View allAll Photos Tagged bituminous
A print (1835).
5 3/4 x 9 in. (sheet)
Published with Samuel P. Hildreth's article Observations on the bituminous coal deposits of the valley of the Ohio, and the accompanying rock strata : with notices of the fossil organic remains and the relics of vegetable and animal bodies, in The American Journal of Science and Arts, volume 29, number 1.
Used courtesy of the Periodicals Department, Cleveland Public Library.
The article included 38 plates, mostly of fossils found in the coal. They represent a most interesting historical record.
The Pottsville Group is a Pennsylvanian-aged cyclothemic succession in eastern Ohio that contains nonmarine shales, marine shales, siltstones, sandstones, coals, marine limestones, and chert ("flint"). The lower Pottsville dates to the late Early Pennsylvanian. The upper part dates to the early Middle Pennsylvanian. The Lower-Middle Pennsylvanian boundary is apparently somewhere near the Boggs Member (?).
Shown above is the Lower Mercer Limestone, a laterally persistent, marine fossiliferous limestone unit in the Pottsville Group of eastern Ohio, USA. Just below the limestone, concealed in the shadow, is the Middle Mercer Coal, a bituminous coal horizon.
Stratigraphy: Lower Mercer Limestone, Pottsville Group, lower Atokan Stage, lower Middle Pennsylvanian
Locality: roadcut along the northern side Rt. 16, southern margin of Irish Ridge, west of the Rt. 16-Rt. 60 intersection, northwest of the town of Trinway, northwestern Muskingum County, eastern Ohio, USA (40° 09’ 12.95” North latitude, 82° 02’ 43.27” West longitude)
I've always thought this little patch of land where Bernheim Forest's arboretum stands seemed out of place, a little piece of prairie in a patch of Kentucky hills. It turns out, Bernheim was strip mined once. This is reclaimed land. I never knew that as a kid.
The goal of the strip mining was iron ore. Now, I haven't done a thorough study of the geologic column here. I've observed in a very general sense what's above this elevation: limestone, shale, a very narrow bed of sandstone (which I observed only on a map and in the form of a single piece of float debris on the hillside), more limestone. Below this, I would only expect to find more interspersed limestone and shale for some indeterminably great depth, and you don't get a lot of iron ore in limestone. The shale's very dark, so maybe it's an unusually iron-rich shale. I guess if they were going for the shale, that would explain why they stopped at this particular elevation.
(Note: I'm figuring this out. I found a 1971 survey from the USGS suggesting this might be New Albany shale. The New Albany shale, according to this report, contains lot of pyrite. Pyrite is iron sulfide. If there's enough of it easy to get, it might be commercially valuable.)
Mining concerns are currently flattening vast stretches of Eastern Kentucky and the rest of the central Appalachians through the process of mountaintop removal, where they're taking out a bituminous coal bed. When they're done, they leave a flat stretch of fake prairie. It looks kind of like this, but not nearly so pretty.
Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago
The 999 Steam Locomotive was a new concept in speed locomotives. Engine 999 was assigned to haul the New York Central Railroad's brilliant new passenger train, the Empire State Express. On May 10, 1893, the 999 became the fastest land vehicle when it reached a record speed of 112.5 mph. The 999 maintained the record for a decade.
Designed by William Buchanan and manufactured by the New York Central Railroad in West Albany, New York in 1893, the 999 was commissioned to haul the Empire State Express, which ran from Syracuse to Buffalo. This relatively smooth run and the 999's cutting-edge design gave the new locomotive an opportunity to make history.
Following its record-setting run, "The World's Fastest Locomotive" toured the country and was displayed at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. After the Exposition, the 999 continued to provide passenger and freight service for many years. The famous locomotive returned to Chicago in 1933 for the Century of Progress World's Fair and again from 1948-49 for the Chicago Railroad Fair.
Eventually, technological innovation in the railroad industry limited the 999's use. In May of 1952, following a reenactment of its record-breaking run, the 999 was retired from service.
In 1962, the Museum of Science and Industry acquired the 999 and displayed it outside. Following a complete restoration from June to October 1993, the 999 was brought inside to its present location in November 1993.
999 Technical Facts-
Fuel: Bituminous Coal
Cylinders: 2 horizontal
Bore: 19"
Stroke: 24"
Steam Pressure: 160 lbs/psi
Tractive Effort: 16,270 lbs
Drive Wheels: 7'2" dia.
