World's coal dependency hits environment (The "Dark side" of the world's growing use of coal)

AP on Yahoo ^ | 11/4/07 | Michael Casey -ap

[Robert A Cook PE]

Hmmmn.

Alaska ever put out those (natural) burning fires up in the Yukon area that have been burning for thousands of tons of coal every year for tens of thousands of years ...

[thackney]

I understand that Alaska has 3 billion tons of anthracite coal

Alaska has a lot of coal, but not anthracite quality.

The majority of the Alaskan coal is lignite, sub-bituminous and bituminous. A few years ago, estimates of Alaska's coal resources placed them at approximately 130 billion tons. Now, largely because of better knowledge about the coal beneath the North Slope and the offshore area beyond, the estimates range from 1,860 billion to 5,000 billion tons.

Alaska Science Forum, Alaska's Coal Article #492
http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF4/492.html
June 26, 1981

Largely untapped, hypothetical coal resources of Alaska are estimated to be as much as 5,500 billion short tons.

The Cretaceous coal resources, generally of bituminous and lignite rank, are found mainly in the Northern Alaska-North Slope coal province with 120 billion short tons of identified resources and 3,200 billion short tons of undiscovered or hypothetical resources. Minor Tertiary lignite and subbituminous coal resources are found in the Northern Alaska-North Slope coal province with 670 billion short tons of undiscovered or hypothetical resources.

Most of the Tertiary coal resources, mainly lignite to subbituminous with minor bituminous and semianthracite, are in the Central Alaska-Nenana and Southern Alaska-Cook Inlet coal provinces with as much as 1,600 billion short tons of identified and undiscovered or hypothetical resources. Identified Tertiary coal resources in these two provinces are as much as 19,300 million short tons.

Alaska Coal Resources and Coalbed Methane Potential
U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2198
http://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/b2198/B2198-508.pdf
February 6, 2003

[trane250]

The largest fields of anthracite coal in the United States are found in Northeastern Pennsylvania called the Coal Region, where there are 7 billion short tons (6.4 petagrams) of minable reserves. Deposits at Crested Butte, Colorado were mined historically. Anthracite deposits of an estimated 3 billion short tons (2.7 Pg) in Alaska have never been mined.

http://www.answers.com/anthracite

[Robert A Cook PE]

Hmmmmn.

Of course, actually mining coal (in a classic sense) underneath freezing waters like the North Slope “may” prove a bit difficult (water getting in the seat of the coal trucks, for example) but one “could” envision a coal-to-gas conversion underground - then extract the gas, or coal-to-liquid conversion - then burn the liquid locally on the surface.

But of course, one would then need to imagine a country wanting to be energy independent - rather than energy dependent - as well.

[RightWhale]

That sickly sweet smell says that they're burning soft coal in Fairbanks.

Anthracite is too valuable to burn in household furnaces. The stuff we get here is better than bituminous but has a lot of clay content.

[thackney]

By most estimates, Alaska possesses about half of the coal reserves of the US, and 1/8th of the world’s coal. The North Slope is estimated to have coal deposits between 2 and 5 trillion short tons, which includes speculative unproven resources such as off Alaska’s Arctic Ocean coast.

The types of coal found in Alaska include lignite, sub-bituminous and bituminous, which tend to have a low sulfur content, resulting in less sulfur dioxide emissions. Alaska’s coal is “young” coal, aging from 30 to 130 million years ago, with a high water content. The best types of coals are ‘cooked’ underground: high-quality bituminous and anthracite formed about 300 million years ago. The coal of highest ‘rank’, anthracite, is not found in Alaska.

Coal: Alaska's Other Black Gold

http://www.insurgent49.com/yanity_black_gold.html

[hoosierham]

Let's use American coal,oil,gas,hydro,nuclear,wind,solar,animal, and people power where each makes the most sense.

If we didn't subsidize the terrorists it just might be easier to fight them.

Our leaders seem determined to send the wealth of America out of the country anyway possible.

And foreign aid ,often to both sides , is mostly just nuts.

Oh, for a Constitutional government.

[thackney]

The Anthracite information at your answers.com was sourced from Wikepedia. That is not a very reliable source of information as anyone can edit it.

[Reform Canada]

FReepmail me to get on or off

Click on POGW graphic for full GW rundown

New!!: Dr. John Ray's
GREENIE WATCH

Ping me if you find one I've missed.

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[trane250]

The coal of highest ‘rank’, anthracite, is not found in Alaska.

Thanks for the correction. Wiki is certainly not the most precise reference. Maybe they were confusing semi-anthracite with anthracite?

I never knew that there was so much coal in and around Alaska. Throw in the 14 billion barrels of petroleum already extracted from the North Slope and the billions yet to be extracted plus billions in ANWR and Seward's folly sure paid off big.

[trane250]

Anthracite is too valuable to burn in household furnaces. The stuff we get here is better than bituminous but has a lot of clay content.

I am from the anthracite region of Pennsylvania. Anthracite is the ideal fuel for home and commercial heating. It burns slowly and cleanly. No smell. No soot. Bituminous coal burns fast and produces a lot of heat which makes it ideal for power plants and steam locomotives. But it stinks up the neighborhood if burned in a coal stove.

[thackney]

I didn’t notice the wiki reference at first. After I went back to Answers.com trying to find their source, then I noticed.