CHARACTERISTICS OF COAL SEAMS IN VARIOUS BASINS OF THE USSR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600330916-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 29, 2011
• Sequence Number: 916
• Publication Date: August 22, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/08/31: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600330916-8
CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL COF'~T~AO
RAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPO
NT
CE
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS CD NO.
'COUNTRY USSR
SUBJECT Economic - Coal
HOW
PUBLISHED Monthly periodical
DATE
PUBLISHED Aug 1949 - Jun 1950
LANGUAGE Russian
Y. S. C.. DI AND-[R'N. ....... ........-?--'_. '-PINSO NINIT[D f77LAN. IN f[I ODYC710N Of iNlf 7J N if' POOH IIITID. If -fD?
SOURCE
CHARACTERISTICS OF COAL SEAMS IN VARIOUS BASINS OF THE USSR
USSR COAL SEAMS VARY GREATLY
I. L. Balelos,
Ugol', No 2, 1950
Coal seams dipping at an angle of 55 to 70 degrees predominate in the
prokop'yevsko-Kiselevak area of the Kuznetsk Coal Basin. The follpwing seams
are located in this area: IV "Vnutrenniy" seam, 7.8-9 meters thick, with a
roof and floor of ifeai?:y arc-?-Ill .- to .,nd nandntone; III "Vnutrenniy" seam, 5 meters thick, with a roof of argillite and a floor of sandy argillite; "Goreiyy
seam, 8-9 meters thick, with a roof and floor of argillite; "Lutuginskiy" s eem,5
3-5 meters thick, with a roof and floor of argillite;~'prokop y~ seam, seam,
meters thick, with a roof and floor of clayey shale; Moshchnyy -15 0
meters thick, with a roof of sandy argillite and a floor of sandy argillite and
sandstone; "Bezymyannyy" seam, 6-7 meters thick, with a roof of-argillite and a
floor of argillite and sandstone.
All the mines operated are gassy. The coal dust from these seams represents
an explosion hazard and the coal has a tendency to spontaneous combustion, par-
" "Gorelyy," %utuginskiy," and "Moshchnyy" seams.
titularly in the IV "Vnutrenniy,
The coal seams in the Chelyabinsk Coal Basin vary in both thickness and
structure because of peculiarities in the formation of the deposits in that area.
The basin is characterized by the presence of numerous folds, the axes of which
form a number of anticlines. In addition, the seams are broken by steplike
faults. The thickness of the seams varies greatly since there are many-rocky
layers along the dip and strike. The rocky layers also vary inthickness? They
often divide-the coal seam into a number-of thinner seams. or stratify it to such
an extent that it.loses industrial, value. The thickness of the seams varies from
0.7 to 60-'meters (Mine No 18-bis). Most of them dip at an angle of 8-30 degrees.
The coal of all the seams has a tendency to spontaneous combustion.
Iii the Karaganda Coal Basin the coal seams are made up of alternating layers
of coal ahd. shale and, occasionally, sandstone.: The roof and floor ofthe heoseams $
usually consist of clayey ors, more rarely, sandy, clayey shales,
DATE OF
INFORMATION 1949 - 1950
DATE DIST. A -Aug 1950
NO. OF PAGES 4
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION A
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/08/31 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000600330916-8
CONFIDENTIAL . - 1 I. -
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/08/31: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600330916-8
Seams dipping at an angle of 8-15 degrees and 0.8-8.3 meters thick predom-
inate. The "Verkhnyaya Marianna" seam is 7.8 meters thick and the "Feliks"
seam is 4 meters thick.
The Tkibuli coal deposit in the Georgian SSR contains thick coal seams
which dip at angles ranging from 18 to 45 degrees. Various sandstones of aver-
age firmness make up the walls of the deposit. The coal-bearing bed of the
Tkibuli deposit consists of interstratifications of coal and shale seams. In-
dividual seams range in thickness from one to 8 meters. The coal and carbona-
ceous shale seams are rich in bituminous substances and are subject to spon-
taneous combustion.
