--> ABSTRACT: Updated Demonstrated Reserve Base, San Juan Basin, New Mexico, by G. K. Hoffman; #91021 (2010)

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Updated Demonstrated Reserve Base, San Juan Basin, New Mexico

HOFFMAN, GRETCHEN K.

The Department of Energy funded a study of coal reserves in the San Juan Basin, New Mexico. From this study, the updated demonstrated reserve base (DRB) estimate is 11.24 billion short tons (st) of surface and deep coal. This compares with 4.429 billion st in the Energy Information Administration's DRB for all of New Mexico, and 2.806 billion st for the San Juan Basin, as of January 1, 1993. These new estimates of "remaining" coal resources include significant adjustments for past production and recovery rates (through 1994).

The updated estimates also incorporate analyses of available sulfur, heat, and ash content data for characterizing New Mexico's remaining coal resources. Coal quality data were examined along with coal resource data. Resources were subdivided based on sulfur and Btu content. The new allocations place 28% of the San Juan Basin (NM) DRB in the 0.41-0.6 lbs sulfur/MMBtu category. In the previous allocation by the Energy Information Administration, 34% of New Mexico's total reserve base was in this sulfur category.

Factors affecting coal resource accessibility and recent data on mining recovery rates were also examined. Based on the new estimated DRB, surface minable accessible reserves are 5.92 billion st; of this total 5.21 billion st are recoverable with current mining methods. Of this total 1.26 billion st is compliance coal (0.41-0.6 lbs sulfur/MMBtu). About 70% of this compliance coal is within the Fruitland Formation, the unit mined by three of the five active operations in the San Juan Basin (NM).

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91021©1997 AAPG Annual Convention, Dallas, Texas.