Indiana Geology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Indiana Geology - Essay Example ich are lignite, sub-bituminous, bituminous and anthracite that greatly differ in hardness and the harder the coal, the less the wetness and the more useful it is for fuel. However, bituminous coal, which has very little moisture but high heat value and is widely used in electricity generation coke making in the steel industry is the type discovered in Indiana. The discovery of Bituminous coal along river Wabash was one of the greatest findings in Indiana due to its priceless nature and this Indiana ranks number 15 in the nation’s energy affordability sixth and third in coal production and coal use nationwide respectively. Its mining began in 1830 and by 1918, it had significantly surpassed 30 million short tons that worth approximately $817 million dollars, which ranked it 8th in the nation in coal production and later reduced due to World War I. The chief mining method used in Indiana was deep mining until around 1940s when the introduction sophisticated excavation machines enabled the use of surface mining that was very cost effective. Surface mining has been very successful method contributing almost 70% of Indiana’s recent production (Indiana Business Research Centre Web). The Indiana coal is of a very great quality and has substantial distinction in chemical and physical properties. The infrastructure system especially transport system favored the mining process where there were single line and two line rail service that helped to export the coal. The rise of interest and opportunities in coal facilitated the building of infrastructure particularly in Ohio River and Lake Michigan, watercourse transfer points and equipment of main lines to help high-speed unit-trains that had big waits. There are sufficient road networks within the state to help trucking coal to their production points thus improving the economy of the state. Indiana coal has a very wide market both domestically and overseas using inland watercourse system and private terminals along