th century

Children hauling coal up the slope of an English mine; from an engraving of the 1840s.

A longwall miner shearing coal at the face of a coal seam; from an underground mine in southern Ohio, U.S.

Inserting steel bolts to support the roof of an underground mine in West Virginia, U.S.

The never-ending underground fire of Centralia, Pennsylvania

Schematic diagram of a flotation separation cell.

coal miner loading a drill hole with an explosive

Company-owned coal miner homes, Holden, West Virginia, 1920s

At a Glance

default image

coal mining summary

Related Questions

coal mine — coal mine Schematic diagram of an underground coal mine, showing surface facilities, access shafts, and room-and-pillar and longwall mining methods.

coal mining

technology

Written by

Raja Venkat RamaniAll

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

coal mining, extraction of coal deposits from the surface of Earth and from underground. Coal is the most abundant fossil fuel on Earth. Its predominant use has always been for producing heat energy. It was the basic energy source that fueled the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries, and the industrial growth of that era in turn supported the large-scale exploitation of coal deposits. Since the mid-20th century, coal has yielded its place...

Discover the world with Britannica

Subscribe to Continue Reading

Free Trial | No Ads | Exclusive Content

Explore Subscriptions

DNA

Right

Mobile