6). The USGS Coal production (COALPROD) selleck products database, which charts annual coal production by basin for the USA, shows notable increases in coal production for the Appalachian basin, Illinois basin and Rockies region during the late 19th–early 20th

century (Milici, 2013). Distinct increases in coal production in Texas and the Great Plains don’t occur until the latter half of the 20th century, following more environmentally conscious coal-extraction and -processing efforts. These coal production data imply that valley bottoms in much of the USA may contain coal alluvium. Previous research in the Callaly Moor region of northern England has documented evidence c-Met inhibitor of lithologically distinct alluvium associated with post-Medieval (>1500 AD) coal mining (Macklin et al., 1991). More recent work in northern England has documented evidence of distinct alluvium resulting from agriculture, forest clearance and Pb mining, termed agro-industrial alluvium (Foulds et al., 2013). This material appears to have been deposited rapidly from 1850 to 1950 AD (<103 years) and qualifies as an Anthropogenic Event. The

agro-industrial alluvium is approximately the same age as the MCE, however it is composed of geochemically unique alluvial mine waste from Pb mining (Foulds et al., 2013). Rather, the MCE may correlate with both the Callaly Moor and agro-industrial alluvium. The results suggest that the MCE is likely a globally diachronous event and/or potentially composed of multiple independent events resulting from a variety of Idelalisib clinical trial Industrial Era-related human land-use impacts. A study of flood histories along the Geul River in the Netherlands reveals sedimentological effects resulting from 19th to 20th century land-use change (Stam, 2002). Of particular interest is a laminated silt

and sand bed that contains fine-grained layers of brick, slag and coal fragments. The age of this unit ranges from 1845 to 1955 AD and coincides with large-scale industrial mining in the La Calamine region. In New Zealand, Harding et al. (2000) notes the presence of potential increased sedimentation that coincides with large-scale coal mining in the South Island region. A more systematic review of literature could reveal evidence of MCE-equivalent units in other countries with a history of coal-mining, e.g., Canada, India, Russia, China and Australia. This study demonstrates the presence of a widespread Anthropogenic Event, the Mammoth Coal Event (MCE) in southeastern Pennsylvania. The MCE consists of a widespread alluvial deposit occurring throughout the Lehigh and Schuylkill River basins, tied to anthracite production in the Eastern and Southern fields. The event conservatively spans ∼400 years, AD 1600–present.