MINE SUBSIDENCE AND THE HISTORY OF COAL MINING IN THE MAHONING VALLEY A Senior Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree Bachelor of Science in Geology By Mark S. Tochtenhagen The Ohio State University 1985 Thesis Advisor Russell O. Utgard Department of Geology and Mineralogy TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. iv ABSTRACT ........ v I. INTRODUCTION. Problem •... Purpose and Scope. 1 II. STRATIGRAPHY .. 3 Designation .• 3 Distribution •• 3 Stratigraphic Location. 3 The Pottsville Group ... 7 III. OCCURRENCE AND PALEOENVIRONMENT .. 8 The Unconformity .... 8 The Sharon #1 Coal •• 8 IV. CLASSIFICATION OF THE SHARON COAL .. 13 Type and Use. 13 Quality ......• 13 The Mineral Ridge Field •. 16 v. MINING METHODS .•..•..••. 18 The Way Into the Mine .• 18 Room and Pillar Mines •• 22 VI. MINING HISTORY OF THE MAHONING VALLEY •. 27 Economic Geology. 27 Production ...•...• 27 VII. THE EFFECT TODAY. 29 Problem. 29 Answers. 29 The Role of Ann G. Harris. 30 VIII. TYPES OF SUBSIDENCE. 32 Factors .......... 32 Drift Subsidence .. 32 Slope Subsidence .. 33 Shaft Subsidence. 33 Room and Tunnel Subsidence .•. 34 ii IX. FILED REPORTS. ..... ..... 36 The Foster #1 Shaft .•. ..... 36 The Foster/Crane Shaft •• . ........ 37 Veach and Burnett Mine .. 37 Subsidence Over Rooms and Tunnels •• 38 X. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS. 40 REFERENCES .. 42 APPENDIX A 44 APPENDIX B. 45 APPENDIX C.. 46 iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Ann G. Harris is currently Associate Professor of Geo­ logical Sciences at Youngstown State University. She is a member of the American Institute of Professional Geologists and serves as Consulting Geologist to the mine subsidence problem for the State of Ohio. She is responsible for ad­ vising on the history, geology, and proper stabilization techniques for abandoned underground mines and entryways throughout the Mahoning Valley. She also is helping the state determine the outcrop pattern and elevation of the Sharon coal throughout the area. Much thanks is to be given to Ann Harris for her help, concern, and encouragement; without it this paper would not be able to reveal the full impact of this problem. Additional thanks go to my thesis advisor Dr. Russell O. Utgard for his professional guidance and to my parents for making my education possible. ABSTRACT Abandoned underground coal mines and their entryways are a potential danger to public landowners due to the improper sealing and mining methods incorporated upon the closure of mining operations in the late 1800 1 s. A study of the Mahoning Valley coal field (Trumbull and Mahoning Counties) was made to determine the causes of mine subsidence, an increasing problem that has plagued the area since 1977. Coal mining thrived in this area from the mid to late 1800 1 s and the mines were loc­ ated in the Sharon #1 coal. The objective was to study mine subsidence in the Mahoning Valley which led to a study of the history and geology of coal min­ ing in the area. Evidence was found that the Sharon coal ex- ists as a basin coal restricted to subsurface valleys and low­ lands that were created by the pre-Pennsylvanian erosion. This restrictio~ made the Sharon coal very difficult to mine but the high quality of the coal yielded high profits. The coal was used as a furnace fuel in local blast furnaces for the smelting of iron ores and was therefore a major reason for the develcprr.ent of the steel industry throughout the Mah- oning Valley. The state is now providing funding for the reclamation of these abandoLed mines and entryways. The state is also making an effort to locate the Sharon coal's outcrop pattern and elevation in order that_proper advise can be given to building programs so they are not in jeopardy of subsidence damages. Consulting geologist to the program, Ann G. Harris, v is involved in state efforts to secure this area from sub­ sidence problems. She remarks that the program has had very successful results but adds that there is a need for more state funding to go to each stabilization job and to do more test drilling to find the outcrop pattern of the Sharon #1 coal. vi I. INTRODUCTION Problem Increased underground mine subsidence is a major problem throughout the Mahoning Valley. Subsidence is occurring over drift, slope, and shaft entryways and over the rooms and tun­ nels of abandoned underground coal mines. The subsidence began in 1977 when a shaft entryway collapsed claiming the garage of a Youngstown resident. In August of 1977 the fed­ eral government passed a bill which allocated funds to stabil­ ize land that has been damaged by previous mining operations. In the Mahoning Valley the main goals of this program are: 1. The stabilization of abandoned underground entryways and mines. 