Bituminous Coal

Bituminous coal is burned for steel production rather than electricity production. Bituminous coal may also be referred to as metallurgical coal or coking coal. This coal is ideal for steelmaking because it has a carbon content of 70–90%, low impurities, and is dense in energy. Bituminous coal is dense yet brittle, dark brown to black in color, and possibly has a shiny appearance.

Bituminous coal was formed from ancient tropical swamps 300 million years ago and is mined today in locations that include the coal seams of the Appalachian Basin in West Virginia. This mined coal is then transported by rail to major East Coast ports for global distribution, including the Port of Virginia, which consists of the Dominion Terminal Associates and Kinder Morgan Bulk Terminals in Southeast Newport News and the Norfolk Southern Terminal in Lambert's Point, Norfolk, as well as Curtis Bay in Baltimore, Maryland.

Documents

• Milici et al., Bituminous Coal Production in the Appalachian Basin: Past, Present, and Future, Chapter D.3 of Coal and Petroleum Resources in the Appalachian Basin: Distribution, Geologic Framework, and Geochemical Character, Edited by Ruppert and Ryder, Professional Paper 1708-D.3, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, 2014
• Tewalt et al., Coal Assessments and Coal Research in the Appalachian Basin, Chapter D.4 of Coal and Petroleum Resources in the Appalachian Basin: Distribution, Geologic Framework, and Geochemical Character, Edited by Ruppert and Ryder, Professional Paper 1708-D.4, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, 2014