VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
The Korkinskaya Open Pit Mine is Eurasia's largest open-cast coal field located near the town of Korkino. Part of the Chelyabinsk brown coal basin, the pit has a depth of 500 metres, a length of three kilometres and a width of 2.5 kilometres.
The coal field was discovered in spring 1931. In August that year, drillers found a 100 metre coal bed and a 200-metre bed was later discovered. At the time, such large coal sheds were not known to exist. The pit was built for several years. The Korkinskaya Coal Pit Mine opened in 1934. On June 16, 1936, a large blast was organized by workers. Preparations took six months and the city's residents were evacuated. During the blast, the ground mass elevated to a height of 500 metres.
A boost in coal extraction occurred in War World II. In the post-war period, a full technical upgrade of the mine's main production facilities was made repeatedly.
Today, the coal pit is crumbling gradually due to erosion, and landslides occur. The situation is aggravated by a 5 billion tonne refuse heap on the edge of the pit, as well as tectonic faults, spontaneous fire spots and a complex underground water pressure system. All of this threatens to damage neighboring territories.
Implemented by the Ministry of Energy and scientific institutions in 2009, a body of research revealed a link between earthquakes and landslides on the edge of the pit. The pressure intensity in the earth's crust in neighboring areas far exceeds critical points. The decades-long ground movements in the areas where the town of Korkino and the village of Roza are located have damaged local housing facilities.
The hazardous area has some 80,000 residents, as well as over 20 large industrial enterprises.