Max. Speed: 112.5 mph
Total Weight: 124,000 lbs
Original Cost: $13,000
University of Southampton Faculty of Engineering, Science and Mathematics,
School of Civil Engineering and the Environment, "Bituplaning: A Low Dry Friction Phenomenon of New Bituminous Road Surfaces" By John Charles Bullas BSc MSc MIAT MIHT FGS May 2007 Thesis for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Bituminous coal in the Pennsylvanian of Ohio, USA.
The Pottsville Group is a Pennsylvanian-aged cyclothemic succession in eastern Ohio that contains nonmarine shales, marine shales, siltstones, sandstones, coals, marine limestones, and chert ("flint"). The lower Pottsville dates to the late Early Pennsylvanian. The upper part dates to the early Middle Pennsylvanian. The Lower-Middle Pennsylvanian boundary is apparently somewhere near the Boggs Member (?).
The black material littering the ground is weathered bituminous coal, derived from the Vandusen Coal bed, which occurs just below the Poverty Run Limestone. The latter is a relatively thin, marine, fossiliferous limestone horizon in the lower Pottsville Group
The light to medium gray material below the weathered coal is "underclay", which refers to weathered mudshales that occur immediately below coal beds. Underclays have often been subjected to sulfuric acid chemical weathering. Sulfuric acid (H2SO4) forms by the oxidation of pyrite ("fool's gold" - FeS2) in the presence of water.
Stratigraphy: Vandusen Coal, just below the Poverty Run Limestone, lower Pottsville Group, upper Morrowan Stage, upper Lower Pennsylvanian
Locality: Irish Ridge East Outcrop - roadcut along the northern side of the eastbound entrance ramp from Rt. 60 to Rt. 16 (southeastern portion of Rt. 16-Rt. 60 interchange), north-northwest of the towns of Trinway & Dresden, northern Cass Township, northwestern Muskingum County, eastern Ohio, USA (~40° 09’ 13.56” North latitude, ~82° 01’ 29.37” West longitude)
LeakBarrier® PS200HT Ice and Water Armor
LeakBarrier PS200HT Ice and Water Armor is a premium, SBS modified, glass fiber reinforced, self adhesive modified bituminous roofing underlayment for use under tile, metal, slate and asphalt shingles. PS200HT is manufactured with a specially engineered Hybrid Polymer System formulation that allows the underlayment to withstand high temperatures (resistant up to 260° F). PS200HT is surfaced with a polyester fabric on the upper layer to provide a non-abrasive surface that also offers excellent walkability.
PS200HT Case Studies
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Polyester fabric surface allows for better walkability and cooler surface temperatures.
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Split-back release film peels off for easy installation and handling.
120 day exposure limitation allows for long term dry in.
Adheres directly to concrete, plywood, wood composition board and gypsum sheathing decks.
Self-sealing around nails preventing moisture penetration.
Product available for multi climates.
Functions as a vapor barrier for commercial roofing applications.
Meets ASTM D 1970.
Miami Dade County Approval NOA No. 09-0824.06.
ICC-ES ESR-2116.
Florida Building Code FL 10450-R1.
UL Prepared Roofing File No. 16744.
Typical view at Rainbow Mountain Preserve in Madison, Alabama. The park is quite rocky in areas, comprised of a formation called the Hartselle Sandstone, the formation being made up of sandstone, limestone, and shale laid down in the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian periods of the Paleozoic Era (570-225 million years ago). These sediments accumulated in depositional settings ranging from shallow shelf to back-barrier lagoons and tidal flats, all areas relating to shallow seas. Trace fossils and to a lesser extent body fossils can be abundant in the formation, particularly worms, bivalves, bryozoans, asteroids (starfish), and ophiuroids (brittle stars). Brachiopods are in my experience the most common fossil, though crinoid fragments can be common.
The formation has been quarried in several locations for sandstone for use in building, landscaping and civil engineering and ground into sand for casting. In some areas, such as near Littleville in Colbert County the sandstone is impregnated with bituminous alphaltum, leading some to explore the possibility that the bed harbors oil reserves, perhaps extending below the Warrior coal fields of Northwest Alabama.
www.bhamwiki.com/w/Hartselle_sandstone
www.envs.emory.edu/faculty/MARTIN/ichnology/IN-Hartselle-...
Semi-anthracite coal and mudshale in the Mississippian of Virginia, USA.
