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Norfolk Southern?s Lamberts Point Coal Pier 6
Coal dust coats the Elizabeth River, runoff from the Lamberts Point?s Pier 6 in Norfolk, Virginia. In September of 2005, this pier loaded its billionth ton of coal making it the largest transloading coal pier in the northern hemisphere, according to a PRNewswire story. Coal arriving at this pier comes from mining operations in Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky primarily, and is destined for ports in five continents. This facility is capable of loading 8,000 tons of coal per hour. The amount of coal that has passed through this pier since it opened could form a train 104,000 miles long, according to the story, enough to circle the Earth four times. (Photo/Morgan Heim)