Fossil coal. History, mining

Finding

This graph shows the dependence of the percentage of ore blocks on the absolute height.

Sometimes you can be so lucky.

Removed all blocks from the chunk, except for ores and bedrock.

Another view.

In Minecraft Beta, there is the following distribution of ores by height (height starts from the bottom of the bedrock). After Beta 1.8, the upper limit for finding gold, redstone and diamonds is 2 blocks lower.

Ore type	The usual location for…	Most often found on…	Rarely between...	Never higher...
ordinary world
coal ore	Height 128	Height 29	Height 129-131	Height 132
Iron ore	Height 64	Height 35	Height 65-67	Height 68
Gold Ore	Height 29	Height 20	Height 31-33	Height 34
emerald ore	Height 29	Height 20	Height 29-31	Height 33
lapis lazuli ore	Height 23	Height 14	Height 31-33	Height 33
red ore	Height 15	Height 8	Height 16	Height 17
Diamond ore	Height 12	Height 10	Height 13-15	Height 16
lower world
quartz ore	128	unknown	unknown	unknown

Based on experimental data
Only in the mountain biome.

Red ore is located on the same level as diamond ore, but it generates 8 times per chunk versus 1 time per chunk for diamond.

Origin of deposits

The largest basins and deposits of brown coal are characteristic of the Mesozoic-Cenozoic deposits. The exception is the Lower Carboniferous brown coals of the East European Platform (Podmoskovny Basin). In Europe, brown coal deposits are associated almost exclusively with deposits of the Neogene-Paleogene age, in Asia - predominantly Jurassic, to a lesser extent Cretaceous and Paleogene-Neogene, on other continents - Cretaceous and Paleogene-Neogene. In Russia, the main reserves of brown coal are confined to the Jurassic deposits.

A significant part of brown coal lies at shallow depths in coal seams (deposits) with a thickness of 10-60 m, which allows them to be mined in an open way. In some deposits, the thickness of the deposits is 100–200 m.

The material for the formation of brown coal was various pyalpas, coniferous and deciduous trees and peat plants, the gradual decomposition of which under water, without air access, under cover and mixed with clay and sand, gradually leads to the enrichment of decaying plant residues with carbon with the constant release of volatile substances . One of the first stages of such decay, after peat, is brown coal, the further decomposition of which ends with the transformation into coal and anthracite and even graphite.

Such a transition of plant remains from the slightly decayed state of peat through lignite, brown, coal and anthracite, and finally into pure carbon - graphite is, of course, extremely slow and it is quite clear that the richer in carbon varieties of fossil coals, the older and their geological age. . Graphite and shungite are confined to the Azoic group, anthracite and coal to the Paleozoic, and brown coal to the Mesozoic and predominantly Cenozoic. However, coal is also found in Mesozoic deposits and, in view of the existence of a gradual transition between lignite and bituminous coal, it is customary for many to call fossil coals younger than the Cretaceous system lignite, and older ones - bituminous coal, although by their characteristics they would rather deserve the name brown coal.

The total world resources of brown coal are estimated (up to a depth of 600 m) at 4.9 trillion tons (1981), of which 1.3 trillion tons are accurately calculated, measured 0.3 trillion tons. The main reserves are concentrated in Russia, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland and Australia. Of these, Germany is the main supplier of brown coal, Russia is in second place.

How and how much coal is produced in the Russian Federation

This mineral is mined depending on the depth of location: open (in cuts) and underground (in mines) methods.

Between 2000 and 2015, underground production increased from 90.9 million tons to 103.7 million tons, while open-pit production increased by more than 100 million tons from 167.5 to 269.7 million tons. The amount of the mineral mined in the country during this period, broken down by production methods, see fig. one.

Rice. 1: Coal production in the Russian Federation from 2000 to 2015 by production method, in million tons

According to the Fuel and Energy Complex (FEC), in the Russian Federation in 2016, 385 million tons of black minerals were mined, which is 3.2% higher than the previous year. This allows us to draw a conclusion about the positive dynamics of the industry growth in recent years and about the prospects, despite the crisis.

The types of this mineral, mined in our country, are divided into power and coking coals.

In the total volume for the period from 2010 to 2015, the share of energy production increased from 197.4 to 284.4 million tons. 2.

Rice.

2: The structure of coal production in the Russian Federation by types for 2010-2015, in million tons.