This is the best outcrop anywhere of the only economically significant Mississippian-aged coal occurrence in the world. The beds are structurally tilted, which occurred during the Allegheny Orogeny in the Pennsylvanian.
Shown above is an outcrop of the Langhorne Coal's upper contact with overlying mudshales. At this site, the Langhorne is tectonically-thickened and sheared. The rank is semi-anthracite coal, which results from very low grade metamorphism of bituminous coal. Adjacent beds (shales and sandstones) are not metamorphosed. The Langhorne Coal has been mined in the past.
Stratigraphy: upper Langhorne Coal, ~lowermost upper member, Price Formation, Osagean Stage, upper Lower Mississippian
Locality: roadcut on the eastern side of Rt. 100, western end of Cloyds Mountain, south of the town of Poplar Hill, Pulaski County, Valley Coalfield, southwestern Virginia, USA (= locality shown in figure 9 of Bartholomew & Brown, 1992) (37° 10' 42.39" North latitude, 80° 42' 48.48" West longitude)
----------------------
Some info. from:
Bartholomew, M.J. & K.E. Brown. 1992. The Valley Coalfield (Mississippian age) in Montgomery and Pulaski Counties, Virginia. Virginia Division of Mineral Resources Publication 124. 33 pp. 2 pls.
Gensel, P.G. & K.B. Pigg. 2010. An arborescent lycopsid from the Lower Carboniferous Price Formation, southwestern Virginia, USA and the problem of species delimitation. International Journal of Coal Geology 83: 132-145.
Weathered bituminous coal in the Pennsylvanian of Ohio, USA.
The Pottsville Group is a Pennsylvanian-aged cyclothemic succession containing nonmarine shales, marine shales, siltstones, sandstones, coals, marine limestones, and chert ("flint"). The lower Pottsville dates to the late Early Pennsylvanian. The upper part dates to the early Middle Pennsylvanian. The Lower-Middle Pennsylvanian boundary is apparently somewhere near the Boggs Limestone horizon (?).
The photo shows weathered, loose talus pieces of bituminous coal eroded from the Middle Mercer Coal. Stratigraphically, this coal horizon occurs immediately below the Lower Mercer Limestone, a widespread marine fossiliferous limestone unit. The Middle Mercer Coal usually consists of bituminous coal, but in places it is a cannel coal. At this locality, the Middle Mercer is bituminous. Portions of the horizon at this site are remarkable because the coal contains marine fossils (brachiopods, crinoids, gastropods) [DON'T tell the creationists!]. Applying Walther's Law (conformable facies now in vertical succession were originally next to each other), the coal swamp that formed the Middle Mercer Coal was near a marine shoreline. A storm likely washed in shells and fragmented skeletons from the shallow ocean into the swamp. Swamps directly adjacent to the sea can be observed in many places on modern Earth.
Stratigraphy: Middle Mercer Coal, Pottsville Group, lower Atokan Stage, lower Middle Pennsylvanian
Locality: roadcut along the northern side Rt. 16, southern margin of Irish Ridge, west of the Rt. 16-Rt. 60 intersection, northwest of the town of Trinway, northwestern Muskingum County, eastern Ohio, USA (40° 09’ 12.95” North latitude, 82° 02’ 43.27” West longitude)
University of Southampton Faculty of Engineering, Science and Mathematics,
School of Civil Engineering and the Environment, "Bituplaning: A Low Dry Friction Phenomenon of New Bituminous Road Surfaces" By John Charles Bullas BSc MSc MIAT MIHT FGS May 2007 Thesis for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
This is a Mississippian-Pennsylvanian boundary section in eastern Ohio. At most sites in North America, the boundary is a significant unconformity - it's actually a megasequence boundary (Sloss sequence boundary) between the Absaroka Megasequence (above) and the Kaskaskia Megasequence (below). The boundary is along the middle of the photo.
The cliff-forming unit in the upper half of the picture is a quartzose sandstone that represents the basal-preserved Pottsville Group at this locality. Mixed siliciclastics occur above. The sandstone unit is here interpreted to be the Massillon Sandstone, a variably-developed member in the lower to middle Pottsville Group.
Click on the photo to zoom in and look around. Notice numerous brownish-colored clasts in the basal sandstone, just above the unconformity. Talus blocks of this material show that they are ironstone pebbles - probably paleopebbles, rather than in-situ ironstone concretions (?).
