ABSTRACT: Coal Resource Assessment of Alberta

NIKOLS, DENNIS, WILLEM LANGENBERG, ROY ECCLES, and SHAUNA TREASURE, Alberta Geological Survey, Alberta Research Council, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

The current estimate of plains coal resources in Alberta is >7 x 1012 tonnes. There is a great potential for coal in Alberta, particularly deeper coal, to become a commercial fuel source rock/reservoir. Recent work benefitting from thousands of deep coal resource intersections has helped define: (1) the coal zones in the plains basin by stratigraphic horizon; (2) balanced cross sections through the deformed belt; and (3) the ASTM coal rank. Using computer-based algorithms and classical "hand" techniques, all the coal resources of the province have been recalculated and divided into classes of assurance and coal rank. The gas content of Alberta coals has not been extensively tested, but indirect data such as thickness, rank, depth, and proximate analysis allows for the estimation of coal bed resources. The current published estimate of total coal can be revised downward by as much as 30%. The current published speculative coal bed methane resource estimate of 85.75 cubic meters has not been substantially changed.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91012©1992 AAPG Annual Meeting, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, June 22-25, 1992 (2009)