Chapter 2

Welcome back to my blog. Today we are discussing Chapter two of the book "Regional Landscapes of the United States and Canada" by Stephen Birdsall. There will be a science lesson and a history lesson, but first let's recap the text book.

The book has a map of Major Coal Mining Fields (p. 36) and Pittsburgh is on it.  The type of coal? Bituminous."North America is favored with abundant mineral fuel resources," The author writes on page 35. "The two countries (US and Canada), however, have a large demand for fuels, which generates a constant search for new resources." 

First, let's discuss what "Bituminous" means. Bituminous has no real shape and is dark colored. It has the properties of cement, is made of high molecular weight hydrocarbons and can be dissolved in carbon disulfide.  (That's the end of the science lesson.)

Now that the science lesson is over, let's move to the history lesson. The Bituminous coal was first mined on Mount Washington. (If you read below, you'll see pictures of the Mount Washington incline -- if you ever go to Pittsburgh, you need to take the incline). By 1830, Pittsburgh used more than 400 tons of coal a day. The need for coal expanded as the West and Steel Production grew. In the past 200 years,  more than ten billion tons of coal has been mined in 21 counties in Pennsylvania. 

And it's a good thing Pittsburgh has coal, because coal is important for steel production.  (According to World Coal, "68% of total global steel production relies directly on inputs of coal.") You'll learn more about Pittsburgh's steel production below.

There are a lot of cool historical photos of Pittsburgh's coal mining industry. Click here to access them.