Laterally at this site, a relatively thin bituminous coal horizon is present just below the sandstone. The identity of this coal bed is uncertain, but it may be the Quakertown Coal (or Number 2 Coal), or an unnamed coal, or the Wellston Coal (a name from Jackson County, Ohio). If the sandstone unit is misidentified (i.e., it's not the Massillon), it could be the Sharon Sandstone. If so, the underlying coal is the Sharon Coal.
The grayish rocks in the bottom half of the picture are siliciclastics of the Vinton Member, the uppermost of four members of the Logan Formation. The Vinton consists of marine mixed siliciclastics - principally shales, siltstones, and sandstones.
Stratigraphy: inferred Massillon Sandstone (lower Pottsville Group, upper Lower Pennsylvanian) over Vinton Member, (upper Logan Formation, Osagean Series, upper Lower Mississippian)
Locality: Trinway West 6 Outcrop - roadcut on the northwestern side of Rt. 16, 1.0 miles northeast of the Rt. 16-Old Riley Road intersection, northeast of the town of Frazeysburg & west of the town of Trinway, northwestern Muskingum County, Ohio, USA (40° 08' 41.54" North latitude, 82° 05' 06.18" West longitude)
Two shops and former dwellings, possibly an early conversion of a large town house. Early C18, built above the surviving C13 undercroft of a former medieval merchant's house; later C18, C19, and C20 alterations and additions at rear. Brick with rubbed brick details, slate roof partly replaced by C20 bituminous flat roof, undercroft of stone rubble with dressed stone details. PLAN: vaulted undercroft is all that survives from medieval house; the C18 building divided into two units of equal size by a central party wall which blocks the window openings in the central bay of the upper floors of the street facade; therefore presumed to be a mid C18 alteration contemporary with the provision of staircase of similar design in each unit; both units originally double-depth block with central stairwells; C19 rear wings and linked outhouse at rear of No.47. EXTERIOR: three storeys and surviving parts of attics, cellar and vaulted undercroft; the front with an early C20 shop-front to No.47, and a mid to late C19 shop-front to No.49 with recessed entry to doorway on left and fascia with moulded cornice and console end brackets; upper floors above shops of five bays in dark red brick headers with details in brighter red and rubbed brick, a slight projection to the central bay, and crowning modillion cornice breaking forward with a pediment above the central bay against the parapet, slightly projecting piers at the angles of the parapet over the central bay and at the outer angles of the front, raised and chamfered quoins in brickwork at the outer corners, the quoins to the right-hand angle preserved to ground level, and plain bright red brick quoins to the corners of the projecting central bay; in the central bay on the first floor a sash with thick glazing bars (3x4 panes) in opening with moulded and eared architrave, moulded sill, and a floating, segmental pediment above; on the second floor an early sash with thick glazing bars (3x4 panes) in opening with segmental arched head, moulded and eared architrave with a raised keystone in the arch and a projecting sill, the ends of both sills supported on consoles; in bays to either side of the central bay on each upper-floor sashes with glazing bars (3x4 panes) in openings with segmental, rubbed brick arched heads, brighter red brick jambs and projecting sills. A restraining steel frame applied to the front in mid C20 to prevent movement. EH Listing
The carbon dioxide acceptor coal-gasification process, a unique fluidized-bed system to convert lignite or sub-bituminous coal to pipeline gas. Circa 1975.
For more information or additional images, please contact 202-586-5251.
Semi-anthracite coal from the Mississippian of Virginia, USA. (handlens for scale)
This sample is from the best outcrop anywhere of the only economically significant Mississippian-aged coal occurrence in the world. The beds are structurally tilted - this occurred during the Allegheny Orogeny in the Pennsylvanian.
The coal shown above is from the Langhorne Coal. At this site, the unit is tectonically-thickened and sheared. The rank is semi-anthracite coal, which results from very low grade metamorphism of bituminous coal. Adjacent beds (shales and sandstones) are not metamorphosed. The Langhorne Coal has been mined in the past.
