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Blasting and Explosives |
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Mine inspector at the blast site
To prevent damage to nearby dwellings, blasting must be carefully planned and carried out by qualified blasters. Prior to the Surface Mining Law, blasting was sometimes performed by untrained personnel and occasionally damaged nearby dwellings. Here at this Tennessee coal mine, the federal inspector is checking the credentials of the mine employee that is doing the blasting. The truck on the left is used to drill the holes into the overburden and the truck in the background contains the explosives that the certified blaster is placing in the holes. Enlarged Photo (40 KB file)
Blasting to loosen the coal seam
Explosives are used to break up rock layers in the overburden and to loosen the coal seam. At this Wyoming mine the coal seam was blasted to loosen the coal after the overburden was removed. Prior to setting off this blast the shovel that was loading coal in the mine pit was moved away from the coal seam and all workers left the area where there could be a danger from flying material. A previous blast loosened the area of coal in the left foreground. Enlarged Photo (15 KB file)
Monitoring effects of blasting on residences
Under the Surface Mining Law mining companies are required to monitor the ground vibration effects of blasting on residences near active coal mines. Here the operator of a coal mine is monitoring the house using a seismograph and recorder to ensure that blasting effects from the mine were within permissible levels.. Enlarged Photo (20 KB file)
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