1. Powder River Basin, Wyoming, USA
  2. North Antelope Rochelle Complex Mines
Description

The North Antelope Rochelle Complex is the most productive of the PRB mines. In 2018, the mine sold 98.4 million tons of coal. In 2017, it accounted for 13.1% of U.S. coal production. It began operations in 1983, and the series of Landsat images shows the progression of this mine since 1984.

 

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Location

June 29, 1984, Landsat 5 (path/row 34/30) — North Antelope Rochelle Complex Mines, Wyoming, USA

June 29, 1984, Landsat 5 (path/row 34/30) — North Antelope Rochelle Complex Mines, Wyoming, USA

Sept. 23, 1992, Landsat 5 (path/row 34/30) — North Antelope Rochelle Complex Mines, Wyoming, USA

Sept. 23, 1992, Landsat 5 (path/row 34/30) — North Antelope Rochelle Complex Mines, Wyoming, USA

Sept. 24, 1998, Landsat 5 (path/row 34/30) — North Antelope Rochelle Complex Mines, Wyoming, USA

Sept. 24, 1998, Landsat 5 (path/row 34/30) — North Antelope Rochelle Complex Mines, Wyoming, USA

Sept. 22, 2003, Landsat 5 (path/row 34/30) — North Antelope Rochelle Complex Mines, Wyoming, USA

Sept. 22, 2003, Landsat 5 (path/row 34/30) — North Antelope Rochelle Complex Mines, Wyoming, USA

Sept. 19, 2008, Landsat 5 (path/row 34/30) — North Antelope Rochelle Complex Mines, Wyoming, USA

Sept. 19, 2008, Landsat 5 (path/row 34/30) — North Antelope Rochelle Complex Mines, Wyoming, USA

Sept. 20, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 34/30) — North Antelope Rochelle Complex Mines, Wyoming, USA

Sept. 20, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 34/30) — North Antelope Rochelle Complex Mines, Wyoming, USA

Sept. 18, 2019, Landsat 8 (path/row 34/30) — North Antelope Rochelle Complex Mines, Wyoming, USA

Sept. 18, 2019, Landsat 8 (path/row 34/30) — North Antelope Rochelle Complex Mines, Wyoming, USA

Sept. 7, 2021, Landsat 8 (path/row 34/30) — North Antelope Rochelle Complex Mines, Wyoming, USA

Sept. 7, 2021, Landsat 8 (path/row 34/30) — North Antelope Rochelle Complex Mines, Wyoming, USA

June 29, 1984, Landsat 5 (path/row 34/30) — North Antelope Rochelle Complex Mines, Wyoming, USA
Sept. 23, 1992, Landsat 5 (path/row 34/30) — North Antelope Rochelle Complex Mines, Wyoming, USA
Sept. 24, 1998, Landsat 5 (path/row 34/30) — North Antelope Rochelle Complex Mines, Wyoming, USA
Sept. 22, 2003, Landsat 5 (path/row 34/30) — North Antelope Rochelle Complex Mines, Wyoming, USA
Sept. 19, 2008, Landsat 5 (path/row 34/30) — North Antelope Rochelle Complex Mines, Wyoming, USA
Sept. 20, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 34/30) — North Antelope Rochelle Complex Mines, Wyoming, USA
Sept. 18, 2019, Landsat 8 (path/row 34/30) — North Antelope Rochelle Complex Mines, Wyoming, USA
Sept. 7, 2021, Landsat 8 (path/row 34/30) — North Antelope Rochelle Complex Mines, Wyoming, USA

Powder River Basin, Wyoming, USA Additional Imagery & Stories

Animations
Animations

The coal mines in the PRB advance quickly enough to see a lot of change from year to year. Two animations available here show the annual change of the...

Black Thunder Mine
Black Thunder Mine

The Black Thunder Mine, shown in the series of Landsat images on the left, has sent 2.2 billion tons of coal to U.S. power plants since 1977. It produ...

Oil
Oil

The PRB has become about more than just coal. Oil production is also increasing. Similar to the Bakken Formation in North Dakota, new technologies are...

The Mining Process
The Mining Process

The mining process that takes place in the PRB is called surface mining. First, the topsoil is removed. The material above the coal (overburden in min...