Coal Quality Variation in Alberta Tertiary Coals: A Detailed Analysis of a Mining Pit at Highvale Mine

For the last several years, the Coal Geology Section of the Alberta Geological Survey has been investigating coal quality in regions in the province. These regions include the Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments of the plains region and the foothills/mountain region of Alberta. The coal quality project continues this investigation on a smaller and more detailed scale. The objective of this project is to make a preliminary enquiry into how geological factors influence coal quality parameters pertinent to conventional and emerging utilization processes.

This involves a detailed study on a seam-by-seam and intraseam basis of data from 15 drill holes in the northern part of Highvale mine located 80 kilometres east of Edmonton, Alberta. The Highvale data, which is included in the Ardley Coal Zone, is being used as a starting point in the development of a coal quality predictive model to aid in the interpretation and evaluation of coal. Results of the statistical analysis will be integrated into the work completed in 1989 to assist in the determination of the limits, representativeness and meaning of these statistical data. A thorough understanding of the data is necessary to determine what factors influence the variability and predictability of the coal quality parameters