This Earthcache will bring you to an area that was once one of Beverly's many coal mines, and an information plaque. It had me wondering about coal, and lead to this earthcache. Enjoy.
Questions:
1-reading the plaque and the information on this cache page, how many meters of peat/layered vegetation was there before it was compressed into the Beverly Coal Seam?
2- Do you see any evidence today of the former coal mine (43rd St and 121st Ave)?
3-The plaque states the South Tunnel ran towards what street? How long would it take you to walk there from here?
4- what type of mining happened at this site?
"In the early twentieth century Alberta was one of Canada’s main producers of coal. Several coal deposits run through the Edmonton area. The largest is the Clover Bar seam in northeast Edmonton, which is located underneath the Beverly area. The coal mined around Edmonton had a relatively high moisture and ash content. Considered domestic coal, it was used primarily to heat homes in Alberta, though some was exported to neighbouring provinces." http://https://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/edmonton_archives/mining-in-beverly
How Coal is formed:
Coal is considered a non-renewable resource. The start of coal development happened about 300 million years ago, during the Carboniferous period. Earth was covered in wide, shallow seas and dense forests. The seas occasionally flooded the forested areas, trapping plants and algae at the bottom of a swampy wetland. Over time, the plants (mostly mosses) and algae were buried and compressed under the weight of overlying mud and vegetation.
As the plant debris sifted deeper under Earth’s surface, it encountered increased temperatures and higher pressure. Mud and acidic water prevented the plant matter from coming into contact with oxygen. Due to this, the plant matter decomposed at a very slow rate and retained most of its carbon (source of energy).
These areas of buried plant matter are called peat bogs. Peat bogs store massive amounts of carbon many meters underground. Peat itself can be burned for fuel, and is a major source of heat energy in countries such as Scotland, Ireland, and Russia.
Under the right conditions, peat transforms into coal through a process called carbonization. Carbonization takes place under incredible heat and pressure. About three meters (10 feet) of layered vegetation eventually compresses into a third of a meter (one foot) of coal!
Coal exists in underground formations called “coal seams” or “coal beds.” A coal seam can be as thick as 30 meters (90 feet) and stretch 1,500 kilometers (920 miles).
Types/stages of Coal formation:
PEAT:an accumulation of partially decayed organic matter
Considered the precurser to Coal
LIGNITE:brown in colour
the lowest rank of coal
From relatively young coal deposits, about 250 million years old.
BITUMOUS:a sedimentary rock, usually black, or sometimes dark brown and often with well-defined bands of bright and dull material.
formed under more heat and pressure
100 million to 300 million years old.
Anthracite: A black sedementary rock, harder, more dense, and more lustrous than other types of coal.
Formed under the most pressure, and typically found in areas that have undergone stressful geologic activity, such as Mountain Formation.
Types of Coal Mining:
SURFACE MINING: Sediment, Vegetation and Rock is removed from the area until the coal is exposed
Majorly alters the environment
Most cost effective way of mining
UNDERGROUND MINING: A mine shaft is built from the surface to deep underground to carry miners to the coal deposit, where they extract the coal and it is brought back up to surface.
less altering of the environment, however more dangerous to humans
Risks are underground explosions, suffocation, and exposure to toxic gases. As well "black" Lung: from breathing in
coal dust
Resources: https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/coal/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/mapping-edmonton-s-long-forgotten-coal-mines-1.3455285
https://beverly-history.ca/events-and-projects/historical-marker-project/
https://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/edmonton_archives/mining-in-beverly