EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) — With the abundance of mine-related incidents recently between mine subsidence stress fractures in Toby Creek and a sinkhole opening up in Swoyersville, many area residents and business owners can't help but wonder if their property sits on top of a mine.
Penn State University's website has an interactive map that shows users where area mines are located. Visit the interactive map online, then in the upper right-hand corner check the “Mine Maps Index” box that will bring up purple lines indicating the exact location of the mines underground.
The website lets you pick what type of map you can view by choosing between terrain, aerial photos, topographic and road maps. You can see counties, municipalities, state and local roads as well.
NEPA is rich in history when comes to mining, especially since Wilkes-Barre was the first city where anthracite coal was used. According to the City of Wilkes-Barre, Obadiah Gore was the first man to use anthracite coal in a forge in 1768.
Anyone with concerns about mines on or near their property can visit the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's website to learn more about mine subsidence insurance.