A Landsat TM based comparative study of surface and subsurface fires in the Jharia coalfield, India

Landsat TM data were used to detect surface and subsurface fires in the Jharia coalfield (JCF). TM-6 was useful for mapping subsurface fires and TM-5 and TM-7 were useful for mapping surface fires. The distribution pattern of fires was studied and their temperature and areal extents were estimated. A comparison of the distribution of surface and subsurface coal fires indicated that at some sites fires occur only on the surface or only in the subsurface, while at other sites both surface and subsurface fires occur.