A hard, compact variety of coal with a high luster, Anthracite is known for having the highest carbon content, fewest impurities and the highest calorific content of all the various types of coal.
The most metamorphosed type of coal, it features a carbon content of between 92.1-98%. It features three separate grades: standard, which gets used mainly in power generation, while both high grade and ultra high grade are primarily used in the metallurgy sector.
It differs from the more ordinary bituminous coal by having a greater hardness, higher relative density, and a luster that is often a semi-metallic with a mildly brown reflection. Anthracite coal also goes by the names black coal, hard coal, and stone coal.
Anthracite is possibly best known in United States history when an Athracite vein from an abandoned coal mine that ran beneath the town of Centralia, PA caught fire in 1962. It is still burning as of 2015, and has since turned the town into a virtual ghost town. As of 2013, only 7 people were reported to be still living in the town. At its current rate, it is estimated that the Centralia fire could continue to burn for at least another 250 years.
Origin: PA