Stratigraphy: lowermost upper member, Price Formation, Osagean Stage, upper Lower Mississippian
Locality: roadcut on the eastern side of Rt. 100, western end of Cloyds Mountain, south of the town of Poplar Hill, Pulaski County, Valley Coalfield, southwestern Virginia, USA (= locality shown in figure 9 of Bartholomew & Brown, 1992) (37° 10' 42.39" North latitude, 80° 42' 48.48" West longitude)
----------------------
Some info. from:
Bartholomew, M.J. & K.E. Brown. 1992. The Valley Coalfield (Mississippian age) in Montgomery and Pulaski Counties, Virginia. Virginia Division of Mineral Resources Publication 124. 33 pp. 2 pls.
Gensel, P.G. & K.B. Pigg. 2010. An arborescent lycopsid from the Lower Carboniferous Price Formation, southwestern Virginia, USA and the problem of species delimitation. International Journal of Coal Geology 83: 132-145.
APAAME_c1932_Matson-LC-M33-4522.tif
Library of Congress - Matson Photograph Collection
Title: Air route to Baghdad via Amman and the desert. Iraqian desert. Curious markings. Probably of bituminous origin
Creator(s): American Colony (Jerusalem), Photo Dept., photographer
Date Created/Published: [1932?]
Medium: 1 negative : nitrate ; 4 x 5 in.
Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-matpc-15955 (digital file from original photo)
Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication.
Call Number: LC-M33- 4522 [P&P]
Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
Part of: G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection
Bookmark This Record: www.loc.gov/pictures/item/mpc2010001452/PP/
"Coke is a fuel with few impurities and a high carbon content, usually made from coal. It is the solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Cokes made from coal are grey, hard, and porous. While coke can be formed naturally, the commonly used form is man-made. The form known as petroleum coke, or pet coke, is derived from oil refinery coker units or other cracking processes." [ Wiki ]
"Coke is a fuel with few impurities and a high carbon content, usually made from coal. It is the solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Cokes made from coal are grey, hard, and porous. While coke can be formed naturally, the commonly used form is man-made. The form known as petroleum coke, or pet coke, is derived from oil refinery coker units or other cracking processes." [ Wiki ]
The Meigs Creek Coal (a.k.a. Sewickley Coal) is a bituminous coal horizon in the Upper Pennsylvanian Monongahela Group of eastern Ohio, USA.
Locality: Narrows Run North outcrop - roadcut on the western side of Rt. 7, just north of Narrows Run (an east-flowing tributary of the Ohio River), northeastern York Township, southeastern Belmont County, Ohio, USA
A lithograph (1835) by J. Bosworth.
Printed by Pendleton's Lithography, Boston.
5 3/4 x 9 in. (sheet)
Published with Samuel P. Hildreth's article Observations on the bituminous coal deposits of the valley of the Ohio, and the accompanying rock strata : with notices of the fossil organic remains and the relics of vegetable and animal bodies, in The American Journal of Science and Arts, volume 29, number 1.
Used courtesy of the Periodicals Department, Cleveland Public Library.
The article included 38 plates, mostly of fossils found in the coal. They represent a most interesting historical record.
Located "two miles below the mouth of the [Muskingum] river, and located forty rods [660 feet] from the bank of the Ohio."
The Meigs Creek Coal is a bituminous coal horizon in the Upper Pennsylvanian Monongahela Group of eastern Ohio. The specimen seen here is a gradational contact sample from the top of the coal bed (= black) to the base of the overlying nonmarine limestone (an intraclastic or peloidal limestone) (= dark gray).
Stratigraphy: uppermost Meigs Creek Coal (also known as the Sewickley Coal), Monongahela Group, Virgilian Series, upper Upper Pennsylvanian
Locality: near the base of the Narrows Run North outcrop - roadcut on the western side of Route 7, just north of Narrows Run (an east-flowing tributary of the Ohio River), northeastern York Township, southeastern Belmont County, Ohio, USA (39° 54’ 25.94” North latitude, 80° 48’ 36.73” West longitude)
University of Southampton Faculty of Engineering, Science and Mathematics,
School of Civil Engineering and the Environment, "Bituplaning: A Low Dry Friction Phenomenon of New Bituminous Road Surfaces" By John Charles Bullas BSc MSc MIAT MIHT FGS May 2007 Thesis for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
"Coke is a fuel with few impurities and a high carbon content, usually made from coal. It is the solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Cokes made from coal are grey, hard, and porous. While coke can be formed naturally, the commonly used form is man-made. The form known as petroleum coke, or pet coke, is derived from oil refinery coker units or other cracking processes." [ Wiki ]
Steel tape armour over bituminous fibrous bedding. Also broken section of earthenware duct from the melted joint (so it's interior is covered in bitumen)
Semi-anthracite coal in the Mississippian of Virginia, USA. (geology hammer for scale)
This is the best outcrop anywhere of the only economically significant Mississippian-aged coal occurrence in the world. The beds are structurally tilted - this occurred during the Allegheny Orogeny in the Pennsylvanian.
