COL ISH UM IT B R IA B e East Kootenay coalelds

G E Y E O V LO R GICAL SU British Columbia Geological Survey Information Circular 2018-6

Context Geology For further information History

Visit the British Columbia Geological Survey coal website to access Prospectors discovered coal in the East Kootenays in the e East Kootenay Coalelds are in the Foreland Scale middle 1800s. By 1885, following George Mercer Dawson’s Fold and rust Belt of the Canadian Rocky Ÿ COALFILE 0 200 400 report on the geology of southeast British Columbia, the coal * Mountains. Late Cretaceous to Paleogene Ÿ Tuya * Kilometres Coal Titles wealth of the region was well known, but infrastructure to convergent and collisional processes during * Ÿ bring the coal to market was lacking. In 1896 the * terrane accretion along the western ank of Coal Leases

Groundhog * * Government of Canada and Canadian Pacic Railway signed * North America led to eastward transport of Tobermory Ridge Ÿ 082J NW 008 MINFILE * an agreement to build a rail line through Crowsnest Pass. Peace Fort St. John unmetamorphosed Paleozoic successions along ,

Stewart River * Ÿ Mineral Titles Online

* * * thrust sheets. Rocks such as the Kootenay Group *

* * Coal Creek mine, 1950s

Tumbler Upper Elk River Valley

* Ÿ

* * * were deposited in a retroarc foreland basin in British Columbia Geological Survey Publication Catalogue

* Ridge 082J NW 007

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* * Telkwa * , * * * * o

* which subsidence was generated mainly by thrust

* * * 50 30'

Prince Rupert *

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* * * * Vincent Option * * * * East loading. Coal beds in the Mist Mountain * * 082J SE 014 Graham *

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* Kootenay Formation were deposited in coastal plain Island * Bowron * * Kootenay Group coalfields depositional environments on the edges of this & Past producing coal mine

* * * foredeep basin. Stratigraphic repetition of coal- MINFILE occurrence number

* Operating coal mine

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* bearing units records variation in the relative * * !

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* * Abandoned coal town *

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* rates of thrusting, subsidence, sediment supply, *

Creek * * *

* * Elk

* * Approximate mine surface

Suquash * * River

* and sea-level change.

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* * Fernie Dominion Coal Block *

* * footprint (pits and infrastructure) *

Merritt * *

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* Coal port * *

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* * * * Crowsnest

* Weary Ridge Comox * * * & Flathead As thrusting migrated eastward, the foredeep 082J SE 013 * Gas and power lines Coalfield * . Rail load-out facility Nanaimo * deposits were in turn deformed. e main ä Vancouver Similkameen Westshore and Neptune B structural elements in the region include thin- O coal ports U R . Coal - Developed prospect e East Kootenay is one of several coal regions in British Columbia, including the skinned, east-vergent, imbricated thrusts (that G Coal reserve areas E MINFILE occurrence number A Groundhog and Peace elds in the north, those on Vancouver Island, and small elds in ultimately detach at the Precambrian basement- U No mining activity permitted T H , the Interior. Extending along the northwest-southwest structural grain of the Rocky cover interface), formed in an in-sequence or R Coal - Prospect U Flathead Watershed S MINFILE occurrence number Mountain Front Ranges in southern British Columbia, the East Kootenay coalelds ‘piggy-back’ array, and related concentric folds. T Conservation Area & e turn of the century saw underground mines open and small settlemets established adjacent to the Crowsnest Pass include three elds: Flathead, Crowsnest, and Elk River. Coal sections are locally thickened in fold Road paleontological reserves interiors by space-accomodating thrusts. route at Morrissey Creek, Coal Creek, Michel, Natal, 30 $250.00 Rail line price ; Middletown, Hosmer, and Corbin. Between 1898 and 1902 Coal occurrence in coal USD the town of Fernie was built at the conuence of Coal Creek 25 BC boundary reserve area $200.00 and the rail route along the Elk River. e town

20 accommodated increasing numbers of miners and their $150.00 families. Hundreds of coke ovens were built at Fernie, 50o 15' 15 Morrissey, and Michel to produce coke for smelters in the East Kootenay coalelds Kootenay and Boundary areas. $100.00 Fording 10 Elk Cougar North River Bingay Main 082J SE 010 Town of Michel, 1950s; $50.00 082J SE 011 5 . . view west toward Sparwood River B oduction, millions of metric tonnes metric of millions oduction, Vancouver Island Peace River B pr 0 $0.00 ä 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 Coalfield

In the past 25 years, the East Kootenay elds have produced more coal than the rest of A’ British Columbia’s coalelds combined.