In the Uzbek SSR, the lower part of the Angren Lignite deposit contains a
dipping seam, 40-60 meters thick, the coal of which lacks toughness. Hydro-
geological conditions are complicated by the proximity of the Angren River, which
waters conglomerates located directly in the coal-bearing stratum.
In the Kirgiz SSA, the Su]yukta deposit consists of three blocks. The mid-
dle block, 4-4.5 meters thick and made up of pure, lusterless coal, is of partic-
ular interest. The coal seam varies in thickness and. the angle of dip ranges
from 23 to 70 degrees. The roof of the seam contains clayey shales and the fleorhas
thin layers of clay, vitreous rock, and carbonaceous shales.
The Kizil-Kiya deposit, also in the Kirgiz SSR, contains, in its second
stratum, one coal seam averaging up to 10 meters thick. The seam ranges from
6.5 to 10.9 meters in thickness within the limits of sections of operating mines.
It is divided into two blocks by a streak of clay. Clayey shales and sandstone
occur in the roof of the seam. Coals representing a transitional stage between
lignite and bituminous coal are to be found in the Tash-Kumyr and Kok-Yangak
deposits.
The Shurab I deposit, located in Tadzhik SSR, has one seam which is being
worked. This seam has an average thickness of 12 meters but in places reaches
a thickness of 19 meters. The seam dips, for the most part, at a slight angle.
Clayey shales occur in the roof and floor of the seam.
The "Glavuyy" scam of Ch_rz7rkho`.'^- Coal B 1n contains, in ulaces, as many
as 20 blocks of coal up to 8.5 meters thick and divided by layers of rock 12-30
centimeters thick. The seam is horizontal and undulating. The roof of the seam
is composed of sandstone and the floor of brecciated conglomerates. The coal
has a tendency to spontaneous combustion.
Seam III of the Chernovskiy deposit ranges in thickness from 5 to 8 meters.
Its roof and floor consist of sandstone and clayey shales and the seam has an
undulating surface, which is difficult to work. It dips at an angle not ex-
ceeding 10-12 degrees. The coal has a tendency to spontaneous com15'astion.
The Moscow Basin coal deposit consists of lenticular coal beds. The thick-
ness of the main seam ranges from one to 4.5 meters. The seam is horizontal,
is located at a depth of 25-70 meters, and is surrounded by clays, dry sands,
wet sands, and quicksands. The part of the seam worked is characterized by
winding contours. The seam itself if frequently broken by Karat holes. In a
great part of the area the coal-bearing stratum contains considerable water
and thus requires special drying devices during development work; for example,
filters must be used in the roof and floor of the deposit. Working a seam more
than 3 meters thick appears to be a special problem for the Moscow Basin.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/08/31: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600330916-8
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/08/31: CIA-RDP8O-00809AO00600330916-8
CONFIDENTIAL
The South Sakhalin coal deposit contains a number of dipping seams. It is
difficult to work seam I, which dips at an angle of 65-70 degrees, at Mine No 4
of the Kholmskugol' Trust. The seam consists of two blocks, each 3-3.5 meters
thick and separated by layers of clayey shale. The roof and floor of the seam
also consist of clayey shale. Other dipping seams of the South Sakhalin deposit
are seam I/A, 5 meters thick (Mine No 14); seam VI, 6.5 meters thick (Mine No
10/13); and seam III, 5 meters thick (Mine No 16-17).
USSR COAL MINING COPES WITH DIFFERING GEOLOGICAL CONDITIONS
V. K. Buchnev, A. M. Il'shteyn
Ugol', No 5, 1950
A number of coal seams being mined in the Moscow Basin range in thickness
from 1.8 to 3.5 meters. They are horizontal and slightly undulating. The im-
mediate roof contains clay, sand, and thin layers of limestone. Sixty percent of
these seams have a layer of clay more than 1.5 meters thick in the immediate
roof and 40 percent have thin layers of clay alternating with sand. All the
roofs lack stability and, when wooden mine props are used, sag as much as 30-40
centimeters at a distance of 4-5 meters from the mine face. The floor of the
seams consists of loose clays with a resistance of 12-15 kilograms per square
centimeter.
