Coal - a school project 2/4

How is coal mined?

In the olden days coal was mined in under-ground mines. It was very dangerous. There was always a fear that the roof would crumble. The miners had to leave a bit of the coal in the wall, or the roof would get unsteady and collapse. There was also a big danger of methane gas or CO₂ so the workers would take canaries and when the canary would stop singing or die they would know that there is methane gas and the workers would get out of the mine very quickly.

Now in the twenty-first century, technology has changed the way we think. In Australia we have open cut mining. The miners dig a big hole and then they take the coal out not with picks and shovels but with machines. If the coal is too far below the ground the miners use a giant drill. This drill is like a pencil it has a very sharp point and it is about ten thousand times bigger.