The Luisenthal Mine was a
coal mine
Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...
near
Völklingen
Völklingen (french: Vœlklange, Moselle Franconian: ''Välglinge'') is a town in the district of Saarbrücken, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated on the river Saar, approx. 10 km west of Saarbrücken, and directly borders France.
The to ...
. The mine was known as the site of the largest mine accident in the history of the German Federal Republic, when 299 miners died on 7 February 1962.
1962 mine disaster
On 7 February 1962 a methane explosion occurred after the opening of a
methane
Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane ...
-containing cavern in the Alsbach field. This triggered a larger
coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal is formed when ...
dust explosion with devastating effects. 284 workers were killed, making this the greatest mining catastrophe in the history of the
Saarland
The Saarland (, ; french: Sarre ) is a state of Germany in the south west of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, a ...
coal mining area.
See also
*
Luisenthal Formation
The Luisenthal Formation is a geologic formation in Germany. It preserves fossils dating back to the Carboniferous period.
See also
* List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Germany
See also
* Lists of fossiliferous stratigraphic u ...
References
{{Coord, 49, 15, 02, N, 6, 54, 18, E, region:DE-SL_type:landmark_source:dewiki, display=title
1962 in Germany
Buildings and structures in Saarbrücken (district)
Economy of Saarland
Mining disasters in Germany
1962 disasters in Germany
Coal mines in Germany
Coal mining disasters in Germany
Underground mines in Germany