Gympie’s Southland colliery evacuated (January 05, 2004)

Abnormally high methane concentrations at the Southland colliery in New South Wales, Australia, have forced operator Gympie Gold (GGD-L) to evacuate the mine.

A mined-out area near an actively producing longwall panel appears to be the source of the methane, which evolves from coal as a result of changes in pressure or temperature. The company believes part of the coal bed may be heating up, though not actually on fire. Heating events can cause spontaneous combustion.

The mine staff are working on a plan to control the problem; the current thinking is that drilling a hole from surface to the affected area and pumping an inert gas into the hole could extinguish the heating. The company plans to shut down the mine for at least a week, which will allow it to reschedule shipments to its customers.

There were no injuries and all the workforce has been accounted for.