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Speaker: Dr. Anthony Iannaccione Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, University of Pittsburg.
The Subtropolis Mine is a room-and-pillar mine extracting the Vanport Limestone (Allegheny Formation, Pennsylvanian System) near Petersburg, Ohio. The rooms are nominally 40 ft. wide and 16 ft. high. In February of 2018, mine management began implementing a new mine layout to better control the negative effects of excessive levels of horizontal stress. ‘Stress Control’ mine layouts evolved at mines suffering from strata instabilities, resulting in experiments utilizing methods to mitigate adverse impacts. Jack Parker was able to write about personal experiences at the White Pine mine in Michigan and formulate a basic framework for the ‘stress control layout’. Various research at the USBM, MSHA, and NIOSH have studied its effectiveness over a wide range of geologic conditions. While this design approach has proven successful in many categories, it is difficult to implement and can concentrate stresses in crosscuts. To help better understand these issues, NIOSH and East Fairfield Coal Company are cooperating on a research project at the Subtropolis Mine. This project consists of detailed in-mine mapping in conjunction with state-of-the-art 3D Dynamic LiDAR scans by Mine Vision Systems. These methods are being used to determine the efficiency and effectiveness of this engineering intervention towards lowering potential injuries from strata instabilities. Speaker: Brian L. Fritz is an Adjunct Professor at Clarion University of Pennsylvania and the Owner/Principle Archaeological Investigator for Quemahoning, LLC, a cultural resources consulting business that specializes in applying principals of geology within the practice of archaeology. Mr. Fritz has earned a B.S. in geology and a B.A. in Anthropology from Clarion University of Pennsylvania, and an M.S. in Geology at the University of Akron. His ten years of experience in owning and operating an open pit bituminous coal mining business provides unique insights into the archaeology of Pennsylvania’s early extractive industries. His award winning book “Shade Furnace: An early 19th Century Iron making Community in Somerset County, Pennsylvania” is available to purchase please contact us for details. In the year 1808, Somerset County was little more than a mountain forest with patches of fledgling farmsteads connected by rutted bridle paths. From this frontier forest, a partnership of industrious men launched a plan to raise an iron furnace along the banks of Shade Creek. Their daring plan brought to life a charcoal blast furnace, a forge for refining pig iron, and an iron plantation of more than 5,000 acres. Shade Furnace produced both success and failure to its many owners over an operational life of fifty years. Today, the ruins of Shade Furnace remain relatively undisturbed along the rugged valley slopes of Shade Creek. Its stone walls and abandoned mine pits are a time capsule to a nearly forgotten era when the engines of industry lay in the rural forests and not in the sprawling cities. The legacy of Shade Furnace continues to inspire our imagination and the entrepreneurial drive that is so deeply rooted in the pioneering spirit of the American Frontier.
 Speaker: Farley Wood, P.E., of Tetra Tech, Inc. Wonderful and informative presentation on the research and development of Rare Earth Elements extraction processes and their importance in everyday life from cell phones to laptops. Thank you Farley Wood. Speaker: Jamie Stilley, Vice President, Amerikohl Aggregates, Inc.
Speaker: Greg Aaron, Geologic Specialist, Department of Environmental Protection, Cambria District Mining Office.
“Earth Vision” software is a 3D Modeling Tool and is utilized by DEP Ebensburg for Overburden Assessment and Geologic Interpretation. Greg will provide an overview and we will discuss the potential of a coordinated training effort based upon membership interest Speaker: Eric Oliver, Mineral Resources Program Specialist, Department of Environmental Protection  Annual PMP Christmas Party, technical meeting and presentation. Thank-you to Greg Aaron & Rock Martin, P.G. of the DEP Ebensburg Office for their presentation on Reclamation of Refuse Piles using Fluidized Bed Combustion Ash in the Blacklick Creek Watershed, Pennsylvania. "The Importance of Geological Analysis in Coal and Limestone Ground Control Investigations."9/13/2017 Great turnout for our third quarter meeting to hear Dr. Iannocchione speak about "The Importance of Geological Analysis in Coal and Limestone Ground Control Investigations." Thank you, Dr. Iannocchione for the informative presentation. |
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Photo used under Creative Commons from James St. John
