University of Wollongong Research Online Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive) Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health 1-1-2009 Geological Setting of Australasian Coal Deposits Adrian C. Hutton University of Wollongong, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.uow.edu.au/scipapers Part of the Life Sciences Commons, Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons, and the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Hutton, Adrian C.: Geological Setting of Australasian Coal Deposits 2009, 40-84. https://ro.uow.edu.au/scipapers/733 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] Geological Setting of Australasian Coal Deposits Abstract Coal was discovered in Australia in 1791 by William Bryant, a convict, near the mouth of the Hunter River at Newcastle, New South Wales (NSW). Later discoveries were made along the Brisbane River and ncar Ipswich in the 1820s. Mining commenced in Australia in 1799, also in NSW. The earliest scientific input ot coal exploration was when Sir Joseph Banks, in 1799, introduced drilling equipment to Australia (Bryan, 1990a). Since then, production of coal has occurred in all states with the exception of the Northern Territory. In NSW, Queensland and Western Australia the mined coal is predominantly of bituminous rank, whereas in South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria the coal is sub-bituminous or brown in rank. NSW and Queensland have the largest resources of bituminous coal with the bulk of the production coming from NSW prior to the development of the extensive Bowen Basin coal deposits in Queensland. Queensland is now the largest producer of coal in Australia.The majority of Australia's brown coal reserves are located and mined in Victoria with most used for electricity generation. Keywords coal, deposits, geological, australasian, setting Disciplines Life Sciences | Physical Sciences and Mathematics | Social and Behavioral Sciences Publication Details Hutton, A. C. (2009). Geological Setting of Australasian Coal Deposits. In R. Kininmonth & E. Baafi (Eds.), Australasian Coal Mining Practice (pp. 40-84). 15-31 Pelham Street, Carlton Victoria 3053: The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. This book chapter is available at Research Online: https://ro.uow.edu.au/scipapers/733 Chapter 2 GEOLOGICAL SETTING OF AUSTRALASIAN COAL DEPOSITS By A Hutton, Chapter Editor, Honorary Senior Fellow, University of Wollongong P Wootton, Former Chapter Editor INTRODUCTION Coal was discovered in Australia in 1791 by William significance in the southern and eastern states, particularly Bl)'ant, a convict, ncar the mouth of the Hunter River at Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania. Newcastle, New South Wales (NSW). Later discoveries The Australian Bureau of Statistics (2007) gives were made along the Brisbane River and ncar Ipswich in Australia's total estimated bituminous coal resources as the J8208. Mining commenced in Australia in 1799, also 39.2 gigatonne which is approximately five per cent ofthe in NS\V. The earliest scientific input to coal exploration world total and the sixth largest in the world. Australia's was \vhen Sir Joseph Banks, in 1799, introduced drilling brown coal resources were given as 37.4 gigatonne, the equipment to Australia (Bryan, 1990a). Since then, largest in thc world and24 per cent ofthe \vorld total. The production of coal has occurred in all states with the majority ofAustralia's resources of metallurgical coking exception ofthe Northern Territory. In NSW, Queensland and bituminous thermal coal occurs in the Permian and Western Australia the mined coal is predominantly of deposits of the Sydney and Bowen Basins of NSW and bituminous rank, whereas in South Australia, Tasmania Queensland. Figure 1 shows the distribution ofAustralian and Victoria the coal is sub-bituminous or brown in coals. TabJe J shows estimated sub-bituminous and rank. NSvV and Queensland have the largest resources of bituminous identified in situ coal resources subdivided bituminous coal with the bulk of the production coming by States. Table 2 gives the production figures for 2004. from NSW prior to the development of the extensive Australia was the fourth largest bituminous coal producer Bowen Basin coal deposits in Queensland. Queensland is in the world in 2004-05 and the world's filth largest now the largest producer ofcoal in Australia. brown coal producer. The majority of Australia's brown coal reserves are Coal produetion in the 1950s was approximately 20 Mt, located and Inined in Victoria with 1110st used for mostly for domestic usc (Bryan, 1990a). Bituminous coal electricity generation. is now Australia's largest commodity export, with a value Although European and North American coals were ofapproximately $A24.5 hillion in 