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Fourney t1_jd3riwa wrote

Reply to comment by valkyrjuk in TIL A coal seam in Australia is believed to have been burning for 6,000 years, making it the oldest coal fire. The site's name is Mount Wingen but is commonly called Burning Mountain and the fire is traveling south 1m per year discoloring the ground as it goes. by jamescookenotthatone

That's insane. I can't imagine. How long had you lived there before discovering your angry dirt?

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valkyrjuk t1_jd3s1n3 wrote

18 years! The soil itself is fairly new as far as dirt goes, as the mine was open less than 150 years ago though I don't know the exact date

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Fourney t1_jd3sh7m wrote

Whaaaaaaat?! So fascinating! Did the snow stick in those spots over the years? Oh my gosh I have a million questions.

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valkyrjuk t1_jd3tj9q wrote

Yeah the snow had no problem sticking, and we get so much rain the ground gets soaked a long ways down. It had to have been a very recent event, we did burn some wooden construction waste a few months prior but we'd never had a problem like this before so I'm not sure. It's quite a mystery

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brown_booty_bandit t1_jd41rw6 wrote

Post some pics man! Would love to see it!

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valkyrjuk t1_jd4j3fz wrote

Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures :( I was pretty occupied, but I wish I had gotten some

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Alan_Smithee_ t1_jd60ix0 wrote

Have you looked into whether there is any sort of comeback or cleanup/compensation available from the former mine owners? This doesn’t seem right.

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valkyrjuk t1_jd66r5i wrote

No? I mean, I live on seven acres and 4 of them have this coal wash going down like three feet. I don't think there's anything to do about it, and besides the plants seem to like it. I don't even know if the mining company is active, a logging company runs the hill now.

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CY_Royal t1_jd5q9j4 wrote

Wonder if you could use the heat to make power somehow

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