Indiana coal production averages nearly 35 million short tons per year (1 short ton = 2,000 pounds).
In recent years there has been a resurgence of underground mining as the easily strippable reserves are depleted.
The Indiana Coal Industry
Bituminous coal has become one of Indiana’s most valuable natural resources since its discovery along the banks of the Wabash River in 1736. Organized development of Indiana’s coal resources began in the 1830s and by 1918, production exceeded 30 million short tons. Coal production declined following World War I, but underground (deep) mining remained the primary mining method in Indiana until the 1940s. Following World War II, the advent of large-scale excavation equipment made surface mining more cost efficient and by 1965, surface mining accounted for more than 80 percent of the state’s annual production. Surface mining continues to be the primary method of coal removal in Indiana, with nearly 70 percent of the current production coming from surface mines.
Indiana Coal Reserves
Indiana has approximately 57 billion tons of unmined coal, of which nearly 17 billion tons is recoverable using current technology. Of the mineable reserves, about 88 percent is recoverable by underground mining and only 12 percent is recoverable using surface mining methods. Based on current production rates, Indiana's 17 billion tons of available coal could last more than 500 years.
The "Old Glory" dragline removes overburden at the Farmersburg Mine in Vigo County. Large surface
mines are now being replaced by underground operations such as the Gibson County Mine near Princeton.
Maps and Databases
- Mine Information
- Maps and posters
- Coal of Indiana
- Coal supply and demand in Indiana
- Coal, electricity, and gas transportation systems in Indiana
- Interactive maps
- Interactive map of the Springfiled Coal Member
- Interactive map of the Danville Coal Member
- Interactive map of the Seelyville Coal Member
- Coal Databases
Coal Research
- Coal Characterization
- Trace Elements in Indiana Coal
- CO2 emissions from coals
- Coalbed methane
- CO2 Sequestration
- Coal characteristics and their possible implications on CO2 sequestration
- Carbon dioxide and methane sorption in high volatile bituminous coals from Indiana, USA
- Coal Combustion Byproducts
- Atlas of anthropogenic particles
- Petrographic characterization of fly ash
- Chemical properties and petrographic composition of coal and fly ash: examples from Indiana
- Coals and the Steel Industry
- Underground coal gasification
- Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC)
- Reconnaissance of Coal Slurry Deposits
Indiana coal production averages nearly 35 million short tons per year (1 short ton = 2,000 pounds).
In recent years there has been a resurgence of underground mining as the easily strippable reserves are depleted.