ARCHIVE

The earth really did move

A MAN-made explosion at a Wyoming surface mine was reportedly large enough to register on the reg...

Donna Schmidt
The earth really did move

According to the Associated Press, the blast occurred at 11.11am local time, Tuesday in the vicinity of Cloud Peak Energy’s Cordero Rojo mine.

Some in Gillette, some 16 miles away, reported feeling the earth shake. The US Geological Survey’s seismographs recorded the explosion to be as large as an earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale.

While blasting explosions are indeed a frequent occurrence in surface operations, it is far less common that they are recorded at such intensity.

Local law enforcement officials told the AP that no mine emergencies had been reported.

Cloud Peak officials did not release a public statement on any events at the complex.

The Cordero Rojo operation, which extracts from the Wyodak seam at a seam thickness range of 55 to 70 feet, mined and shipped about 39.5 million tons of low sulfur coal last year.

Wyoming is the top producing coal state in the US Powder River Basin mines in the state produced 426 million tons of coal in 2011.

TOPICS:

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Monthly Intelligence team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Monthly Intelligence team.

editions

ESG Mining Company Index: Benchmarking the Future of Sustainable Mining

The ESG Mining Company Index report provides an in-depth evaluation of ESG performance of 61 of the world's largest mining companies. Using a robust framework, it assesses each company across 9 meticulously weighted indicators within 6 essential pillars.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Exploration Report 2024 (feat. Opaxe data)

A comprehensive review of exploration trends and technologies, highlighting the best intercepts and discoveries and the latest initial resource estimates.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Future Fleets Report 2024

The report paints a picture of the equipment landscape and includes detailed profiles of mines that are employing these fleets

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Digitalisation Report 2023

An in-depth review of operations that use digitalisation technology to drive improvements across all areas of mining production