2005-06·- an increase of43 per cent over 2004-05. In 2005-06 hituminous coal deposited during the Carboniferous, viltually no economic accounted for 19 per cent ofAustralia's total commodity coal was deposited in the Gondwanaland palaeocontinent, exports. the predecessor of the Australian, African, Antarctic, Indian and South Amcrican continents. Non-cconomic An excellent summary ofthe geology of most Australian Carboniferous coal has heen described by Staines (1975). coal deposits, including scam descriptions, structure and Minor occurrences have been identified in all states but are coal quality, was given in Traves and King (1975) v·/ith a of little extent, thin or of high ash. The bulk ofAustralian more up to date review in Ward ef al (1995). Harrington coal accumulated during the Permian and Teltiary periods. ef al (1989) gave a detailed analysis ofthe Permian coals Triassic coaJ is less abundant but does have economic ofeastem Australia. TABLE 1 • Identified in situ black coal resources (2006) (from Australian Coal Association, 2006) State Underground Mt Open pit Mt Total Mt New South Wales 19530 14530 34 110 Queensland 20080 17300 29380 South Australia 2450 3100 5550 Western Australia 890 1 300 2190 Tasmania 500 20 520 Total Australia 35450 36300 71 750 40 I Chapter 2 TABLE 2 • Production of black coal Australia, 2003·2004 Mining method/State Raw coal Mt Saleable coal Mt 2003 2004 2005 2003 2004 2005 Underground 80.9 81.5 89.2 65.8 65.1 70.3 Open pit 271.3 296.3 309.6 2133 231.6 237.5 Total 352.1 377.8 398.9 279.0 296.7 307.9 New South Wales 144.6 152.3 158.9 113.3 117.2 124.2 Queensland 197.8 215.2 229.3 156.1 169.4 173.2 South Australia 3.2 3.5 3.6 3.2 3.5 3.6 Western Australia 6.0 6.3 6.4 6.0 6.3 6.4 Tasmania 0.6 0.5 06 0.4 0.4 0.4 Total Australia 352.1 377.8 398.9 279.0 296.7 307.9 I 1IS" I I i I ,114' ·38" FIG 1 • Bituminous coal deposits in Australia (adapted from Harrington, 1989) Monograph 12 • Australasian Coal Mining Practice I 41 NEW SOUTH WALES Detailed geology of the Sydney Basin was given in Mayne ef al (1974) and Herbert and Helby (1980). BITUMINOUS COAL However, in the last two decades, a significant volume of new and revised interpretations have been given covering In NSW, several basins contain significant deposits of stratigraphy, structure tectonism and evolution. Early bituminous coal, with the largest and most economically theories on the origin of the Sydney Basin suggested important being the Sydney Basin. Excellent outcrop of that the basin was formed during a short rifting phase ncar-surface deposits, convenient to shipping facilities, in the Late Carboniferous-Early Permian and evolved such as at Wollongong and Newcastle, assured the early as a foredeep to the New England Fold Belt. In a major development ofa coal industry in the Sydney Basin which revision nf the geology of NSW, Scheibner (1996; for many years was the major bituminous coal producer 1998) discussed the structural elements, framework and in Australia. evolution of the Sydney Basin which was described as The Sydney Basin is a large sedimentary basin located one of three sub-basins in the composite Sydney-Bowen on the east coast of Australia and is part of the larger Basin. Scheibner's proposed tectonic model, based partly Sydney-Gunnedah Basin (Figure 2) which in turn is part on the work ofMurray (1990), had an initial igneous rifting ofthe much larger contiguous Sydney-Gllnnedah~Bowen phase followed by a crustal thinning phase terrninating Basin that extends from coastal southern NSW to central in a loading phase when sediments were deposited in Queensland. The Sydney Basin is separated from the the hasin. Diessel (1992) described the Sydney Basin Gunnedah Basin hy the Mt Corricudgy Anticline (Herbert as a 'structural depression of retroarc status'. Alder et and Helby, 1980).The northern boundary of the Sydney al (1998) proposed that the basin formed !i'om east-west Basin is faulted against the New England Fold Belt (also compression as a result offoreJand loading from the Lord called the New England Orogen) by the Hunter-Mooki Howe Rise to the east ofNSW and a ridge comprising the Thrust (Blayden, 2003) but to the west and south the Gerringong Volcanics in the south. basin sequence onlaps the bascmcnt of granitoid and Sediments in the Sydney Basin date from Early Permian, metasedimentary units. The basin cxtends eastwards possibly Late Carboniferous, to Triassic with Quaternary offshore under the marine cover of the Australian alluvium overlying the earlier units in erosional valleys continental margin. and along coastal plains, Two periods of coal deposition occurred during the Permian. In the Early Permian, the Greta Coal Measures were deposited in the northern section of the basin whereas in the southern part of the basin the Clyde River Coal Measures was deposited.