Flight N°12: Calgary and Coal Mines

On September 10th we conducted a flight with target areas in relatively close proximity to our base, Edmonton. This flight was dedicated to a couple of potential anthropogenic sources of methane, with the main coal mines near Elkford and Sparwood in the very south-east of British Columbia.

Edmonton, 11.09.2022

This picture shows a nice view of the Rocky Mointains in the background with one of the **coal mines in front**.

Coal mining often releases large quantities of methane. The gas mixture that mostly consists of methane and which is released during minig activity is also known as firedamp. In the early days of underground coal mining, when proper ventilation was not yet possible, this gas posed a deadly risk to miners as it often reached concentrations where a single spark could lead to an explosion. Methane is not only released when coal is mined underground, but also during open mining activity, as it is the case for the mines near Elkford.

Overflight of one of the coal mines (timelapse).

Just a stunning view of the Rocky Mountains (timelapse)

A map of the flight pattern that we followed for this flight can be found below.