Anthracite facts for kids
| Metamorphic rock | |
Anthracite coal
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| Composition | |
|---|---|
| 86–97% carbon |
Anthracite, also called hard coal or black diamond, is a shiny, glossy type of coal. It is the hardest variety of coal found in the ground. Because it has the most carbon and the highest energy density, it burns hotter and longer than other fuels. Unlike softer coal, it burns with a clean, smokeless blue flame.
Contents
What Makes Anthracite Special?
Deep under the ground, immense heat and weight turn old sedimentary rock into anthracite through metamorphism. It takes millions of years to form. Anthracite is famous for having very few impurities. It contains almost no coal tar or oily liquids.
Anthracite is smooth and does not leave dirty marks on your fingers when you hold it. It feels surprisingly cold to the touch. This dense rock contains up to 97% pure carbon. That is why it gives off huge amounts of heat energy when burned.
Clean Burning Fuel for Home Furnaces
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Regular soft coal produces dark smoke and soot when it burns. In contrast, anthracite produces very little smoke, making it a valuable smokeless fuel. For over a century, people burned it inside furnaces and stoves to keep their houses warm during cold winters.
Railroads loved it too! Locomotives on the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad burned anthracite so passengers would not get soot on their clean clothes. The famous character Phoebe Snow was created to tell travelers how clean the trains were.
Sizing Coal with Big Breakers
After miners dig anthracite out of the ground, large machines called breakers crush the rocks. Then, big sorting sieves separate the pieces by size:
- Egg and Stove coal are large pieces used in massive heating units.
- Chestnut and Pea coal are medium stones loaded into wood stoves by hand.
- Buckwheat and Rice coal are tiny grains used in automatic stoker machines.
Underground Fires and Vanished Towns
Anthracite holds heat extraordinarily well. If an underground deposit catches fire, it can burn out of control for decades. Air moves through hidden cracks in the earth to keep the fire alive. In Centralia, Pennsylvania, an underground mine caught fire in 1962 and is still burning, turning the area into a ghost town.
Images for kids
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An anthracite pile in Trevorton, Pennsylvania
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A coal car at the Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour in Scranton, Pennsylvania
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A coal breaker building in Madrid, New Mexico
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A World War II poster
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An American football trophy carved from solid anthracite
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Young breaker boy workers photographed in Pittston, Pennsylvania
See also
In Spanish: Antracita para niños
