1. Pennsylvania’s Abandoned Coal Mine
Fires
2018 PA Abandoned Mine Reclamation
Conference
June 21, 2018
Tom Wolf, Governor Patrick McDonnell, Secretary

2. •Location/Occurrences
•Description/Hazards
•Investigation/Monitoring & Remediation
Overview:

3. Abandoned Coal Mine Fires
in
Pennsylvania
Location/Occurrences:

8. Abandoned Coal Mine Fires
in
Pennsylvania
Description/Hazards:

9. HEAT

10. HEAT FROM
UNDERGROUND
BURNING
Glen Burn Fire
(Hickory Swamp)

11. HEAT FROM UNDERGROUND BURNING
Centralia Fire

12. HEAT FROM
UNDERGROUND
BURNING
Centralia

13. STEAM AND
SMOKE FROM
UNDERGROUND
BURNING
Centralia Fire
(Ashland Northeast)

14. SURFACE FIRES
FROM
UNDERGROUND
BURNING
Lansford East Fire
(Summit Hill Borough)

15. GASES

16. Surface Venting/Odors

17. TYPICAL TOXIC
GASES FROM
UNDERGROUND
BURNING
Centralia Fire
CO
CO2
CH4
H2S
SO2
Low O2

18. Monitor Borehole Gas Readings

19. Interconnected Mined Coal Beds
Section B-B' (orientation: looking westward) as modified from Engineering Analysis and Evaluation of the
Centralia Mine Fire, Volume 1, Figure 2.5, July 1983, Contract J5130057, GAI Consultants, Inc., for Office of
Surface Mining, U. S. Department of the Interior. (Horizontal Scale ≅ Vertical Scale)
Potential Burn Area - Above Mine
Pool And Buck Mountain Coal Bed
SOUTH
NORTH
Known
Burning Area in Buck
Mountain Coal Bed

20. Buck Mountain Mine Map
N

21. Intentional Chimney Venting

22. Centralia Pre-Relocation

23. Centralia Post-Relocation

24. SUBSIDENCE

25. HAZARDS TO A COMMUNITY

26. SUBSIDENCE

27. SUBSIDENCE
FROM
UNDERGROUND
BURNING
Centralia Fire
(Ashland Northwest)

28. SUBSIDENCE
FROM
UNDERGROUND
BURNING
Glen Burn Fire
(Cameron)

29. Heat
Gases
Subsidence
Hazards:

30. Abandoned Coal Mine Fires
in
Pennsylvania
Investigation/Monitoring
and Remediation:

31. VISUAL OBSERVATIONS

32. Burning Trash Near Coal Resource

33. Snow Melt and Ground Cracking

34. Snow Melt Observations

35. Distressed Vegetation

36. Odd Vegetation

37. THERMAL OBSERVATIONS

38. Thermal Monitoring

39. Thermal Monitoring

40. Thermal Surveys

41. Thermocouple Hand Probe

42. Thermocouple Hand Probe

43. SUBSURFACE EXPLORATION

44. Exploratory Drilling

45. Drilling Plan Based on Mine Maps

46. Typical Monitor Wells

47. Typical Monitor Well

48. Thermocouple Cable

49. Thermocouple Cable

50. Thermochron Temperature
Loggers

52. Thermal Monitoring Graphs
65
66
67
68
69
70
9/17/17 0:00 9/22/17 0:00 9/27/17 0:00 10/2/17 0:00 10/7/17 0:00 10/12/17 0:00 10/17/17 0:00 10/22/17 0:00
Temp
Date
Monitoring Well (C-11) Ibutton (B)
9/19 - 10/20/2017 Thermodata Temperatures (°F)
84
84.5
85
85.5
86
86.5
87
87.5
88
88.5
89
9/17/2017 0:00 9/22/2017 0:00 9/27/2017 0:00 10/2/2017 0:00 10/7/2017 0:00 10/12/2017 0:00 10/17/2017 0:00 10/22/2017 0:00 10/27/2017 0:00
Temperature
Date
Monitoring Well (R-43) Ibutton (P)
9/19 to 10/20/2017Thermodata Temperatures ( )℉

53. AIR MONITORING
(Gas Detection)

54. Centralia Fire

55. Industrial Gas Monitoring

57. Specialized Gas Monitoring (Hg)

58. Other Toxic Emissions
(Heavy Metals)

59. REMEDIATION

60. DO NOTHING
-OR-
DO SOMETHING

61. FIRE TRIANGLE

62. FIRE TETRAHEDRON

63. Total Excavation

64. Excavation of Hot Material

65. Frontal Excavation of Hot Material

66. Open Burning

67. Excavation of Isolation Trench

68. Isolation Trench

69. Excavation of Hot Material

70. Grout Barrier and Fill

71. Combination Grouting and Excavation

72. Surface Sealing

73. Pittsburgh Coal Bed – Renton Mine Map

74. Other Remediation Options
Water Injection
Fire Fighting Foam Injection
Cryogenic Injection

75. Visual Observations
Thermal Observations
Subsurface Exploration
(Gas and Temperature Monitoring)
Typical Remediation Methods
Investigation/Monitoring
and Remediation:

77. Tim Altares
taltares@pa.gov