Anthracite Fields Exhausted?
- markjbeckert
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Good day friends, I just read on-line that the Anthracite fields of Pennsylvania are almost exhausted. I was under the impression that there was a 200+ year supply left. Is there any truth to this?
Last edited by markjbeckert on Sat. Apr. 01, 2017 6:13 am, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: Moved to Anthracite Coal News and General Discussion
Reason: Moved to Anthracite Coal News and General Discussion
- Richard S.
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The 200 year supply you often hear mentioned is total resources in the country both anthracite and soft coal. Of course soft coal makes up the bulk, anthracite is just a blip.
Just to put this chart into perspective the very top of this pyramid in dark brown at active mines represents about 2 decades. The second part is the important one as it's known reserves that can be mined, e.g. they are excluding things like if the coal is under a town or not feasible to extract. That is where the two centuries come from. We burn about 1 billion tons per year but they take into account increased usage. It's actually closer to about 175 years.
As far as anthracite goes I'm not aware of specific information however I have sen numbers like 6 billion to 10 billion tons but I believe that includes everything. If they were able to mine all of it at current consumption rates that is a few thousand years give or take a thousand. The point of course is that it's lot but a lot of it is inaccessible. Whatever the case I wouldn't go worrying about it.
Just to put this chart into perspective the very top of this pyramid in dark brown at active mines represents about 2 decades. The second part is the important one as it's known reserves that can be mined, e.g. they are excluding things like if the coal is under a town or not feasible to extract. That is where the two centuries come from. We burn about 1 billion tons per year but they take into account increased usage. It's actually closer to about 175 years.
As far as anthracite goes I'm not aware of specific information however I have sen numbers like 6 billion to 10 billion tons but I believe that includes everything. If they were able to mine all of it at current consumption rates that is a few thousand years give or take a thousand. The point of course is that it's lot but a lot of it is inaccessible. Whatever the case I wouldn't go worrying about it.
- markjbeckert
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Awesome, thank you for the info Richard, the info I found on the web wasn't accurate at all. Thanks again.
I believe Blaschak just spent a few million upgrading their breaker and developing new mines. Not sure the investors would allow that kind of money to be spent if they weren't positive they would get a return. I think the article is just blowing smoke.
- anthony7812
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Haha reminds me of a coworker that tried talkin me outta buying my Harman. Dude they are running out of coal then what are you gonna do? I look back and think to myself, I won't need to burn coal when I'm 6ft under.
- Richard S.
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What are you grandkids grandkids going to do when they have no coal to burn in that same Harman.anthony7812 wrote: I won't need to burn coal when I'm 6ft under.
- anthony7812
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Havent you seen the pretty LED's they put in antique stoves nowadaysRichard S. wrote:What are you grandkids grandkids going to do when they have no coal to burn in that same Harman.anthony7812 wrote: I won't need to burn coal when I'm 6ft under.
- lsayre
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The anthracite fields of today are only a ghost of their former glorious past. it is only modern technology and high prices that have kept the ghost alive.
Much like oil production in the USA, most of the easy to get (high grade and very low cost) stuff is long gone, and what remains is costly to recover, and/or remains because the wherewithall to recover it in decades past did not exist.
Much like oil production in the USA, most of the easy to get (high grade and very low cost) stuff is long gone, and what remains is costly to recover, and/or remains because the wherewithall to recover it in decades past did not exist.
- Richard S.
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Larry. I would have to disagree. There is simply not enough demand. Back in about 2000 they had so much coal over at Hudson sitting on the ground they were running out of room to put it and if you have been to Hudson you'll understand that was a lot. There might have been a years worth of production sitting there.
- lsayre
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From what I have read anthracite production peaked between roughly 1914 to 1918 and went into terminal decline at that point. Demand for anthracite did not decline before production output declined. In 1915 there were a peak of 177,000 anthracite miners. In 1918 production itself peaked at 99.6 million tons. By 1950 the output was only 46 million tons, but by then the alternatives had already made strong inroads.
Military ships were abandoning coal by 1910 and switching to oil.
Coal production in the USA (all forms) peaked in 1998, if measured in BTU's. Canada peaked in 1997 using this method. China will likely peak in 2015.
Coal production in bulk lbs. will not peak in the USA until around the year 2150, but by then the BTU output will be way down.
That said: With the resurgence of late for home heating and primarily Asian steel production, it may currently be true that demand is presently outstripping supply. The Asian steel mills seem to like to use anthracite in place of coke.
Military ships were abandoning coal by 1910 and switching to oil.
Coal production in the USA (all forms) peaked in 1998, if measured in BTU's. Canada peaked in 1997 using this method. China will likely peak in 2015.
Coal production in bulk lbs. will not peak in the USA until around the year 2150, but by then the BTU output will be way down.
That said: With the resurgence of late for home heating and primarily Asian steel production, it may currently be true that demand is presently outstripping supply. The Asian steel mills seem to like to use anthracite in place of coke.
- ntp71
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At the rate the City of Hazleton is falling apart it might be a good idea to tear everything down and mine underneath it. Then in a hundred years they can rebuild the City from scratch.
Just my thoughts on the area I formerly lived in.
Just my thoughts on the area I formerly lived in.
- lsayre
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I believe the official technical definition of "peak anything" (anthracite, oil, etc...) is when all of the remaining resource sums to less than the sum of all of the already extracted resource.