| !!! ATTENTION: Access to this site is seasonal (the west section of Lake Minnewanka road is closed from mid October to end of May each year). In case of doubt, please contact the Banff visitor centre banff.vrc@pc.gc.ca or check the trail condition report in advance !!!
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The Black Gold of Cascade Mountain
“Coal dust under the nails, so he came home from work.
Tired and almost deaf from all the noise, so it went day in and day out.
Down in the mountain there was always night and he broke out the coal there.
But if you asked why he does it he looked proud and happy too - and he said,
Black gold is the heart of the night and as long as it beats the world will turn and go on.
Black gold is like a gem which lies in the dark but it glows in the fire and keeps the people warm.
[…]
Black gold, hidden deep in the mountain and who is looking for you has often cursed you because your price is high. Black gold, millions of years old, is as cold as ice, but it is burning so hot like the sunshine.”
(Text excerpts from the German song "Schwarzes Gold" by Peter Alexander - English translation)
Introduction: This Earthcache takes you to the remnants of coal mining in Bankhead. Coal was dug out from the heart of the Cascade Mountain from 1904 to 1922. The questions about this Earthcache can all be answered in the exhibition area at the listed coordinates. If you are not in a hurry, I recommend taking the short self-guided tour that leads you past several ruins and old mining equipment in the counterclockwise direction. Signs at the stations provide interesting additional information and you can also observe many ground squirrels. But please stay safe and keep children under supervision, as coal tar (a carcinogenic substance) and deep, eroding foundations can also be found on the site of the former mine.
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On the subject: Coal is a brownish-black to black sedimentary rock that can be found on all continents and has been formed by the carbonization of plant residues that has lasted for millions of years. In a first phase, a biochemical process takes place. Cellulose and lignin in dead plants are converted into humic substances by fungi and bacteria, resulting in peat. As more and more plant remains accumulate over the years, the peat is compacted and dehydrated, forming powerful peat layers as the area of education subsides. If the area is superimposed by river sediments or oceans and rises again later, new peat layers can be formed again. During this first phase, the dry matter carbon content increases from about 40% to over 60%.
The second phase is geochemical, the water content continues to decrease. From 75% at the border peat to lignite up to 10% at the border brown coal to hard coal, which contains in the end no more cellulose and lignin. In the case of hard coal, the separation of methane and other groups is particularly important, as this is how the rock-forming elements of coal, the so-called macerates, form. The less methane is contained, the lower the risk of mine explosions.
(Source:https://www.ucsusa.org/clean-energy/all-about-coal/how-coal-works)
Regarding this complex and protracted development process, it is not surprising that bituminous coal is much older in geological terms and usually comes from the marsh forests of the Carboniferous period (358.9-298.9 million years before our time), while lignite has its origin in the warm climate of the Tertiary (66-2.6 million years before our time). Bituminous coal in western Canada can be younger and come from the Jurassic or Cretaceous periods.
In general, the higher the carbon content, the higher the quality of coal. Lignite at the lower end of the scale contains 60-75% carbon, anthracite, the highest quality coal, which is highly valued for its almost residue-free combustion and hot flame fuel, and which also passes through the Cascade Mountain, over 92%.
