海州露天矿国家矿山公园

Haizhou Coal Mine

Useful Information

Location:	Taiping Ave, Taiping District, Fuxin, Fuxin, Liaoning, China, 123007. Fuxin, Liaoning province. (41.9769121, 121.6980551)
Open:
Fee:
Classification:	Coal Mine Mine Parks in China Biggest Open Cast Mine
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:	L=4 km, W=2 km, D=300 m.
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	yes
Bibliography:	He Chen, Zhi-Feng Yang, Xuan Wang (2004): Influence of the Haizhou Open Pit Coal Mine on the atmospheric flow over Fuxin, China Journal of Environmental Sciences (China). 16(6), pp. 978-980. researchgate
Address:	Haizhou Mine, Taiping Ave, Taiping District, Fuxin, Fuxin, Liaoning, China, 123007.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

01-JAN-1951	mine opened.
JUL-1951	mine starts producing 3 million tons annually.
14-FEB-2005	Sunjiawan mine disaster
31-MAY-2005	mine closed.
2006	listed as National Mine Park.
JUL-2009	Fuxin Haizhou National Open Pit Mine Park opened.

Geology

Description

Haizhou Mine is one of Asia's largest open cast mines, 4 km long, 2 km wide and 700 m deep. The mine was started during the 1940 under the Japanese occupation and was exhausted and closed in 2005. The mine is now reopened as a show mine, with a viewing platform for visitors. Numerous huge machines are on display around the mine, including huge dredges built in the Soviet Union. But the work is not complete, the government plans a tourist complex with hotels, restaurants, a golf course and a park. A steam train museum is also under construction.

The site is on the list of the National Mine Parks, and is thus renamed 海州露天矿国家矿山公园 (Haizhou Surface Mine National Mine Park). There is a small park with two monuments, but the mining related parts are an exhibition of heavy mining machinery and a viewpoint which allows a great view into the enormous open cast. This is on the northern side, where railroad lines for the transportation of the coals are located as well as the factory which built the huge machinery. On the southern side of the open cast is the location of the new 阜新煤炭博物馆 (Fuxin Coal Museum).

The museum was built on the site of the 阜新万人坑死难矿工纪念馆 (Fuxin Mass Grave Memorial Hall for Dead Miners), which is now integrated into the new museum. In 2005 there was a mine disaster which became known as 孙家湾矿难 (Sunjiawan mine disaster). On 14-FEB-2005 there was a gas explosion at the Sunjiawan colliery 242 m below the ground. The explosion occurred about ten minutes after an earthquake shook the mine, so the earthquake was probably the cause, or at least the trigger. 203 miners were killed and 22 injured, 13 miners were trapped underground. The accident fueled the international discussion about the safety in Chinese mines, which caused more than 5,000 deaths per year. This massive accident was the worst mining disaster in China in at least 15 years. This sound good, but actually it means that such accidents happen every 15 years.

Fuxin has coal deposits as well as agate, in general it is known as China's 'Agate City', with 50% of the nation's agate deposits. 90 % of the country's agate products originate from here. The coal mining is still very important, but the deposits are almost exhausted.