Earthquake Traps Six Miners in Utah

A seismic expert at the University of Utah says there is a relationship between coal mining, and events such as this.

Emery County, Utah Courtesy: nebo.edu

(HUNTINGTON, Utah) - Six miners were trapped in a cave-in Monday at a coal mine, less than 20 miles from the epicenter of a minor earthquake, authorities said.

The coal mine "cave-in" happened around 3:50 AM this morning. A spokesman for the sheriff's office in Emery County, Utah says crews are on the scene trying to locate the six men.

Relu Burlacu who heads the Seismograph Network at the University of Utah, says the area is well known area for both earthquakes and coal mining, and sometimes there is a relationship between the industry and movement of the earth.

He says the Wasatch Plateau has been a coal mining region for many years. "Changes in the earth may take place, but you superimpose a situation like mining excavation and you change the pattern, the way stress dissipates."

He says extracting coal changes the distress patterns, so these events, some of tgeh earthquakes in this area, are mining related events.

"There are blasts in the area from quarry mines, you see them on the seismic activity but they are not earthquakes."

There are correlations Burlacu says, when looking at the amounts of coal they are removing. When those numbers increase, "you see an increase in events and seismic."

A number of studies were completed by the university between 1997 - 2000, that examine the relationship between Utah's coal mines and earthquakes, you can see visit their Website to see that data: http://www.quake.utah.edu/Reports/index.shtml

Relu Burlacu says he hopes that the mining company in this incident will work with the university to establish what may have led to the collapse, and above all he says he hopes the six miners are recovered safely.

Rescue teams and heavy equipment are in place at the GenWal mine, which is about 130 miles south of Salt Lake City, in a remote part of the state known for mining. It is operated by Utah American Energy.

The sheriff's office had said earlier there were no reports of damage or injuries blamed on the quake, centered under the Huntington Canyon area.