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German Classification
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English Designation
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Volatiles %
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C Carbon %
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H Hydrogen %
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O Oxygen %
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S Sulfur %
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Heat content kJ/kg
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Braunkohle
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Lignite (brown coal)
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45–65
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60–75
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6.0–5.8
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34–17
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0.5–3
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<28,470
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Flammkohle
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Flame coal
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40–45
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75–82
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6.0–5.8
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>9.8
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~1
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<32,870
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Gasflammkohle
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Gas flame coal
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35–40
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82–85
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5.8–5.6
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9.8–7.3
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~1
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<33,910
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Gaskohle
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Gas coal
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28–35
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85–88
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5.6–5.0
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7.3–4.5
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~1
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<34,960
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Fettkohle
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Fat coal
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19–28
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88–90
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5.0–4.5
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4.5–3.2
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~1
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<35,380
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Esskohle
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Forge coal
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14–19
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90–91
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4.5–4.0
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3.2–2.8
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~1
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<35,380
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Magerkohle
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Nonbaking coal
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10–14
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91–92
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4.0–3.8
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2.8–3.5
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~1
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35,380
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Anthrazit
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Anthracite
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7–12
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>92
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<3.75
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<2.5
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~1
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<35,300
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Note, the percentages are percent by mass of the indicated elements
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(Source:https://www.ucsusa.org/clean-energy/all-about-coal/how-coal-works)
Historically, the mining and exploitation of coal is traced at least as far as the Celts. Coal was then used primarily as a solid fuel for heat generation. For centuries, however, the readily available wood was a leader in fuel economy. Only with the economic and commercial upswing at the end of the Middle Ages did coal become more and more widely used as an alternative fuel, as wood became scarcer. In the 17th and 18th centuries, coal finally became the engine of the industrial revolution, and even the spread of the railroad would have been unthinkable without coal. For this purpose, the coal was also promoted in Bankhead. Today, oil has long outdone coal as a fossil fuel.
Of course, the mining methods continued to develop throughout history as well: From surface mines, in which coal was dug out in open-pits, to highly technical underground mining methods.
(Source:https://cgrijalva.community.uaf.edu/coal-mining-methods/)
The coal seams, means the extensive deposits of coal in the rock, do not always run horizontally, but may also be discarded or interrupted by the plate tectonic orogeny, since they always run parallel to the stratification. An unfavorable course of the seam can make mining difficult and increase costs.
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The questions:
- How many tons of anthracite have been dug out by the Bankhead miners?
- Name some of the purposes coal has been used for around 1900.
- a) Describe the run of the coal seams in Cascade Mountain. How does it look like?
b) Which effect had this run on the method of digging out the coal? Describe the method used in Bankhead.
- Think about the environmental aspects of underground mining. Is it an environmentally friendly activity or not? Explain your opinion.
- Optional, but highly appreciated: Post a picture with you and/ or your GPS at your favorite spot in the Bankhead Coal Mine area.
And now? Please send the answers to me BEFORE posting the log entry, preferably via message center and not by e-mail. A separate approval will not follow, you are allowed to log immediately after answering the questions. If something is wrong, I'll contact you. If no responses are sent to a log entry, I will delete it without further notice!
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Es ist auch möglich, mir die Fragen auf Deutsch zu beantworten:
- Wievele Tonnen Anthrazit wurde von den Bergleuten von Bankhead gefördert?
- Nenne einige der Zwecke, zu denen Kohle um das Jahr 1900 herum verwendet wurde.
- a) Beschreibe den Flözverlauf im Cascade Mountain. Wie sieht er aus?
b) Welche Auswirkungen hatte dieser Flözverlauf auf die Abbaumethode in Bankhead? Beschreibe die in Bankhead gebrauchte Methode.
- Denke an die Umweltauswirkungen von Untertage-Minen. Sind diese umweltfreundlich oder nicht? Erkläre wieso.
- Optional, aber sehr geschätzt: Mache ein Foto von Dir und/oder Deinem GPS an Deinem Lieblingsort im ehamaligen Minengebiet von Bankhead.
Und jetzt? Bitte sende die Antworten VOR Verfassen des Logeintrags an mich, vorzugsweise per Message-Center und nicht per E-Mail. Eine gesonderte Freigabe erfolgt nicht, Ihr dürfte nach Beantwortung der Fragen sofort loggen. Falls etwas nicht stimmt, melde ich mich. Wenn zu einem Logeintrag keine Antworten gesendet werden, werde ich ihn ohne vorherige Ankündigung löschen.
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Sources (English):
https://hikingwithbarry.com/2017/06/04/lower-bankhead-banff-national-park-hiking-alberta
https://www.ucsusa.org/clean-energy/all-about-coal/how-coal-works
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal
https://www.pmfias.com/coal-formation-of-coal-types-of-coal-peat-lignite-bituminous-coal-anthracite-coal/
Sources (German):
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohle
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steinkohle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEJegS-3MuI&list=RDiEJegS-3MuI&index=1
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