Greenhills, Swift Fording River A E 1 R

I km C Chauncey er K , 082J SE 008 S

iv For Kootenay Greenhills O Stratigraphic setting 0 1 N er F ding Bare Mountain A A iv Group A'

Bourgeau B U . 082J SE 006 ding R ding e East Kootenay elds produce coal from multiple seams in the Mist Mountain L T

thrust or

B F Elk R Elk B Formation, a 100 to 700m thick unit of sandstone, siltstone, shale and mudstone in the O

U

R Fording River Mine

G middle part of the Kootenay Group. Fernie River Ewin Pass E Formation A SL fault U Ewin Creek

Cadomin Erickson T H . 082J SE 004 fault R E conglomerate after Price et al. (1992) U W

S I N Kootenay Group T ä

cliff P A Mount Banner S 082J SE 003 S .

F

A Elk Mist Mountain U L T Ewin Pass o 082J SE 002 50 N Morrissey . Burnt Ridge Elkford North e rst surface operations in the Province opened near 082J SE 001 . Fernie Group ! B’ the town of Michel in 1947 (Erickson) and 1949 (Baldy B Mountain). Mining continued at Coal Creek and Michel- Line Line Natal through World War II and into the 1950s. e Elk River B

Burnt Creek 43 B Creek industry began to go into decline in the late 1950s, mainly eek 1 er Ridge because oil products were being substituted as fuels for

B km iv Horseshoe B’ transportation and heating. In the 1960s the Government Line Cr Line

0 1 er

ding R ding Pit of British Columbia ordered that Michel residents be

iv or

F relocated to Sparwood and old mine buildings Elk R Elk . Teepee Mountain demolished. e towns were vacated by 1971; today, very ewis thrust ä 082G NE 019 L Blairmore Group little remains of Michel, Middletown, and Natal. SL Fernie Kootenay ass thrustLewis thrust Formation Group Ewin P In the 1960s, rapid expansion of manufacturing in Japan Erickson fault after Price et al. (1992)

Kootenay Group rocks formed in a Jurassic-Cretaceous coast plain. Deltaic and inter- E led to increased global coal prices, and renewed interest in R

I C the high-quality coking coals of the Canadian Rockies. deltaic deposits in the lower part of the section transition upward to uvial deposits. K Line Creek Mine S O e Balmer mine north of Michel (now part of the N

F A U Elkview mine) was converted to a modern mechanized L T

C operation. In 1972, Fording Coal began production at the R sandstone O ! W Fording River mine in the Elk Valley coaleld. In 1974, eous Crown Mountain N e Elkview

M . 082G NE 018 the Corbin mine was reopened as Byron Creek Collieries O

1 U etac N r mor Elkview Michel Crown and began producing thermal coal for power generation in km T A

oup B Cadomin conglomerate I Collieries Mountain B N Ontario. In 1982, Shell Canada opened the Line Creek

er C 0 1

er ä T Blair Gr Kootenay C’ Formation H

w C iv mine, and Westar Mining opened Greenhills. Byron Creek C Bourgeau C’ R o Group U L

thrust S Collieries was renamed Coal Mountain in 1994. Elk R Elk Sparwood ! T Collectively, Fording River, Greenhills, Line Creek, sandstone, siltstone, ! Natal Elkview (including Balmer and Baldy Mountain) and Coal shale, mudstone, Fernie & SL Harmer 3 Michel Cr Elk Formation !Michel Mountain have produced 20-30 million tonnes per every chert-pebble east thrust ountain thrust Formation Lewis thrust year since the 1980s. All ve mines consolidated as the conglomerate; minor own M eek

eous Blairmore Group coal seams after Price et al. (1992) Erickson fault Cr Elk Valley Coal Partnership in 2004. Since 2008, Teck

etac Coal Limited has been the operator of all of the active r 3 oup sandstone, mines in the East Kootenays.

