A Coal Resource Assessment A Coal Resource Assessment for Afghanistanfor Afghanistan

U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey

bybyJohn SanFilipoJohn SanFilipo

background: Giral Coalbackground: Giral CoalMine, Rajasthan, IndiaMine, Rajasthan, India

Progress to date?

• 5 mines in two coal fields visited Mar 04• 7 samples of good provenance collected -

analyses in progress• 5 samples of good provenance provided by

private sector - analysis nearly done• 2 samples of dubious provenance• Geospatial in progress (ASTER, maps)

What’s next?

• Coal and geospatial travel Nov 04• Emphasis on additional samples, mine

evaluation, recon geology, literature archive

• Revisit Pol-e-Khomri with Khair• Visit 2-4 new localities• Scan Russian literature at AGS

Remaining FY05

• 3 - 4 additional trips 05 (same tasks)

• YR1 Products:• Bibliography • Archived Russian Reports• Field investigations• Coal Sector snapshot (Khair)• Coal quality database• Preliminary GIS• Preliminary assessment

COAL RESOURCE ASSESSMENT

Assess the quality and quantity of the coal resource on the local, regional , and national level.

NOT A FLUID – DOES NOT MIGRATE

Different than ore fluids or petroleum

ASSESSMENT PROCESS IS NOT PROBABALISTIC

1819'

1250'

1001'

CURRENTLY MINED BED (Name of mine)

NABORTON 2 (Dolet Hills)

Black Lake Bayou Bed

Bed not currently mined

Orange Bed (South Marshall?)

RED BED(Martin Lake/Darco/S. Marshall)

GREEN BED(Oak Hill/South Hallsville)11344-OHRK-4C-82

NS-1C-82

SY-1C-82

Tew Lake Marker?

Datum top of Midway

Datum bs Carrizo

Lime Hill Marker?

Lime Hill Marker?

"Simsboro?"

Simsboro ofEast-Central Texas?

Coal, showing thickness

Siderite/Limestone

2.9'

6.2'

7.4'

5.6'

0.8'

2.9'

2.9'

0.7'

1.3'

2.3'

2.1'

3.0'+?

0.5'

CV?

3.8'

4.4'

1.0'

1.9'

6.2'

2.0'

1.1'

2.0'

1.0'

1.1'2.4'

2.5'

4.2'

224'6.4'

3.1'

7.1'

1.5'

1.9'

0.9'

RA2

RA3

TC1

4.2'

100 ftRes

Den

s

Gam

Claiborne Group

NavarroGroup

Jackson Group

WilcoxGroup

MidwayGroup

lower

Carrizo

Newby

Marquez

undivided

upper

Rek

lawEo

cen

eP

aleo

cen

eU

. C

ret

5 ft.

2 ft.

2 ft.

33%

49%

33%

9 ft. “coal”

37% ash

2 ft.

5 ft.

2.1 ft. 34%

10%

10%

7 ft. coal

18% ashcomposite

“QUALIFYING COAL” PARAMETERS

Geographic Information System Assessment

OUTCROP

MINED OUT

COAL ELEVATION

COAL THICKNESS

OVERBURDEN THICKNESS

Slide courtesy of USGS AppalachianBasin Coal Assessment Team

“Unioned” GIS covers for calculating coal resources

Coal resource map – detail of mine areas

Resources table calculated from GIS(example is small subset of one of many tables created from slides 56 and 57)

OVERBURDEN (ft) 0 -100 0 -100 total 100-200Qualifying coal thickness (ft) 1.5 -2.5 2.5-5 5-10 >10 1.5 -2.5 2.5-5

County RELIABILITYCAMP HypotheticalCAMP TotalCASS Measured

Indicated Inferred Hypothetical 2.2 2.2

CASS Total 2.2 2.2CHEROKEE Measured 0.29 2.3 2.5 0.30

Indicated 0.43 9.9 10 3.2Inferred 2.2 2.2 1.2Hypothetical

CHEROKEE Total 0.72 14 15 4.7GREGG Measured 0.11 0.11 0.67 1.8

Indicated 0.073 0.39 0.46 2.2 14Inferred 0.13 0.076 0.20 40Hypothetical 160

GREGG Total 0.20 0.58 0.78 2.9 220HARRISON Measured 4.8 43 100 14 170 3.8 30

Indicated 5.1 45 130 14 190 1.5 7.7Inferred 6.1 42 170 7 220 3.9 85Hypothetical 4.0 24 29 57 0.13 44 M

illi

on

s o

f sh

ort

to

ns

of

coal

COAL RESOURCE ASSESSMENT

• Most of the interpretive effort goes into the first step (intercept map)

• Volumetrics are relatively straightforward but tedious

• Not even close to the first step for Afghanistan

• What we need is geology

Vertical Extent(Stratigraphic position)

K K

JTR

TR

P

P

???Uncon-formity

Torkestan

TR and olderPg

K

elv >3000 m

Cartoon - not to scale

Meymaneh Valleynear Sar-e-Howz

elv ~ 2100 m

K

Coal-bearing Jurassic present??

Markers beds present?

xx

7500

8500

9500

10500

11500

12500

13500

14500

ISH-G

SN-3/0

4-1

PK-AND-3

/04-

1.1

PK-AND-3

/04-

1.2

PK-AND-3

/04-

1.3

PK-KKR-3

/04-

1.1

PK-KKR-3

/04-

1.2

PK-DKS-3

/04-

1

37

39

41

43

45

47

49

51

53

ligA

subA

hvCb

hvBb

hvAb

subB

subC

Ro 0.53 0.510.58

Selected Rank Parameters

MMmF BTU

DAF VM

J2?

J3?

J3 = Upper Jurassic

J2 = Middle Jurassic

Pol-e-Khomri Coal Field

Ishpu

shta

Coal F

ield

MM

mF B

TU

DA

F V

M

Support• Geospatial:

• Geophysics:

• IT:

• Training:

• Regional maps and sections• ASTER• Topos

• Airborne not critical• Need new airphotos• GPR? Ground mag?

• AGS as outlined• NCD?

• General IT, English, Stats etc.• Coal specific (university)