Coal was discovered in the fire pits of cave dwellings, supplying evidence it has been used as a source of energy throughout man’s history.
The Chinese considered coal a ‘stone that could burn’ and were mining it over 3000 years ago.
The Greek scientist, Theophrastus, recorded the use of coal for smelting metal around 300 BC and the Romans used coal to heat their public baths.
The increased use of coal for power generation in Britain in the 18th century fuelled the global Industrial Revolution.
Coal is a combustible sedimentary rock found in layers under the earth known as coal seams or coal beds. Considered a fossil fuel, coal is formed when the build-up of organic material and fossil remains is pressurised over millions of years by layers of sediment, causing a breakdown of this material into hydrocarbons (referred to as ‘coalification’).
During its formation over millions of years, coal matures from a soft peat, through to its hardest form, graphite. Depending on both its colour and composition, the product is classified as brown coal or black coal.
Black coal is the highest grade of coal and includes sub-bituminous and bituminous coal, through to shiny black anthracite. Graphite is technically the hardest form of coal, however, it does not easily ignite and is used in pencils and lubricants, rather than energy production.
Coal is primarily composed of carbon (from 50 to 98 per cent) and hydrogen (3 to 13 percent) with the remainder comprised of varying amounts of oxygen, sulphur and nitrogen. Black coal has a relatively high carbon content (71 to 91 percent) and low moisture content (under 10 percent).
The coal deposits at the site are estimated to be more than 150 million-years-old and the tunnels of the mine encompasses nearly 5,000 kilometres, forming an underground ring around the town of Wonthaggi.
The site is located adjacent to the former railway line to Melbourne via Wonthaggi. Rising from its beginnings as a make shift 'Tent Town', Wonthaggi quickly grew to the thriving town we know today.
Operating from 1909 to 1968, the State Coal Mine produced almost 17 million tonnes of coal for Victoria's industries and railways. Today the precinct is operated by Parks Victoria and is open for the public to explore the heritage mine site.
The State Coal Mine is the only historic coal mine experience in the Southern Hemisphere. The attraction offers visitors a journey back in time to discover what life working in a coal mine was like in the 1900s. It is an educational experience, predominantly for families, to tour the underground network of tunnels and learn how Victoria's men extracted the black gold.
Bibliography: parks.vic.gov.au
To log this cache please answer the following questions. They can be found by wandering around the site where no fee is required.
1. Explain the difference between black and brown coal
2. Please post, with your Find log, a photo of yourself or a personal item that identifies you, near a display around the Coal Mine
Once you complete the EarthCache requirements you can post your find without delay, as per the EarthCache guidelines. You will also need to verify your find by sending me a message (or email) and provide your answer to the question.
CONGRATULATIONS TO SUREFOOT24 ON FTF