The coal bed shown here is the Merrimac Coal. Its rank is semi-anthracite coal, which results from very low grade metamorphism of bituminous coal. Adjacent beds are not metamorphosed. The Merrimac Coal (& the subjacent Langhorne Coal - not visible in this shot) have been mined in the past. Thin interbeds of fossiliferous clayshale are present within the Merrimac Coal.
Stratigraphy: Merrimac Coal, lower part of the upper member, Price Formation, Osagean Stage, upper Lower Mississippian
Locality: roadcut on the eastern side of Rt. 100, western end of Cloyds Mountain, south of the town of Poplar Hill, Pulaski County, Valley Coalfield, southwestern Virginia, USA (= locality shown in figure 9 of Bartholomew & Brown, 1992) (37° 10' 42.39" North latitude, 80° 42' 48.48" West longitude)
----------------------
Some info. from:
Bartholomew, M.J. & K.E. Brown. 1992. The Valley Coalfield (Mississippian age) in Montgomery and Pulaski Counties, Virginia. Virginia Division of Mineral Resources Publication 124. 33 pp. 2 pls.
Gensel, P.G. & K.B. Pigg. 2010. An arborescent lycopsid from the Lower Carboniferous Price Formation, southwestern Virginia, USA and the problem of species delimitation. International Journal of Coal Geology 83: 132-145.
The Monongahela River valley was the site of a famous, if small, battle that was one of the first in the French and Indian War — the Braddock Expedition (May–July 1755). It resulted in a sharp defeat for British and Colonial forces against those of the French and their Native American allies.
In 1817, the Pennsylvania legislature authorized the Monongahela Navigation Company to build 16 dams with bypass locks to create a river transportation system between Pittsburgh and West Virginia. Originally planned to run as far south as the Cheat River, the system was extended to Fairmont, and bituminous coal from West Virginia was the chief product transported downstream. After a canal tunnel through Grant's Hill in Pittsburgh was completed in 1832, boats could travel between the Monongahela River and the Western Division Canal of Pennsylvania's principal east-west canal and railroad system, the Main Line of Public Works. In 1897, the federal government took possession of the Monongahela Navigation through condemnation proceedings. Later, the dam-lock combinations were increased in size and reduced in number. In 2006, the navigation system, operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, had nine dam-locks along 128.7 miles (207.1 km) of waterway. The locks overcame a change in elevation of about 147 feet (44.8 m).
Briefly linked to the Monongahela Navigation was the Youghiogheny Navigation, a slack water system of 18.5 miles (29.8 km) between McKeesport and West Newton. It had two dam-locks overcoming a change in elevation of about 27 feet (8.2 m). Opening in 1850, it was destroyed by a flood in 1865.
During the 19th century, the Monongahela was heavily used by industry, and several U.S. Steel plants, including the Homestead Works, site of the Homestead Strike of 1892, were built along its banks. Following the killing of several workers in the course of the strike, anarchist Emma Goldman wrote: "Words had lost their meaning in the face of the innocent blood spilled on the banks of the Monongahela."
Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago
The 999 Steam Locomotive was a new concept in speed locomotives. Engine 999 was assigned to haul the New York Central Railroad's brilliant new passenger train, the Empire State Express. On May 10, 1893, the 999 became the fastest land vehicle when it reached a record speed of 112.5 mph. The 999 maintained the record for a decade.
Designed by William Buchanan and manufactured by the New York Central Railroad in West Albany, New York in 1893, the 999 was commissioned to haul the Empire State Express, which ran from Syracuse to Buffalo. This relatively smooth run and the 999's cutting-edge design gave the new locomotive an opportunity to make history.
Following its record-setting run, "The World's Fastest Locomotive" toured the country and was displayed at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. After the Exposition, the 999 continued to provide passenger and freight service for many years. The famous locomotive returned to Chicago in 1933 for the Century of Progress World's Fair and again from 1948-49 for the Chicago Railroad Fair.
Eventually, technological innovation in the railroad industry limited the 999's use. In May of 1952, following a reenactment of its record-breaking run, the 999 was retired from service.
