Abstract:
Coal mine development relies on the availability of accurate geological data, its analysis and the application of geological data to coal mine design. The collection, analysis and
official use of drill hole and coal quality data are crucial for deriving meaningful resource estimates. This study presents a step-by-step approach for geological data analysis for an area that was extensively explored by Shell Coal Botswana between1974 and 1982, where significant coal resources were identified. While much exploratory data is available, computer-aided geological modeling and data analysis has not been carried out as the resource estimation was carried out using the traditional resource estimation and modeling methods. The methodology for determining coal resources has been refined, taking advantage of improvements in geologic and mining model computer software.
This study, therefore, helps in understanding the applicability of geological data analysis for the purposes of determining coal Seams boundaries, generation of 3D solid coal seam models of the deposit, which is evaluated to determine in-place coal resources. Following this methodology, three coal seams were identified and evaluated. These seams covered a total area of 52,492,911 m2,occupying a total volume 560,030,268 m3 at various depths. The estimated tonnage of the coal mineralization for the three coal Seams was 728 039 348.4 tonnes of mineable coal.