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These reports and documentation on past coal mine bump events were collected by NIOSH and the former U. S. Bureau of Mines.
A coal mine bump, also known as a bounce or burst, is the sudden outbursts of coal and rock that occur when stresses in a coal pillar, left for support in underground workings, cause the pillar to rupture without warning, sending coal and rock flying with explosive force. On the average, two coal miners are seriously injured each year and a miner is killed every other year due to coal bumps. By making these historical bump reports accessible, we hope to inform the industry about bump hazards.
Bump reports are listed by state and are in PDF format. More information about coal mine bumps can be found in the paper:
"Occurrence and Remediation of Coal Mine Bumps: A Historical Review”, in Mechanics and Mitigation of Violent Failure in Coal and Hard-Rock Mines, by A.T. Iannacchione and J.C. Zelanko, U.S. Bureau of Mines Special Publication SP 01-95, 1995, pp. 27-67
If you are aware of any other documented bumps, or have any comments or suggestions, please contact:
John L. Ellenberger, Research Geophysicist
Pittsburgh Research Lab
412-386-6751
JEllenberger@cdc.gov
Alabama Bump Data
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Colorado Bump Data
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Kentucky Bump Data
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Utah Bump Data
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Virginia Bump Data
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West Virginia Bump Data
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