Gold mining industry

Story

In 1843, by decree of the government, gold mining was allowed for private entrepreneurs in western Transbaikalia, in the Verkhneudinsk district, which at that time included the Vitim taiga, with collection in kind in favor of the Cabinet when gold was mined up to two pounds per year - 5%, from two to five poods - 10%, over five poods - 15%. Gold mining in Buryatia began in the Barguzin taiga in 1844 with work at the Innokentievskoye mine, on the Bugarikhta River (Tsipa basin) and Mariinsky, on the Baichikan stream, which flows into the Toloi River in the Tsipikan River system. On these two mines in 1844, 1031 pounds of sand were washed and gold was mined 7 spools 9 shares (30 grams 260 milligrams). The first information about gold-bearing placers discovered along the Bambuika River dates back to 1856 and is associated with the name of mining engineer V. M. Buivit. He discovered placers in the valleys of the springs of Teleshma and Zhitonda.

By 1861, there were 11 gold mining companies in the West-Zabaikalsky mining district, with a total of 25 mines. Of these, 15 mines were in the Barguzinsky district.

In the Soviet years, gold mining was carried out almost exclusively from placers and did not exceed 1.5-2 tons per year.

Main characteristic

Gold mining is one of the main items of income to the budget of Buryatia. Geologists have discovered more than 240 deposits of this precious metal on its territory[source not specified 1965 days]. Buryatia, occupying a little more than 2% of the area of Russia, contains large gold potential in its bowels [source not specified 1965 days]. In terms of balance reserves of gold, the Republic of Buryatia ranks 14th among the constituent entities of the Russian Federation[source not specified 1965 days]. In general, as of January 1, 2010, gold reserves in the republic amounted to 100.7 tons, the tested forecast resources of ore gold are estimated at 1311 tons[source not specified 1965 days]. In terms of gold mining, Buryatia ranks 9th in Russia and third in the Siberian Federal District.

The current state of the gold mining industry

Rich gold-quartz ore

Gold bars

With the commissioning of the Kholbinsky mine and the formation of the Buryatzoloto OJSC organization, the level of ore gold production began to increase by 150-600 kg annually. In 2000, the increase reached its maximum - 1000 kg. Between 2000 and 2008, the ratio of ore and placer gold production changed from 61% and 39% to 80% and 20%, respectively. At present, in Buryatia, most of the gold is mined from primary deposits. Gold mining is carried out in six regions of the republic, mainly in the Okinsky, Bauntovsky and Muisky regions.

The main gold mines and mines of Buryatia (as of 2009):
- Irokinda (production - 2329 kg)
- Kholbinsky (Samartinsky) (2 263 kg)
- Kedrovskoye (946 kg)
- Mine Tsipikansky (233 kg)
- Konevinskoye field (221kg)

The main gold mining organizations operating in Buryatia (as of 2012):
- OJSC Buryatzoloto (mines Irokinda, Kholbinsky) (mining - 4,170 kg)
- LLC "Artel Prospectors Western" (mine "Kedrovsky") (946kg)
- ZAO Vitimgeoprom (302 kg)
- LLC "Artel of Prospectors Sininda-1" (232 kg)
- LLC Artel Prospectors Kurba (208kg)
- OOO Khuzhir Enterprise (Konevinskoye field) (221kg)
- LLC "Priisk Tsipikansky" (233kg)

Dredge

In general, in the gold mining industry of Buryatia, there has been a steady downward trend in the volume of gold production. If the decrease in production from ore deposits is relatively weak (about 2% per year), then the annual decrease in the production of alluvial gold averages 440 kg (15–36%). Among the problems hindering the development of gold mining, the following should be singled out: 1) low provision of gold mining enterprises with explored reserves. Most of the previously explored deposits (mainly in the Soviet period) have been worked out. 2) unprofitable for enterprises to invest in the search and exploration of placers; exploration requires substantial expenditures with mixed results. 3) administrative-bureaucratic factor.

How many black minerals are in the country and where is it mined

According to Rosstat, the Russian Federation (157 bln.

tons) ranks second after the United States (237.3 billion tons) in the world in terms of coal reserves. The Russian Federation accounts for about 18% of all world reserves. See figure 3.

Rice. 3: World reserves by leading countries

Information from Rosstat for 2010-2015 suggests that mining in the country is carried out in 25 subjects of the Federation in 7 Federal Districts.

There are 192 coal enterprises. Among them are 71 mines, and 121 coal mines. Their combined production capacity is 408 million tons. More than 80% of it is mined in Siberia. Coal mining in Russia by region is shown in Table 1.

