The earthcache will bring you to Rudy Mines Trails. This park is part of Ben Hawes City Park. The trails are for hiking and Mountain bike riding. It opens about 7:00 am and close at 6:30 pm. The area here was a coal mine back in the 1900's. It was ran by George Herr Rudy and Henry Overstreet. In 1910, they were conducting a large business with 25 men with annual payroll of $12,000. The mining process was down in the shaft of mine with equipment and men lowered down into the depths. The mine closed in 1954. The outbuildings on the grounds of the park have signs telling about different aspects of coal mining at this mine. So when you are walking around the park, you will be walking on top of the old mine below. But with all the signs and trails and mountain bike riding, this EC is about COAL.
Geology
The coal mined here at Rudy Mines was Springfield coal. It is in the Carbondale Formation(Middle Pennsylvanian) in the Western Kentucky Coal Field of the Illinois Basin.
Origin of Coal
Coal derives from dead organic matter, but in this case the source is mainly land plants. This process of physically and chemically to form coal is "Coalification."Several criteria must be met for coal to form. First, there must be abundant land plants living and dying. Coal is unknown in rocks older than about 425 million years. It is particularly abundant in sequence formed at certain times between about 350 and 50 million years ago. Second requirement is that dead plant material should accumulate in an environment lacking oxygen to prevent oxidation. Swamps meet these first two criteria very well, having abundant vegetation and a stagnant water table coinciding with the sediment surface. The organic rich soil here is described as peat. The next criteria for coal deposit is that there should be rapid subsidence to allow a sufficient thickness to accumulate. Ten feet of peat compacts down to only 1 feet of coal. The final requirement is that deposit should be buried to hundreds of feet to enable peat to be turned into coal. All four requirements are met in delta environments, a swampy delta top where peat can accumulate is continously subsiding under the weight of sediment. If the main distributary channel of the delta switches , the old delta top may be buried by marine or delta front sediments. The Kentucky coalfields formed in this way about 300 million years ago, in the latter half of the period of geologic time called Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian).
Classification and Rank of Coal
The kind of coal, are lignite (brown coal-immature), sub-bituminous, bituminous, and anthracite (mature). Coal starts off as peat. After considerable amount of time, heat, and pressure, it is formed from peat to lignite. Lignite is considered to be first stage of coal development because it is still somewhat light in color and remains soft. As times passes, lignite increases in maturity by becoming darker and harder and is then classified as sub-bituminous coal. As this process of burial and alteration continues, more chemical and physical changes occur and the coal is classified as bituminous. At this point the coal is dark and hard. Anthracite is the last of the classifications, and this terminology is used when the coal has reached ultimate maturation. Anthracite coal is very hard and shiny. The degree of alternation that occurs as coal matures from peat to anthracite is referred to as the "rank" of the coal. Low rank coals include lignite and sub-bituminous coals. These coals have a lower energy content because they have a low carbon content. They are lighter and have higher moisture levels. As time, and heat and pressure all increase, the rank of coal does as well. High rank coals, including bituminous and anthracite coals, contain more carbon, which results in much higher energy content. They have a more shiny appearance and lower moisture content then lower rank coals.
As there is no visible coal at the Rudy Mines Trails. There was a core sample done in the entrance to the park. Three in total and came up with on average of 49'+- of coal still beneath the park. With the maps above give some insight on the time period of coal forming, what type of coal is down below, on how it is formed, and rank of coal.
Now with the questions and answers. All answers will be found in the signs or description of Earthcache. Please send thru my email the answers below. If posted in the log will be deleted. THANKS
1. What was this area, to produce coal?
2. What is the name of the process to turn peat to coal?
3. What is the rank of coal here in Western Kentucky?
4. How deep was the coal mine?
5. What is the layer or seam number of the Springfield coal in the Western Kentucky Coal Fields?