2. Determining the outcrop pattern of the Sharon coal throughout the area. The subsidence problem is accelerated because very few records or maps of the past mining operations were kept. People have built their homes over past mining areas without knowledge and are now in danger of subsidence damages. Purpose and Scope The purpose of this paper was to investigate the mine subsidence problem in the Mahoning Valley. This lead to a study of the history and geology of the coal mining operations that flourished in the Mahoning Valley 100 years ago. A geo­ logical study was necessary to understand the nature of the 1 Sharon coal. Its elevation, distribution, area extent, and its outcrop pattern are discussed. A historical study of the mining operation is necessary to understand the methods used to mine this coal. Reasons as to why the coal was mined, what it was used for, and how much was mined will also be discussed, The main objective of this report is to analyze why there is a subsidence problem, what is being done about it, and how it is being done. Recommendations as to addition­ al needs for this program will also be cited. 2 II. STRATIGRAPHY Designation The Sharon #1 coal is the lowest member of the 11 numer­ ically designated coal seams of the Ohio coal field (Fig. 1). These numerical designations were introduced by Newberry (1874: 130) in 1874 for convenience. He numbered those seams which are of mineable importance, all others occur only locally within certain strata of the state. Distribution The Sharon #1 coal lies in the northeastern portion of the Ohio coal field (Fig. 2). It thins southward into the basin of the Ohio coal field but is only of mineable impor­ tance to the seven northeastern counties of Mahoning, Trum­ bull, Portage, Summit, Stark, Medina, and Wayne. Although a single field of small extent, comparable to the Sharon's horizon, is located in Jackson County (Southern Ohio) its actual progression into the Great Appalachain Coal-Field is problematic (Orton, 1884:157). Stratigraphic Location The Sharon coal is a member of the Pottsville Group, the first forming rocks of the Pennsylvanian System (Fig. 3). The upper boundary of the Sharon coal is the base of the Scioto­ ville clay with the lower boundary being the Sharon conglom­ erate. The upper boundary of the Pottsville Group is the top of the Homewood sandstone and the lower boundary is the base of the Sharon conglomerate, which is an unconformity. 3 COAL RESOURCES OF OHIO z 0 Scale fo­ (Feet) e Washington 0 ......z rn= < a"; 100 Waynesburg (No. 11) Uniontown (No. 10) < 200 ..J lzl -.: < 0 z < Meigs Creek (No. 9) (Sewickley) 300 0 z 0 ::2 400 Redstone (No. Ba) (Pomeroy) Pittsburgh (No. 8) 500 (Ames) Harlem Anderson or Bakerstown Wilgus Mahoning Upper Freeport (No. 7) Lower Freeport (No. 6a) . Middle Kittanning (No. 6) Lower Kittanning (No. 5) Clarion (No. 4a) Brookville (No. 4) Tionesta Bedford Upper Mercer Lower Mercer • Quakertown (No. 2) Sharon (No. 1) ~ Figure 1- Generalized geologic section of Ohio coals. (O.G.S., 1960:24) 4 ..,Q;' ...Q 0 LEGEND PENNSYLVANIAN ....,....,. Pottsville formation Alleght>ny formation - Conl'maugh f01'nu1tio11 !~:,.;!~ Monongohp)a formution PERMIAN Washington t Gret"nt"' formotiom Figure 2- Generalized geologic map of the coal producing areas of Ohio. (O.G.S., 1960:22) 5 llppt't Frc:C"port No. 7. .. .. .. .. Coal, pa1eh1 ... 0 Cl.1y 111d 1halc .. , ........ 0 UpiM'r Freeport ... l.1mt"1tonr and nurly 1halt' 0 . "i2" Uohvar., ..... , . , . Cu.al, local, thin .. , a -- Bol~var. ... .. .• . Cby, ll1nt ind plu11c .•• 6 --.. Upper Freepon.. Shale or und1100(' 83 39 . 0.. J.o..,cr Freeport, Ro1cn Coal, patchy., ...... 2 e Lcwer Freepon .. f!~:.::!~·~·., .... I 0 ··~· e to .. er F ruport .. Shale or unduone .... 26 0 PcH11lu•iu .... Upper Kittaonin1. ('o•I, 1e:ldoni prueot I 0 Shale: and uad1tone. 10 0 \\'uhington11illc ("\'dlow Kiduy ore:) ...... ,, ... , .. Shale, m1rinc ...... , .. 18 M1ddlC' Kiuanninr ············· No. e. Coal, peni1tent ....•.... 0 qay, ailiceou1 ....... , .. e Salf'm .......... , L1mu1one, impure, loc1l. ....... , e H ·a· ReJ Kidner ore .. Shain, 1iliceou1 ...•.••• , .•.•. , ..••• 10 0 Suatbl.Hf ........ Coal, 10<.al .••.••.•.•.•.•.•.• ,, e Od. Hill,., ••• ,.. Clay, flint and plutic ................ , ...•. , . 0 . Sh1lt1, 1ilict"ou1 ........... .. ,.. 0 13 Hamdt'n,.. .. • . • . l..imutone:, un1te1dy, m1rine 0 f.o•cr KittanDia1 No. 6 ......••. ,, , Coil. .......••..•.....• Allc1hu1. 01y, plutic .. ········ .. 0 Lawrence ......... Coal, 1haly, loc1I .••• ,, Cl1y, flint and plutic '0 Kittanning ...... Shalt: ind und11onc. 2 . .. Ferriferoua .. ,. ,, . Orr, irrtcular ... a . "2i" , Vi:nrort ..• , ••. , • • l.imt1tone:, marint: ..•.. 0 Scr1.1b1r•11., .. , , . Coal, 1rlJom pruent e Shale, carbon1ce:ou1 .. 0 ---- Clarion No. h.,.. Co.al, pudiy,, ..... 0 Clay, flint 1nd plutic Can1ry ..• , ..••.. Ore, very local g .. "i7 Cl1rion .......... S1nd11ont, iru•f1'1.1l1r. & Vt'inte:n ....... ,, Coal, very local 0 Zaletki.. ,. , • ,, •• , Flint, impure, marine 0 011n, •••••••• ,. • Coil, l0<:al. ... ,.,., •. 0 Sh1le: and Hnduone. 25 0 Putn1m Hill., ••• , I imt"llone, marine .. 0 Broohille No. 4. t:o~I. 11uJy '2 0 l't.y, pla11ic, ..•.• , 0 Homr•ood .. ,, .. , Shale or unJnonc .. JO 0 u 0 .