In 1962, the Museum of Science and Industry acquired the 999 and displayed it outside. Following a complete restoration from June to October 1993, the 999 was brought inside to its present location in November 1993.
999 Technical Facts-
Fuel: Bituminous Coal
Cylinders: 2 horizontal
Bore: 19"
Stroke: 24"
Steam Pressure: 160 lbs/psi
Tractive Effort: 16,270 lbs
Drive Wheels: 7'2" dia.
Max. Speed: 112.5 mph
Total Weight: 124,000 lbs
Original Cost: $13,000
Fossiliferous bituminous coal (bedding plane view) from the Pennsylvanian of Ohio, USA.
This is bituminous coal, a common type of coal. It is a higher rank coal than lignite and a lower rank coal than anthracite. Bituminous coal has blocky weathering and is moderately sooty to the touch. This sample is noticeably fossiliferous, with flattened and carbonized plant fragments.
Stratigraphy: float apparently derived from the Clarion Coal, Allegheny Group, Middle Pennsylvanian
Locality: talus from Prattsville West Outcrop - roadcut on the southern side of Rt. 50, west of the town of Prattsville & east of the town of McArthur, far-western Madison Township, east-central Vinton County, southeastern Ohio, USA
Coal seems to be the "boogie man" of fuels lately. Clean Coal? Truth? Myth? lots of people have opinions on this.
Pennsylvania is coal rich. Western PA especially. Because of this, our power rates are lower than say California or other parts of the country (although not the lowest). It's one of the reasons we had steel mills in Pittsburgh.
I did recently see some commercials calling "clean coal" a myth. While it's true, you'll never be able to burn coal and not have a by-product, the way the by-products are being portrayed are at best foolish and at worst stupid.
The main by-product of burning coal is fly ash. What use is Fly Ash? Well, if you have drywall in your house, you have fly ash in your house. Yes, fly ash is a cheap alternative to what's in dry wall so they use it to make dry wall. In fact, next to most coal power plants, there's a dry wall factory because it makes sense. Do you have a concrete driveway or do you drive on a concrete road? Chances are, there's fly ash in there. The Romans used ash in their concrete to make it stronger and today, they use coal fly ash to do the same thing. It's cheap and abundant (you can easily research these points if you don't believe me).
What's my point? Don't believe everything you hear. Do some research and don't always believe the propaganda.
Coal ball from the Pennsylvanian of Ohio, USA. (~6.5 centimeters across at its widest)
"Coal balls" are fossiliferous limestone nodules that occur in some coal beds. They contain three dimensionally-preserved plant fossils, which are significant for paleobotanical studies. This example comes from a sub-bituminous coal horizon in eastern Ohio called the Duquesne Coal (pronounced "Doo-kane").
Coal ball fossils can be examined using thin sections or acetate peels. The latter involve cutting and polishing a coal ball, etching the surface with hydrochloric acid, adding a thin film of acetone, and rolling a piece of acetate paper onto the surface. When dry, the acetate paper is peeled off and placed under a microscope to see cellular-level details of the fossils. The treated acetate paper can be put between two pieces of glass and taped together.
Stratigraphy: Duquesne Coal, lower Casselman Formation, middle Conemaugh Group, Missourian Series, lower Upper Pennsylvanian
Locality: Steubenville West outcrop - roadcut on the southern side of Route 22, just east of Reeds Mills Junction, west of Steubenville, eastern Ohio, USA (40º 21' 46.89" North latitude, 80º 45' 45.65" West longitude)
Dactylioceras Ammonite Group
from Germany
183 Million Years, Early Jurassic Period
Measurements Approx.
Height - 8.2 cm
Width - 18.5 cm
Length - 22.1 cm
Dactylioceras, meaning ‘Finger Horn’ is a species of Ammonite which in habited the open seas during the Early Jurassic period 200-175 million years ago.
Dactylioceras is a common find in Jurassic bituminous shales. These shales formed when limited water circulation allowed stagnant (still, oxygen-poor) conditions to develop in dense sediments on the sea floor. This was favourable for preservation of ammonites and other shells in various ways.
The impermeable nature of the sediment prevented the shell’s structure of aragonite material from dissolving away.
In addition, the stagnant conditions encountered by the shells when they sank to the bottom meant that burrowing animals or currents would not disturb them as the fossilisation process occurred.
