The Pittsburgh Coalfield (Pittsburgh Coal Region) is the largest of the

Western Pennsylvania Western Pennsylvania is a region in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, covering the western third of the state. Pittsburgh is the region's principal city, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic ...

coalfield A coalfield is an area of certain uniform characteristics where coal is mined. The criteria for determining the approximate boundary of a coalfield are geographical and cultural, in addition to geological. A coalfield often groups the seams of ...

s. It includes all or part of Allegheny, Fayette,

Greene Greene may refer to: Places United States *Greene, Indiana, an unincorporated community *Greene, Iowa, a city *Greene, Maine, a town **Greene (CDP), Maine, in the town of Greene *Greene (town), New York **Greene (village), New York, in the town o ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

, and Westmoreland Counties in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

Coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...

has been mined in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

since the 18th century.

U.S. Steel United States Steel Corporation, more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an American integrated steel producer headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with production operations primarily in the United States of America and in severa ...

and

Bethlehem Steel The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. For most of the 20th century, it was one of the world's largest steel producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its succe ...

owned Karen, Maple Creek, and Ellsworth mines. It is not possible to define sharp geographical boundaries for this district for none such exist or are reported differently. The largest company in this field was the

Pittsburgh Coal Company The Pittsburgh Terminal Coal Company was a bituminous coal mining company based in Pittsburgh and controlled by the Mellon family. It operated mines in the Pittsburgh Coalfield, including mines in Becks Run and Horning, Pennsylvania. Unusuall ...

, which later became

CONSOL Energy Consol Energy Inc. is an American energy company with interests in coal headquartered in the suburb of Cecil Township, in the Southpointe complex, just outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 2017, Consol formed two separate entities: CNX Resour ...

. It is bordered on the west by the state of

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

, on the south by

Panhandle Coalfield The Panhandle Coalfield is a coalfield located in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia counties of Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, Marshall, and Wetzel. Mining is primarily in the Pittsburgh coal seam, sometimes called the No. 8 seam, which is of a stea ...

and Klondike Coalfield, on the East by

Irwin Gas Coalfield Irwin may refer to: Places ;United States * Irwin, California * Irwin, Idaho * Irwin, Illinois * Irwin, Iowa * Irwin, Nebraska * Irwin, Ohio * Irwin, Pennsylvania * Irwin, South Carolina * Irwin County, Georgia * Irwin Township, Venango County, Pe ...

, on the North by the

Freeport Coalfield Freeport, a variant of free port, may refer to: Places United States * Freeport, California *Freeport, Florida *Freeport, Illinois * Freeport, Indiana *Freeport, Iowa * Freeport, Kansas *Freeport, Maine, a New England town ** Freeport (CDP), Maine, ...

and at least one other coalfield. The

Darr Mine Disaster The Darr Mine disaster at Van Meter, Rostraver Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Rostraver Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, near Smithton, Pennsylvania, Smithton, killed 239 men and boys on December 19, 1907. It ranks a ...

occurred in this coalfield in 1907.

References

External links

Allegheny County Pennsylvania Coal Mine Index
Mining in Pennsylvania Coal mining regions in the United States Geography of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Geography of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Geography of Fayette County, Pennsylvania Geography of Greene County, Pennsylvania Geography of Washington County, Pennsylvania {{Pennsylvania-geo-stub

See also

References

External links