Australia Has a Coal Fire Burning Underground for About 6,000 Years

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Burning Mountain in New South Wales, Australia is not a volcano or a mountain with visible flames. Beneath the site, a coal seam has been slowly smoldering underground for thousands of years. Australian authorities estimate the fire has been burning for about 5,500 years, while other widely cited estimates put it at roughly 6,000 years. The burning zone is currently around 30 metres below the surface. The fire moves extremely slowly, at roughly one metre per year. As the coal is consumed, the ground above it can crack, slump and change, leaving visible signs of the underground combustion. The slow movement is possible because the fire is not a roaring surface blaze. It is a low-intensity underground coal fire with limited oxygen, producing heat, smoke and gases rather than a large open flame. The site is commonly called Burning Mountain, while its proper name is Mount Wingen. Early European observers reportedly mistook the smoke and unusual surface conditions for signs of volcanic activity before the phenomenon was identified as a coal seam fire. Today the area is protected as Burning Mountain Nature Reserve, where visitors can follow a walking track and observe the unusual landscape from designated areas. The exact original ignition is not certain. A commonly cited explanation is that the coal seam became exposed and was eventually ignited, possibly by lightning. What is clear is that the fire has persisted for an extraordinary length of time, making Burning Mountain one of the best known examples of a long-lasting underground coal fire.