er C T S Loop Ridge w siltstone, shale, U Parcel 73

y Gr . Mist Mountain R o (McGillivray) Historical production H 082G NE 008 082G NE 009 mudstone, thick T U o L A Canadian Elkview Mine Mine Production Active years Mine type ena Formation E . coal seams G Pacific R U Railway O B Coal Creek 18 Mt 1898-1958 underground

assic t & Koot to Canadian steel mills Hosmer 3000 km Hosmer Mine . Michel Colliery 69 Mt 1899-1911 underground Morrissey medium- to Coal Mountain II er Jur Crowsnest (Marten-Wheeler) 1948-1979

w Formation coarse-grained 082G NE 006 o underground

L quartz-rich Leech Creek ; Morrissey 0.4 Mt 1902-1909 sandstone Coalfield 082G NE 005 & Tent Mountain 082G NE 004 Corbin 3.4 Mt 1908-1935 underground Parcel 82: . Renamed Byron 1943-1948 Fernie shale, siltstone, Mount Taylor ä 082G SE 036 Corbin assic ne-grained ! 1974 1974-1994 Formation Marten Creek & 082G NE 005 ; Jur sandstone . o Coal Creek 49 30' N Coal Creek . 082G NE 005 . & Tent Mountain 2.7 Mt 1950-1980 Open pit Dominion Coal Block ! Michel Head Coal e Mist Mountain Formation contains from 4 to 30 coal seams, depending on Fernie ! 082G SE 027 location. Seams can have cumulative thicknesses of greater than 70m. icker seams are As part of the Crowsnest Pass Agreement of 1905, Coal Creek Mountain Coal Mountain 55.5 Mt 1995-2018 Open pit & Taylor South . 082G SE 036 Since 1898, more than 830 million tonnes, mainly of more abundant lower in the section, but coal beds occur throughout the unit. Seams the Canadian Pacic Railway transferred .Michel Creek are locally thickened by repetition along thrust faults. ownership of two freehold coal land parcels 082G SE 004 metallurgical coal, have been produced from the Crowsnest of Elk River coalelds. 3 Morrissey (Parcels 73 and 82, together comprising the & Flathead Watershed Dominion Coal Block) to the Government of Elk River Canada. Exploration of these parcels has been In 2011 the British Columbia References prevented due to federal-provincial jurisdictional McEvoy Creek ; 082G SE 024 Government enacted the Flathead British Columbia Geological Survey. 1992. British Columbia coal issues. ere has been periodic consideration by Watershed Act, prohibiting tenure quality catalog. British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and the Government of Canada about offering the Petroleum Resources, British Columbia Geological Survey ER Lillyburt acquisition and mineral exploration in parcels in an open competitive sale, which would ! Morrissey IC 082G SE 030 Information Circular 1992-20, 25p. KS ; the Flathead River watershed, thus open the Dominion Coal Block for coal ON ; FA Hollebeke Mountain excluding the Flathead coalelds and Grieve, D.A., and Kilby, W.E. 1989. Geology and coal resources of the development. Parcel 82: UL 082G SE 032 . Flathead Ridge T part of the Crowsnest coalelds from Dominion Coal Block, southeastern British Columbia. British 082G SE 029 Lodgepole to Pacific coalports 082G SE 028 mining activity. Columbia Ministry of Energy and Mines, Paper 1989-4, 50p. ; Flathead 900 km , Geology after Pearson and Grieve (1978) and Grieve, D.A., Holuszko, M.E., and Goodarzi, F. 1996. British Flathead Ridge Watershed Columbia coal quality survey. British Columbia Ministry of Elko 082G SE 029 Price et al. (1992a, b). Railway Employment and Investment, British Columbia Geological Survey Conservation Bulletin 96, 114p. ! ; Harvey Creek Canadian Pacific Area 082G SE 032 Pearson, D.E. 1980. e quality of Western Canadian coking coal.