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Siberian Federal District (Kemerovo Region, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Trans-Baikal Territory)

83,60%,

83,90%

83,80%

84,50%

83,50%

Far Eastern Federal District (Yakutia)

9,90%

9,60%

9,90%

9,40%

9,50%

10,80%

Northwestern Federal District (Komi Republic)

4,20%

4,00%

3,80%

4,00%

3,70%

3,90%

Other regions

2,30%

2,50%

2,10%

2,30%

2,80%

In 2016, 227,400 thousand

tons mined in the Kemerovo region (such cities with one industry affiliation are called single-industry towns), of which about 125,000 thousand tons were exported.

Kuzbass accounts for about 60% of domestic coal production, there are about 120 mines and cuts.

At the beginning of February 2017, a new open pit was launched in the Kemerovo region - Trudarmeisky Yuzhny with a design capacity of 2,500 thousand tons.

in year.

In 2017, it is planned to produce 1,500 thousand tons of minerals at the open pit, and, according to forecasts, the open pit will reach its design capacity in 2018. Also in 2017, three new enterprises are planned to be launched in Kuzbass.

Application

As a fuel, brown coal in Russia and many other countries is used much less than hard coal, however, due to its low cost in small and private boiler houses, it is more popular and sometimes takes up to 80%. It is used for pulverized combustion (during storage, brown coal dries up and crumbles), and sometimes as a whole. In small provincial CHP plants, it is also often burned to generate heat.

However, in Greece and especially in Germany, lignite is used in steam power plants, generating up to 50% of electricity in Greece and 24.6% in Germany.

The production of liquid hydrocarbon fuels from brown coal by distillation is spreading rapidly. After distillation, the residue is suitable for obtaining soot. Combustible gas is extracted from it, carbon-alkali reagents and montan wax (mountain wax) are obtained.

In scanty quantities, it is also used for crafts.

Large deposits

Germany

Germany is the largest producer of brown coal in Europe, only Russia can compete with it. Of the reliable reserves of brown coal (80 billion tons), most of them are located in East Germany (the Lausitz and Central German basins), and in
Western Germany is allocated a basin to the west of Cologne (Lower Rhine).
Brown coal is mined here in an open way.

Russia

Solton deposit

The Soltonskoye coal deposit is a coal deposit located in Altai, Russia. The forecast reserves are estimated at 250 million tons. Coal is mined here in an open way. At present, the explored reserves of brown coal at two open-pit mines amount to 34 million tons. In 2006, 100 thousand tons of coal were mined here. There is also a brown coal deposit on the Selenga River.

Kansko-Achinsk basin

The Kansk-Achinsk coal basin is located several hundred kilometers east of the Kuznetsk basin in the Krasnoyarsk Territory and partly in the Kemerovo and Irkutsk regions of Russia. This Central Siberian basin has significant reserves of thermal brown coal. Mining is carried out mainly in an open way (the open part of the basin is 45 thousand km² - 143 billion tons of coal, seams 15 - 70 m thick). There are also deposits of coal.

The total reserves are about 638 billion tons. The thickness of the working seams is from 2 to 15 m, the maximum is 85 m. The coals were formed in the Jurassic period. The area of the basin is divided into 10 industrial-geological regions, in each of which one deposit is being developed:

Aban
Irsha-Borodino
Berezovskoe
Nazarovskoye
Bogotolskoye
Borodino
Uryupskoe
Barandat
Itatian
Sayano-Partizanskoe

Tunguska coal basin

The Tunguska coal basin is located on the territory of the Republic of Sakha and the Krasnoyarsk Territory of the Russian Federation. Its main part is located in the Central Yakut Plain in the basin of the Lena River and its tributaries (Aldan and Vilyui). The area is about 750,000 km². The total geological reserves down to a depth of 600 m are more than 2 trillion tons. According to the geological structure, the territory of the coal basin is divided into two parts: the western part, which occupies the Tunguska syneclise of the Siberian Platform, and the eastern part, which is part of the marginal zone of the Verkhoyansk Range.

The coal seams of this basin are composed of sedimentary rocks from the Lower Jurassic to the Paleogene periods. The occurrence of coal-bearing rocks is complicated by gentle uplifts and depressions. In the Verkhoyansk trough, the coal-bearing stratum is collected in folds complicated by ruptures, its thickness is 1000–2500 m. seams with a thickness of 1-2 m. There are not only brown, but also bituminous coals.

The Tunguska brown coal contains from 15 to 30% moisture, the ash content of coal is 10-25%, and the calorific value is 27.2 MJ/kg. Seams of brown coal are lenticular in nature, thickness varies from 1-10 m to 30 m.

Deposits of brown coal are often located next to hard coal. Therefore, it is also mined in such well-known basins as Minusinsky or Kuznetsky.

