The 55 meter thick coal seam has been mined for 118 years. What is the first open-pit coal mine in China now?

Tech 2023-10-21 18:14:36 Source: Network

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Article | Whale Research Institute

Editor | Whale Discovery Institute

Coal is a very valuable non renewable resource.

Although coal is not as energy-efficient as oil, it is also a very important strategic resource for the country.

The thickness of the coal seam in China's first open-pit mine is as high as 55 meters, and it has been mined for 118 years.

So what's going on now?

Witness of China's coal industry - Fushun West Opencast Coal Mine

Fushun is located in the southwest of Liaoning Province and is one of the top ten heavy industrial cities in China. It is famous for its abundant coal resources, with the largest being the western open-pit mine.

The coal resources in the western part of Fushun can be traced back to the Qing Dynasty.

At that time, this region was rich in coal resources and had huge reserves. However, due to the Manchu rulers' belief that Fushun was a prosperous land and their concern that mining coal would damage the feng shui here and affect the long-term impact of the country, mining was strictly prohibited.

However, the Manchus established a state in the Fushun region. If important figures die, they will build a tomb here. This resource rich coal mine was discovered in this way, but it cannot be mined.

It was not until after the Sino Japanese War of 1898-1895 that the Qing government was forced to sign an unequal treaty that humiliated the country and demanded huge reparations. The national treasury is empty, so we have to authorize coal mining in the western part of Fushun to increase military spending.

In 1901, the Qing government led by Governor Wang Chengyao finally agreed to mine the Fushun coal mine.

In order to dig this coal mine, Wang Chengyao raised 100000 taels of silver and teamed up with Russian capitalists to establish Huaxingli Company. Russian industrialist Weng Shou founded Fushun Coal Mine Company to jointly mine Fushun coal.

But soon these two companies were completely occupied by the Russians.

After the end of the Russo Japanese War in 1905, Japan defeated Russia and took control of the three eastern provinces. From then on, Fushun's abundant coal resources became the gold and silver in the eyes of the Japanese.

In order to meet the needs of their own industrial development, the Japanese carried out large-scale and crazy coal mining in the western part of Fushun.

During a 40 year long plunder, the Japanese forced local people to work in mines and plundered over 80 million tons of high-quality coal from Fushun, earning astronomical profits.

The coal harvested is not only used by Japan, but also exported to Southeast Asia, earning huge profits.

After Japan's defeat and surrender in 1945, New China regained ownership of the Fushun coal mine.

At that time, the Nationalist government continued to mine coal in Fushun to increase military spending. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, due to the lack of domestic energy, coal was urgently needed to develop industry and support national construction. Therefore, the government carried out a new round of development and utilization of the Fushun coal mine..

In the 1950s, the government invested over 2 billion yuan to build the Fushun coal mine, introduced a large number of mining equipment, and improved mining technology.

Due to a series of technological advancements, the coal production of Fushun West Open Pit Mine has been continuously increasing, reaching a historic high in 1962 with an annual coal production of 18.3 million tons.

You should know that the open-pit coal mines in Fushun West are very abundant in reserves. The thickness of the coal seam ranges from 20 to 150 meters, with an average thickness of 55 meters. It is the thickest coal seam in China. This type of open-pit coal can be directly mined by removing the surface covering layer., There is no need to mine, and it can be said that the mining cost is very low.

Fushun Coal: From Peak to Sinking

The western open-pit mining areas contain abundant high-grade coal resources, which are the key to supporting the industrial development of Fushun.

In 1901, the Western Open Pit Coal Mine officially began mining. At that time, the mining methods were relatively primitive, mainly relying on manual and simple mechanical open-pit mining equipment.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the coal industry in Fushun flourished rapidly, and the production of the West Open Pit Coal Mine also increased year by year.

In order to improve mining efficiency, Fushun introduced advanced mechanized mining equipment from abroad, and the production reached a peak of 50000 tons/day in 1962.

After more than 60 years of mining, the West Open Pit Coal Mine has provided sufficient and affordable energy for Fushun, promoting the prosperity of Fushun's heavy industry.

In the 1950s, Fushun relied on its advantages in coal resources and its industrial output value ranked among the top in China. Many important industrial products such as the first ton of kerogen shale crude oil and the first excavator have settled in Fushun.