In the%araganda Basin more than 80 percent of the mining is carried on
in coal seams more than 1.5 meters thick. The immediate roof of the seams
consists of alternating layers of clayey, sandy-clayey, carbonaceous shales
and blocks of coal, and ranges in thickness from 2.5 to 15 meters. The main
roof of all seams contains sandstone ranging in thickness from 5 to 38 meters.
The floor of the seams consists, for the most part, of soft, clayey shale.
In the Chelyabinsk Basin approximately 70 percent of all coal mining is
being carried on in dipping seams more than 1.5 meters thick. The coal seams
are of varying thickness, contain a large number of layers, and have weak side
p of r. ..l--y .. --Oft, c eysy eha1 P :
Waiiii Made -X
In East Siberia's Cheremkhovo Basin the chief exploitation work is being
carried on in the "Glavnyy" coal seam, which ranges from 5 to 9 meters thick.
The seam has a complicated structure, consisting of 35 alternating coal blocks
and rocky layers. The ]Etter are made up of clay, carbonaceous-clayey, and car-
bonaceous shale. The roof of the seam contains hard sandstones and argillites.
In the Kuznetsk Basin, the Leninugol' Trust of the'Kemerovugol' Combine
is largely exploiting dipping seams of average thickness. The structure of
these seams is simple, with the angle of dip varying from 6 to 12 degrees. The
immediate roof consists of firm argillites and sandstones. The main roof has
a layer of sandstone from 25 to 30 meters thick. The floor of the seam is usu-
ally hard or medium hard.
C O F 1E ITIAI
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/08/31: CIA-RDP80-00809AO00600330
916-8
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/08/31: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600330916-8
CONFIDENTIAL
DONBASS COAL MINES WORK RELATIVELY THIN SEAMS
A. I. Kuklin
Ugol', No 8, 1949
Miners of Mine No 8-10 of the Bokovoantratsit Trust of the Donbassantrat-
sit Combine are cutting the 13th southern drift along the "Nadbokovskiy" seam
K5 which is 0.9 meter thick. Moderately firm clayey shale makes up the roof
and floor of the seam. The coal seam itself contains water but is not gassy.
It dips at an angle of 5-7 degrees.
The drift being cut is a one-way passage, approximately 8 square meters
in area and intended for haulage by electric locomotives. Seven cubic meters
of rock and 5 tons of coal are removed per linear meter of the drift.
A brigade in the "Irmine" Mine No 4-2-bis of the Kadiyevugol' Trust,
Voroshilovgrad Combine, is cutting amain drift along the "Ataman" seam 6,
at level "415." The seam is 0.5-0.55 meter thick in the mine field and the
angle of dip is 50-60 degrees. Neither the coal seam nor the rocky walls con-
tain water. Geological dislocations,faults, are to be found in the seam.
The floor of the seam is composed of clayey shale, moderately firm. The roof
is of limestone. The drift being cut is a one-way passage intended for haulage
by electric locomotives. Approximately 5 tons of coal and 8 cubic meters of
rock are removed per linear meter of the drift.
MINE IMENI VOROSHILOV OPERATES AT 500-METER LF.UFL
S. Ye. Rozenberg
Ugol', No6, 1950
Mine imeni Voroshilov of the Dzerzhinskiy Trust, Artemugol' Combine, works
the "Mazurka" seam 13 at a 500-meter level. This seam is 1.0 meter thick and
at C2 degrees. There is clayey shale 0.1-0.3 meter thick in the roof (false
roof) which is soft and breaks off in pieces. Above that there are o metiers of
firm sandstone. The floor of the seam consists of firm, sandy shale 10 meters
thick.
CO? F 115 EA T .
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/08/31: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600330916-8