As you know, coal is different. Distinguish between black and brown varieties, anthracite. Coal seams occur at different depths, and it is this depth that determines the methods of mining.
Formations at a depth of 100 to 150 meters are mined by quarrying. All processes in the extraction of coal from a quarry are conducted on the surface. With a deeper occurrence, an underground mining method is used. This is the most time-consuming method, but it allows you to develop the most powerful formations, the thickness of which sometimes can exceed 30 meters.
The most cost-effective method of coal mining is open-pit mining. About 70% of all coal reserves of the Earth are developed in this way. The largest in Europe (and some experts believe that in the world) is the Korkinsky coal mine. It is located near the village of Rosa in the Chelyabinsk region. During its development, traditional technologies were used.
First, overburden was carried out and overburden was removed. Then, using blasting, coal was mined. The Korkinsky explosion that uncovered the field went down in history. In 1936, more than a million cubic meters of land were lifted into the air by this prepared blast. The ejection reached a height of 500 meters, and the explosion itself was recorded by several seismic stations. The thickness of the layers found by geologists in 1932 exceeded 200 meters.
The Korkinsky section is so large that it housed not only all the necessary vehicles (excavators, bulldozers, railway cars and 14 electric locomotives), but also a power substation that provides electricity to the railway line. Today, the coal mine in Korkino has a depth of more than half a kilometer and a diameter exceeding 2.5 kilometers. The waste dumps surround it for many kilometers. Coal mining has been conducted in it from 1932 to the present day. Moreover, all coal from the bottom of the quarry is exported by rail.
The Korkinsky open pit today is not only the largest field, but also a source of economic and social problems. The walls of its sides are so deep that in 2012 there was a real threat of their collapse. The entire population of the village of Rosa was threatened, next to which is the Korkinsky section.
In connection with these events, the Minister of Emergency Situations of Russia V. Puchkov visited the field. Having examined the field, he suggested that the government of the Chelyabinsk region consider a program for closing the quarry. In addition, at the initiative of the Minister, an emergency resettlement of all the inhabitants of Rosa was undertaken. Only the first stage of a large-scale resettlement program cost the budget of the Chelyabinsk region more than five billion rubles.
Naturally, the court decision to stop work caused excitement for everyone who works in a career. However, V. Putin, who visited the field in February 2013, reassured the workers, saying that the Korkinsky open-pit mine would be operational until they adopted an official project to eliminate it. Moreover, he proposed to support the workers of the mine (there are more than a thousand of them) with an additional order. After V. Putin’s departure, agreements were concluded for the supply of coal mined for five years.
For the successful completion of the resettlement program of the Chelyabinsk region, a federal money transfer of two billion rubles was provided. In order to protect residents and workers from collapsing walls, a seismic station began operating at the bottom of the quarry in December 2012. Its task is to timely warn about the possible activity of the quarry walls.
There are several reclamation projects, but not one of them has yet been officially approved. It is assumed that the pit can be transferred to the Russian Copper Company or another third-party user, or turned into a decorative reservoir.