Several individuals are preserved in the block shown here, discovered that Dactylioceras had gregarious (group-living) habits.
Possibly, like many modern cephalopods, such as squid, they congregated in large swarms or schools to breed.
www.london-fossils-crystals.co.uk/dactylioceras-ammonite-...
The Pottsville Group is a Pennsylvanian-aged cyclothemic succession containing nonmarine shales, marine shales, siltstones, sandstones, coals, marine limestones, and chert ("flint"). The lower Pottsville dates to the late Early Pennsylvanian. The upper part dates to the early Middle Pennsylvanian. The Lower-Middle Pennsylvanian boundary is apparently somewhere near the Boggs Limestone horizon (?).
The gray-colored, projecting ledge in the upper part of the photo shown above is the Lower Mercer Limestone, a laterally persistent, marine fossiliferous limestone unit in the upper Pottsville Group of eastern Ohio, USA. It is weathering-resistant and often forms ledges along roadcuts and stream cuts. Just below that is a dark-colored, weathered bituminous coal horizon - the Middle Mercer Coal.
Locality: creek cut along the northern bank of Symmes Creek, just upstream of the North Fork/North Branch confluence & just upstream of the Mollies Rock Road bridge over Symmes Creek, Madison Township, northern Muskingum County, eastern Ohio, USA
This railroad mostly parallels Route 82 south of the town of Leigh Creek in the South Australian Outback. When the large open-pit coal mine near Leigh Creek was active, about one loaded coal train per day ran from Leigh Creek to Port Augusta. Each train was extremely long - up to 2 or 3 kilometers. Trains usually ran at night to avoid heat-buckled tracks. The coal at the mine is brown sub-bituminous coal.
University of Southampton Faculty of Engineering, Science and Mathematics,
School of Civil Engineering and the Environment, "Bituplaning: A Low Dry Friction Phenomenon of New Bituminous Road Surfaces" By John Charles Bullas BSc MSc MIAT MIHT FGS May 2007 Thesis for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
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Engine Number 15 exiting the East Broad Top Railroad service yard.
The East Broad Top is a narrow-gauge railroad nestled amongst the Allegheny Mountains in south central Pennsylvania. Chartered in 1856 to tap into the vast semi-bituminous coal fields located on Broad Top Mountain, the EBT dutifully carried coal to fuel the booming iron furnaces located in Rockhill Furnace, PA. The East Broad Top was abandoned in April 1956 and the future looked grim. However, in the summer of 1960, the railroad was resurrected during the Bicentennial of the twin boroughs of Orbisonia and Rockhill Furnace, the home operating base of the East Broad Top.
Sandstone-coal-tonsteins in the Cretaceous of Wyoming, USA.
The outcrop seen here consists of Upper Cretaceous sedimentary rocks near the town of Superior, Wyoming. The unit at top is a quartzose sandstone of the basal Ericson Sandstone. Below the Ericson Sandstone is the uppermost Rock Springs Formation. The black layers are coals (hand samples indicate that these are apparently sub-bituminous coals) - this is the Rock Springs No. 5 Coal Bed. The thin, whitish-colored beds in the coal interval are soft claystones that were originally volcanic ash beds. They have been chemically altered as a result of deposition and burial in the acidic, reducing conditions of a coal swamp environment. Such altered volcanic ash beds are called tonsteins.
Stratigraphy: lower Ericson Sandstone over upper Rock Springs Formation, Upper Cretaceous
Locality: hairpin curve roadcut along Superior Cutoff Road, northeastern side of Horse Thief Canyon, east of the town of Superior, central Sweetwater County, southwestern Wyoming, USA (41° 45' 58.04" North latitude, 108° 56' 22.36" West longitude)
University of Southampton Faculty of Engineering, Science and Mathematics,
School of Civil Engineering and the Environment, "Bituplaning: A Low Dry Friction Phenomenon of New Bituminous Road Surfaces" By John Charles Bullas BSc MSc MIAT MIHT FGS May 2007 Thesis for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Notes: These touring exhibits promoted anthracite coal at a time when bituminous coal dominated the industry. The Anthracade went to Washington, DC, where UMW president John L. Lewis (descending the ramp) was interviewed by Tele-News.
Housed: United Mine Workers of America, Journal Office records, circa 1890-1980,
Historical Collections and Labor Archives
Repository: Penn State Special Collections, University Park, PA, USA.