In the 60-80s of the 20th century, Ukraine mined about 10 million tons of brown coal from the Alexandria geological and industrial region of the Dnieper brown coal region. The peak of production occurred in 1976, when the production association "Alexandriaugol" produced 11,722.7 thousand tons, receiving 4,079.7 thousand tons of lignite briquettes. The Dnieper basin is located in the central part of Ukraine, on the territory of 6 regions: Zhytomyr, Vinnitsa, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye. About 200 deposits with different reserves and mining and geological conditions have been discovered within its boundaries. The recoverable resources of the Dnieper lignite region are estimated at 1.15 billion tons. In 2008, in the course of an unsuccessful experiment with the lease of production facilities of the state holding company Alexandriaugol, production and sales practically ceased and decreased to a historic low of 41 thousand tons, and in 2009 it was completely stopped.It is expected that the extraction of brown coal in Ukraine will resume in 2012 at the Mokrokalygorskoe deposit, whose reserves are estimated at 7.76 million tons. The coal industry of Ukraine has over 250 mines and 6
processing plants, 3 coal mining plants, 17 coal plants
engineering, 20 research, design and
technological organizations.

Classification

Coals are divided into grades and technological groups; This subdivision is based on parameters that characterize the behavior of coals in the process of thermal action on them. The Russian classification differs from the Western one.

In Russia, all brown coals are classified as grade B:

Coal grades	Brand letters	Yield of volatile substances Vg, %	Carbon content Cr, %	Heat of combustion Qg_b, kcal/kg	Reflectivity in oil immersion, %
Brown	B	41 and over	76 or less	6900-7500	0,30-0,49

Coals are divided into technological groups according to their caking capacity; to indicate the technological group, a number is added to the letter designation of the brand, indicating the lowest value of the thickness of the plastic layer in these coals, for example, G6, G17, KZh14, etc.

According to GOST of 1976, brown coal is divided into three stages according to the degree of metamorphism (coalification): O₁, O₂, and about₃ and classes 01, 02, 03. The basis of such a division is the reflectivity of vitrinite in oil R °, its normalized value for stage O₁ — less than 0.30; O₂ - 0.30-0.39; O₃ — 0,40-0,49.
According to the international classification adopted by the Economic Commission for Europe (), brown coals are divided into six moisture classes (up to 20, 20-30, 30-40, 40-50, 50-60 and 70%) and five groups according to the yield of semi-coking resins.

Among the varieties, unofficially, soft, earthy, matte, lignite and dense (shiny) are distinguished. There are also:

Dense brown coal - brown in color with a matte sheen, earthy fracture;
Earthy brown coal - brown, easily abraded into powder;
Resinous brown coal - very dense, dark brown and even black, shiny like resin in a fracture;
Paper brown coal, or disodil, is a thin-layered decayed plant mass, easily divided into thin leaves;
Peat coal, like felt, similar to peat, often contains many foreign impurities and sometimes turns into alum earth.

Another classification is German, based on the percentage of elements:

Russian analogue	German title	Volatiles %	Carbon %	Hydrogen %	Oxygen %	Sulfur %	Heat of combustion Qg_b, KJ/kg
Brown (lignites)	Braunkohle	45-65	60-75	6,0-5,8	34-17	0,5-3

Notes

F. A. Kudryavtsev. The origin of the gold industry in Western Transbaikalia // Buryatievedenie. Verkhneudinsk. 1927. pp. 32-39
G. A. Verkhoturova, V. F. Zherlov. Golden land of Buryatia.
↑ (inaccessible link). Retrieved April 13, 2014.
↑
↑ Coal of Buryatia: we use one tenth
↑
↑ . catalogmineralov.ru.
↑ . webmineral.ru.
. information agency "Baikal Media Consulting" (02.05.2012).
. IA "Baikal-Daily" (27.05.2011).
. Rabochaya newspaper - All-Russian newspaper of workers (26.02.2008). (unavailable link)
St. Petersburg State Mining Institute. Plekhanov in the Republic of Buryatia. Ermakovskoe field.
National Library of the Republic of Buryatia. .
(unavailable link). Retrieved 31 July 2014. [not in source]
↑ Yu // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg, 1890-1907.
Colored stones of the Transbaikal region
"Evening Chelyabinsk". .
↑ National Library of the Republic of Buryatia. .

Additionally

Since version 1.0, diamonds, lapis lazuli, redstone and coal can be mined as an ore block using the Silk Touch enchantment.
Ore veins cannot be located at the junction of chunks.
Lapis lazuli, emerald and quartz are the only ores that differ from others in texture. All other ores have the same texture with different colors.
Natural structures passing through deposits destroy ores as well as stone.

