The photo galleries below give you some impression
about the serious problem of coal fires in China.
The first four series of pictures
were taken in 1997 during fieldwork studies of our 2nd coal fire
project in the Ruqigou coalfield in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
Please click at any of the following pictures to start a series ....
Surface coal fires ...
Underground coal fires ...
A hard and dangerous job ...
The fight against the fire ...
The pictures below were taken in the Wuda region,
Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China in 2004 by Chris Hecker, except where stated otherwise.
Clouds of noxious gases coming out of an exhalation crack above a near-surface coal fire.
Exhalation crack above a sub-surface coal fire. Sublimation minerals along exhalation crack are mainly salmiac (white) and sulfur (yellow).
Subsidence above progressed coal fire. The void left behind by the burnt-away near-surface coal layer collapses under the load of the sandstone layers above.
Near surface coal fire as seen from surface.
Temperature measurements in a coal fire area with a radiant thermometer under hazardous conditions.
Temperature measurements in a coal fire area with a radiant thermometer under hazardous conditions.
Salmiac exhalation minerals form a white crust on the rocks around this exhalation vent of an underground coal fire.
Photo credit: DFD/DLR Germany.
Thermal Infrared picture of hilly terrain in the Wuda region.
Blue colours represent the cold sky; shades of yellow and green the normal temperatures of the rocks.
The clusters of red patches are caused by underground coal fires.
Photo credit: DFD/DLR Germany.
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Earth Observation
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