Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the earth. Coal is valued for its energy content, and, since the 1880s, has been widely used to create electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production.
In the United States, coal production is the highest it has been since 1988. In the UK, it is the second largest source of electricity; and it is estimated that around two billion tonnes of coal is mined globally each year.
Coal mining can be carried out both on land and underground. The most common type of mining is surface mining, in which coal seams are extracted from the ground exposed by bulldozers. This type of mining is used to extract coal from shallow depths or thick seams, as well as to mine coal located close to the surface.
Underground mining is used where the resources are too deep to reach by surface mining, or where there are inaccessible resources. Coal is located in seams or coal beds and the process of underground coal mining involves Coal face preparation involving the removal of overburden layers. This is done with the use of a variety of mining methods such as longwall mining, room and pillar mining and drift mining.
Submarine coal mining is a dangerous activity as it requires divers and engineers to descend to the bottom of a body of water and use explosives to extract the coal from the seabed. It requires the use of specialized equipment and is therefore, a far more expensive and elaborate procedure than that of surface mining. In the past, submarine coal mining has been used in shallow waters such as those found in China, where it is the majority of coal production. Underwater mining is also currently being explored in the waters off of the US Atlantic coast, which contain an estimated 6 billion tons of coal reserves.
The dangers associated with submarine coal mining are numerous, and include the health and safety risks posed by the operation of large and heavy machinery underwater, as well as the risk of drowning due to leaks in the machinery or drowning due to collapses of the underwater tunnels. The pressure of the water at deep depths in the ocean also poses a challenge to divers, who must wear special protective equipment to prevent decompression sickness.
Submarine coal mining also poses an environmental risk, as it has been shown to have a detrimental impact on the seafloor ecosystem. The large and heavy machinery used in the process can damage corals, which take centuries to grow, and can disturb the delicate balance of the marine environment.
Despite the numerous dangers associated with submarine coal mining, it is a lucrative business for some energy-hungry countries. As environmental concerns about the use of coal become increasingly prominent, it is more important than ever for submarine coal miners and the companies that employ them to be aware of the environmental impacts their activities may have, and to take all necessary precautions to prevent damage to the seafloor ecosystem.