Advanced metallurgical and mechanical industries have also emerged here. Fushun's steel production ranks first in the country. In 1954, Fushun was upgraded to a provincial-level city, and the first tram was born here.

It can be said that without the contribution of open-pit mines in the western region, it is difficult to imagine the rapid development of heavy industry in New China.

However, the continuous overexploitation has also brought losses to Fushun.

In the mid-1980s, the two main open-pit mines in the western region, Longfeng Mine and Shengli Mine, were closed due to resource depletion. The huge cavity formed by the western open-pit mine gradually expands, reaching a depth of over 400 meters, equivalent to a height of 140 floors. Covering an area of over 10 square kilometers, it is the largest artificial open-pit mine in Asia.

The huge mining pit has caused serious damage to the ecological environment of Fushun. The vegetation is severely reduced, and soil erosion and debris flow accidents occur frequently. The danger of building foundation movement and ground subsidence is becoming increasingly serious, which also seriously affects the safety of residents' lives and property.

In order to control the accumulation of groundwater, a large amount of resources are invested annually to release over 20 million cubic meters of water resources.

With the gradual depletion of coal resources, Fushun's industrial advantages no longer exist, and talent loss is also very serious.

In 2019, with resources almost depleted, the Fushun West Open Pit officially ceased mining, ending its 118 year history.

The transformation from the first coal mine to the first sinkhole

From 1905 to 2019 when it was closed, the Fushun West Open Pit Mine has mined a total of 280 million tons of high-grade thermal coal and 530 million tons of kerogen shale.

Among them, the maximum annual production reached 8.05 million tons, setting a record for the maximum production capacity of a single coal mine in the world at that time.

Fushun Coal Mine has abundant coal reserves with a history of 200 million years, with a total reserve of up to 10 billion tons. The abundant coal resources have supported the 119 year mining history of Fushun West Open Pit Mine.

However, the overexploitation of the West Coal Mine has brought glory to this land while quietly changing the local ecological environment.

The accumulation of a large amount of dust over the years has seriously polluted the local air. The dust content is as high as 8-15 milligrams per cubic meter, which is 5-10 times the national standard. This has caused serious damage to the health of the miners. Many miners have respiratory problems. The prevalence of systemic and pulmonary diseases is much higher than that of other industries.

According to statistics, 2.2 million square meters of land in the surrounding area have been abandoned, making it impossible to grow crops.

With the mining method of "digging and swallowing mountains", billions of huge cavities have been formed underground, making the geological environment extremely fragile.

Frequent land subsidence and landslides not only threaten the safety of nearby residents' lives and property, but also lead to a large number of residents migrating outward. The once bustling mining area has now turned into a ghost city.

Underground is even more terrifying. Long term blind mining has caused the mine to sink deeper and deeper, ultimately forming a super large sinkhole with a diameter of 2 kilometers and a depth of 424 meters! This has made the Fushun coal mine the largest artificial sinkhole in China and even Asia.

This is undoubtedly the irreparable damage caused by mining to the local ecological environment. In 2019, after 118 years, Fushun West Coal Mine finally completed its historical mission and officially announced its closure.

In order to control these consequences, the state and Fushun Municipal Government have taken a series of measures. One is to fill large mines and improve geological safety. However, in order to backfill, they used tailings sand obtained from nearby oil shale mining, which not only saved money. The cost has decreased, and the underground pits in the mining area are gradually being filled out.

Not only that, relevant departments are also extensively carrying out greening and afforestation in the mining area, planting nearly 800000 trees, constructing multiple ecological parks, and improving the environment.

In addition to promoting history, the government has also established a coal museum in the mining area and included it in the national industrial heritage protection list. The museum records the development history of coal mining in Fushun and commemorates the outstanding contributions made by the Fushun West Open Pit Coal Mine to the country's industrialization process.

It can be said that the development process of Fushun West Opencast Coal Mine is a microcosm of the development of China's modern coal industry.

On the path of transforming the energy structure, we cannot forget the enormous contribution of coal to the national economy, but we must also face the profound lessons that long-term overexploitation has brought to the ecological environment.

When developing coal resources, it is necessary to pay more attention to the rational utilization of resources and the sustainable development of the environment. Only in this way can we leave a suitable home for future generations and inherit this glorious but imperfect period. History of Industrial Development.

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