Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'coalmont'.
-
Blakeburn Amber (Allenby Fm., 52.5-48 Ma)
Barrelcactusaddict posted a gallery image in Member Collections
From the album: Fossil Amber and Copal: Worldwide Localities
“Blakeburn Amber” Coalmont, British Columbia Allenby Fm. (Princeton Group) 52.5-48 Ma Weight: 0.8g Dimensions: 16x16x13mm Lighting: Longwave UV The final entry in a series of ten, detailing various rare ambers from European, Asian, and North American localities. This is a fine example of an in-situ piece of amber. The matrix is high-volatile type B bituminous coal, which contains small portions of methane; it has a bright vitreous luster due to it containing over 90% vitrinite (a “maceral”, or component of coal, derived from woody plant tissue). Geology of the Allenby Fm.: Within the Tulameen Basin lies the Tulameen Coalfield, which covers approximately 6.2 square miles (10 sq. km.), and is located about 12.5 miles (20 km.) northwest of Princeton, B.C.; within the Allenby Fm. is three members/layers: an upper member of sandstone and conglomerate 600 m thick, a lower sandstone member 100-150 m thick, and a middle member 130 m thick; the middle member is predominantly mudstone and shale and contains two coal seams, the upper seam containing amber. The main seam lies 25-40 m above the lower seam, is 15-21 m thick, and is of much higher quality than the lower seam: it is from this layer that much of the mining was done. Botanical Source: Nearby, the Allenby Fm. is composed of three Members, the middle being the Vermillion Bluffs Shale: it is known for its rich deposits of plant fossils. Approximately 9.3 miles (15 km.) southeast of the Tulameen Coalfield, is the famous Thomas Ranch locality: here, the majority of the plant fossils consist of cupressaceous remains, “Metasequoia occidentalis” being the most common; at Tiger Mountain (Washington State, USA), Eocene-aged amber occurs alongside Metasequoia and Taxodium leaf imprints, which are plentiful. It is quite possible that Blakeburn and Tiger Mountain ambers were derived from a Cupressaceae source tree. History of Mine: In 1899, analyses on the coal of the Tulameen Basin were submitted to the Geological Survey of Canada, and mining began in 1904 in the Blakeburn Creek area; the owners of the mines, Coalmont Collieries, Ltd., created 5 mines over the next 30 years, with mines No. 1 and No. 2 opening in 1913. No. 3 and No. 4 began production in the 1920s, but were shut down in the 1930s due to fires and flooding. It was in the No. 4 mine that a tragic incident occurred on August 13, 1930: an explosion killed 45 men, and was believed to have been caused by a buildup of methane (released from the high-volatile type B coal, mentioned earlier) from closed-off mining areas. The official explanation by the mining company claimed methane was not a major contributing factor; interesting, considering that the fire bosses of the mine asserted to the workers beforehand that the mines were gas-free. From 1900 to 1940, 2.2 million tons of coal were produced, with the No. 5 Mine closing in 1940. Sporadic exploration has been done in the area since 1960, and in 2002, Compliance Coal Mining was planning to open a mine in the Tulameen Basin. Sources: “The Eocene Thomas Ranch flora, Allenby Formation, Princeton, British Columbia, Canada”; Article in “Botany”; Dillhoff, et. al. 2013 “Overview of the Coalbed Methane Potential of Tertiary Coal Basins in the Interior of British Columbia”; BCGS Geological Fieldwork 2002; Barry Ryan “Coal Petrology of the Tulameen Coalfield, South Central British Columbia”; Western Washington University; V. Eileen Williams 1978 “Stratigraphy of Eocene Rocks in a Part of King County, Washington”; U.S. Geological Survey; James D. Vine 1962© Kaegen Lau
-
- allenby formation
- amber
- (and 11 more)
-
Blakeburn Amber (Allenby Fm., 52.5-48 Ma)
Barrelcactusaddict posted a gallery image in Member Collections
From the album: Fossil Amber and Copal: Worldwide Localities