0 o o Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Bulletin, 73, pp. 70-84. 20 km 115 W 114 30' W Flathead Pearson, D.E. and Grieve, D.A. 1985. Rank variation, coalication Multiple seams are mined from the Mist Mountain Formation. Scale pattern and coal quality in the Crowsnest coaleld. British Columbia, Coalfields Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Bulletin 78, pp. 39-46.

Price, R.A. and Gransden, J.F. 1987. Metallurgical coal in Canada: Resources, research, and utilization. Energy, Mines and Resources Coal quality Present day production and exploration Canada, Canmet Report 87-2E. Price, R.A., Grieve, D.A and Patenaude, C. 1992. Geology and e Kootenay coalelds produce from multiple seams within the structure cross-section, Fording River (West Half), British Columbia- Mist Mountain Formation. Coal seams are typically medium- Production Exploration Alberta. Geological Survey of Canada, Map 1824A, scale 1:50,000. Coal exploration expenditures began to increase in the mid 2000s when volatile bituminous in rank, with some high volatile-A Since 2008, Teck Coal Limited has been the operator and primary owner of the active coal China rst became a net importer of coking coal. Catastrophic ooding Price, R.A., Grieve, D.A., and Patenaude, C. 1992. Geology, Tornado bituminous coals near the top of the section. Locally, low-volatile mines in the East Kootenay. ese mines produce about 70% of Canada’s total annual coal in the coalelds of Australia in 2011 caused shortages and high prices, Mountain, British Columbia-Alberta. Geological Survey of Canada, bituminous coals occur in basal portions of the section. East exports. which led to a dramatic increase in spending. Although spending has dropped relative to the 2012 spike, the overall levels remain high. Map 1823A , scale 1:50,000. Kootenay coals have low sulphur contents. Hard coking coal Mine Coal Annual Estimated Years of Reserves Resources (HCC) is the predominant product at the four active mines. products production remaining mine operation (Proven + Probable) (Measured + Riddell, J. and Tian, H. 2017. Ash chemistry database for British capacity life Source: MINFILE (as of Dec 31, 2016) Indicated) 40 Coals that lack coking quality due to their volatile content, ash Columbia Rocky Mountain bituminous coals. Ministry of Energy, (from 2017) Clean coal (as of Dec 31, 2016) 35 Mines and Petroleum Resources, British Columbia Geological Survey content, or oxidation are produced in minor quantities at Raw coal GeoFile 2017-10, 15p. Fording River, Line Creek, and Greenhills, and are marketed as Fording River HCC* ~9 Mt 45 ye ars 1972 - present HCC 390 Mt HCC 1433 Mt 30 PCI or thermal coal. 25 Greenhills HCC ~6.0 Mt 31 ye ars 1993 - present HCC 173 Mt HCC 490 Mt Ryan, B.D. and Price, J.T. 1993. e predicted coke strength after PCI 11 Mt 20 reaction values of British Columbia coals, with comparisons to East Kootenay coking coals generally produce cokes with 15 Line Creek HCC ~3.5 Mt 18 years 1972 - present HCC 65 Mt HCC 740 Mt international coals. In: Geological Fieldwork 1992. Ministry of

favourable characteristics. Cokes have good to excellent coal ermal ermal 10.7 Mt ermal 8.8 Mt 10 Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, British Columbia Geological strength after reaction (CSR) values, low coke oven pressure, high Survey Paper 1993-1, pp. 507-516. 5 Elkview HCC ~7.0 42 years 1980 – present HCC 266 Mt HCC 590 Mt coke stability, low to moderate base/acid ratios, and excellent 0 blending characteristics, despite having low Giesler plasticity and Taylor, G. W. 1978. Mining: e History of Mining in British dilatation. Columbia. Hancock House, Saanichton, 195 p.