Blocks
natural	Air Andesite Cobblestone Clay Block Head Gravel Granite Diorite Mossy Cobblestone Earth Stone Bedrock Ice Dense Prismarine Brick Dark Wet Sponge Sea Lantern Obsidian Web Sand Red Sandstone Red Podzol Snow Mob Spawner
man-made	Slime Block Cobblestone Wall Mossy Smooth Andesite Smooth Granite Smooth Diorite Bed Planks Iron Grating Fence Stone Brick Bricks Bookcase Ladder Fired Clay Slab Jack Lamp Snow Block Hay Sheaf Glass Panel Glass Panel Stained Glass Stairs Charcoal Block Flag Flower Pot Wool CarpetIron Block Gold Block Diamond Block Lapis Lazuli Block Emerald Red Stone Block Quartz Block Stair Slab
fixtures	Workbench Sponge Stove Enchanting table Cooking stand Chest Edges Cauldron Bed Lighthouse Anvil Turntable TNT Cake
Mechanisms	Gate EjectorDaylight SensorDoor Feeding FunnelButtonCommand Block Redstone Wire Torch Repeater Comparator Lamp Sunroof Music Block Pressure Plate Weighted Tension Sensor Piston Sticky Dispenser Stretch Rails Push Electric Activating Lever Trap Chest
Plants	Watermelon Tall Grass Mushrooms Huge Wood Cactus Water Lily Creepers Foliage Mycelium Cocoa Fruit Sapling Sugarcane Dry Bush Grass Gourd Flowers
Ores	Diamond Ore Iron Ore Gold Ore Emerald Ore Nether Quartz Ore Red Ore Lazurite Ore Coal Ore
Liquids	Water Lava
Fragile	Nameplate Torch Fire
lower world	Hellstone Hell Brick Hell Fence Hell Growth Soul Sand Glowing Stone
edge	End Stone Dragon Egg
Only at Creative	Sponge
Only in pocket version	Blue Flower Nether Reactor Core Luminous Obsidian
Technical	Block 36
Planned	Barrier
Remote	Gear Ground Slab Locked Chest
Unrealized	Weeping Obsidian Block Upgrade Gauge Lantern Chair Pulpit Spikes

Composition and structure

Subbituminous (brown) coal is a dense, stone-like carbonaceous mass from almost black to light brown in color, always with a brown streak. It often has a vegetative woody structure; the fracture is conchoidal, earthy or woody. Easily burns with a smoky flame, emitting an unpleasant peculiar smell of burning.

When treated with potassium hydroxide, it gives a dark brown liquid. Dry distillation forms ammonia, free or combined with acetic acid. The specific gravity is 0.5-1.5. The average chemical composition, minus ash and sulfur: 50-77% (average 63%) carbon, 26-37% (average 32%) oxygen, 3-5% hydrogen and 0-2% nitrogen. The main impurities in brown coal are the same as in any other fossil coal.

The overwhelming majority of brown coals are classified as humites in terms of their material composition. Sapropelites and transitional humus-sapropel varieties are of subordinate importance and occur in the form of layers in layers composed of humites. Most brown coals are composed of microcomponents of the vitrinite group (80-98%), and only in the Jurassic brown coals of Central Asia do microcomponents of the fusinite group (45-82%); Lower Carboniferous brown coals are characterized by a high content of leuptinite.

Brown coals are characterized by an increased content of phenolic, carboxyl and hydroxyl groups, the presence of free humic acids, the content of which decreases with an increase in the degree of metamorphism from 64 to 2-3% and resins from 25 to 5%. In some deposits, soft brown coals give a high yield of benzene extract (5-15%) containing 50-75% waxes, and have a high content of uranium and germanium.

The average content of the mineral residue (ash) of brown coal is 20-45% of the dry matter mass.With an increase in the ash content, the calorific value of coal decreases, it is more difficult to design boiler plants for thermal power plants and other devices for burning coal. The main components of coal ash are silicon dioxide (about 30-60%), aluminum oxide (about 10-20%), as well as calcium oxides (7-15%) and iron oxides (8-15%). The presence of large amounts of alkali metal oxides in the ash significantly reduces the melting point of the ash, which must be taken into account when designing combustion devices. The elemental composition of ash strongly depends not only on the dominant breeds of the original plants, but also on the conditions for the formation of the coal seam (depth of occurrence, underground water bodies, soil composition at a given depth, etc.). For the convenience of carrying out heat engineering calculations and designing devices for burning coal, there are reference tables with the parameters of coals of various types and their ash residues.