“Blakeburn Amber” Coalmont, British Columbia Allenby Fm. (Princeton Group) 52.5-48 Ma Weight: 0.8g Dimensions: 16x16x13mm Lighting: 140lm LED The final entry in a series of ten, detailing various rare ambers from European, Asian, and North American localities. This is a fine example of an in-situ piece of amber. The matrix is high-volatile type B bituminous coal, which contains small portions of methane; it has a bright vitreous luster due to it containing over 90% vitrinite (a “maceral”, or component of coal, derived from woody plant tissue). Geology of the Allenby Fm.: Within the Tulameen Basin lies the Tulameen Coalfield, which covers approximately 6.2 square miles (10 sq. km.), and is located about 12.5 miles (20 km.) northwest of Princeton, B.C.; within the Allenby Fm. is three members/layers: an upper member of sandstone and conglomerate 600 m thick, a lower sandstone member 100-150 m thick, and a middle member 130 m thick; the middle member is predominantly mudstone and shale and contains two coal seams, the upper seam containing amber. The main seam lies 25-40 m above the lower seam, is 15-21 m thick, and is of much higher quality than the lower seam: it is from this layer that much of the mining was done. Botanical Source: Nearby, the Allenby Fm. is composed of three Members, the middle being the Vermillion Bluffs Shale: it is known for its rich deposits of plant fossils. Approximately 9.3 miles (15 km.) southeast of the Tulameen Coalfield, is the famous Thomas Ranch locality: here, the majority of the plant fossils consist of cupressaceous remains, “Metasequoia occidentalis” being the most common; at Tiger Mountain (Washington State, USA), Eocene-aged amber occurs alongside Metasequoia and Taxodium leaf imprints, which are plentiful. It is quite possible that Blakeburn and Tiger Mountain ambers were derived from a Cupressaceae source tree. History of Mine: In 1899, analyses on the coal of the Tulameen Basin were submitted to the Geological Survey of Canada, and mining began in 1904 in the Blakeburn Creek area; the owners of the mines, Coalmont Collieries, Ltd., created 5 mines over the next 30 years, with mines No. 1 and No. 2 opening in 1913. No. 3 and No. 4 began production in the 1920s, but were shut down in the 1930s due to fires and flooding. It was in the No. 4 mine that a tragic incident occurred on August 13, 1930: an explosion killed 45 men, and was believed to have been caused by a buildup of methane (released from the high-volatile type B coal, mentioned earlier) from closed-off mining areas. The official explanation by the mining company claimed methane was not a major contributing factor; interesting, considering that the fire bosses of the mine asserted to the workers beforehand that the mines were gas-free. From 1900 to 1940, 2.2 million tons of coal were produced, with the No. 5 Mine closing in 1940. Sporadic exploration has been done in the area since 1960, and in 2002, Compliance Coal Mining was planning to open a mine in the Tulameen Basin. Sources: “The Eocene Thomas Ranch flora, Allenby Formation, Princeton, British Columbia, Canada”; Article in “Botany”; Dillhoff, et. al. 2013 “Overview of the Coalbed Methane Potential of Tertiary Coal Basins in the Interior of British Columbia”; BCGS Geological Fieldwork 2002; Barry Ryan “Coal Petrology of the Tulameen Coalfield, South Central British Columbia”; Western Washington University; V. Eileen Williams 1978 “Stratigraphy of Eocene Rocks in a Part of King County, Washington”; U.S. Geological Survey; James D. Vine 1962© Kaegen Lau
-
- allenby formation
- amber
- (and 11 more)
-
Canadian Amber (Allenby Fm., 52.5-48 Ma)
Barrelcactusaddict posted a gallery image in Member Collections
From the album: Fossil Amber and Copal: Worldwide Localities
3.0g of amber, from the same lot in the two associated entries. This mid to late-Ypresian material comes from an old site near the abandoned mining town of Blakeburn, which site and its gangue piles are now technically owned by a coal mining company (although the existing legal claim of the individual who collected this amber is being overruled by the company). The amber is found primarily in association with Metasequoia sp. remains/imprints, however Pinus and Pseudolarix (among others) remains are also found in a lesser quantity at the site.© Kaegen Lau
-
- allenby formation
- amber
- (and 11 more)
-
Canadian Amber (Allenby Fm., 52.5-48 Ma)
Barrelcactusaddict posted a gallery image in Member Collections
From the album: Fossil Amber and Copal: Worldwide Localities
Rough amber from an old site near Coalmont, British Columbia. The original site is now closed to collecting, since a mining company somehow got a court injunction and has "jumped" the owner's legal, active long-standing claim. The claim owner has informed me that he is not able to collect larger specimens (>3g fraction), as he had been able to in the past.© Kaegen Lau
-
- amber
- british columbia
-
(and 6 more)
Tagged with: