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United States

Northern Appalachia Operation

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Summary

Mine TypeOpen Pit & Underground
StatusTemporary Suspension
Commodities
  • Coal (metallurgical)
  • Coal (thermal)
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
  • Highwall
  • Room-and-pillar
  • Highwall
  • Contour Strip
  • Continuous
  • Auger
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SnapshotThe Northern Appalachia Division (NAPP) consists of five mines: three underground mines (Acosta, Horning, and Casselman) and two surface mines (Schrock Run/Schrock Run Extension North and South Pits, and Rhoads). Additionally, NAPP includes three coal preparation plants: the Cambria plant, the Shade Creek, as well as Rockwood Plant, which is under care and maintenance. NAPP also includes several significant projects that are in various stages of permitting.

In December 2023, the Company entered into an agreement to sell the idled Rockwood Plant, a refuse facility and an adjacent parcel of land. This sale closed in September 2024.

On January 6, 2025, Corsa Coal Corp., the owner of the Northern Appalachia Division's assets, initiated bankruptcy proceedings. Corsa Coal auctioned its assets to pay creditors. This included the sale of the Acosta Deep mine, the Casselman mine, and the Cambria and Shade Creek coal preparation plants to Rosebud Mining Company.
Related AssetsAcosta Mine, A-Seam Project, Casselman Mine, Casselman North Mine, Hamer-Byers Mine, Horning Mine, Keyser Project, Rhoads Mine, Schrock Run/Schrock Run Extension Mine

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Corsa Coal Corp. 100 % Indirect
Corsa Coal indirectly owns the assets of the Northern Appalachia Division through its wholly owned subsidiary.

On January 6, 2025, Corsa Coal Corp. announced that it and each of its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Corsa Group”), filed for voluntary chapter 11 relief in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania and intend to conduct a sale of assets pursuant to Section 363 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Sedimentary

Summary:

The Northern Appalachia Division's properties are situated in the northern portion of the Appalachian Basin, which contains two-fifths of the nations’ bituminous coal deposits and extends over 900 miles from northern Alabama to Pennsylvania. The Appalachian Basin is more than 250 miles wide and, in some portions, contains over 60 coal seams of varying economic significance.

The mineable thickness for coal horizons in these formations ranges from 1 foot to more than 8 feet. Structurally, the coal horizons are typically characterized as gently dipping to the northwest (except where localized variations are present adjacent to anticlinal/synclinal axes), striking northeast-southwest.

Geology of the Properties
The geology of the properties is consistent with regional structural trends. Coal seams of economic importance on the properties typically range from 1 foot to 6 feet in thickness and are primarily low-volatile in rank. There are 11 coal seams on the properties that demonstrate reserve or resource potential including, in descending stratigraphic order: Sewickley, Redstone, Pittsburgh, Bakerstown, Upper Freeport, Lower Freeport, Upper Kittanning, Middle Kittanning, Lower Kittanning, Brookville, and Mercer.

Mineralization
Mineable coal seams within the properties are typically low-ash, low to high-sulfur, and high-thermal content bituminous coals. Regionally, the coals are typically low-volatile in rank, with rank increasing from west to east. The maximum seam thickness may reach over 6.0 feet where multiple coal benches occur in proximity to one another; however, the average mineable thickness of the seams in this evaluation generally ranges from 1 foot to 4 feet. Seams are generally continuous but may be locally absent. Secondary discontinuity due to erosional features is present in most areas, resulting in seam outcropping, or visible exposure of the seam at the surface. Other than oxidation of the coal exposed at the surface, erosion of the seams has no significant impact on the mineralized deposits. Mineable seams associated with the properties are generally outcrop-accessible.

Coal seams are characterized by both single-bench and multiple-bench coal horizons with parting (non-coal) material varying by seam and area. Seam parting is common within the coal seams on the properties with intra-seam parting material increasing drastically in some areas. Roof strata are typically shale or sandy shale with zones of sandstone roof being common. Floor strata are typically sandstone, shale, sandy shale, fireclay, or in the case of the Upper Kittanning, limestone.

Limestone beds occur within the various stratigraphic groups of the region. Some of these limestone beds are extracted in conjunction with surface mining of the Sewickley coal in particular.

Surface-mineable Seams
There are seven primary coal seams (and associated splits) identified on the properties exhibiting surface-mineable potential. Surface-mineable coal seams are contained within the upper and middle portions of the stratigraphic section and include coal seams from the Sewickley through the Lower Kittanning coal seam. There are 10 areas within the properties where coal seams exhibit surface mineable potential including: Bassett, Blue Lick 4, Byers, GAZ, Hart, Rhoads II, Schrock Run/Schrock Run Extension, Hamer, Will Farm and Shaffer. Hamer and Byers are directly adjacent to each other and are therefore reported together herein as Hamer-Byers.

Underground-mineable Seams
There are six coal seams identified on the properties exhibiting underground-mineable potential. These coal seams are contained within the middle to lower portions of the stratigraphic section and include the Upper Freeport his, Lower Freeport (D), Upper Kittanning (C'), Middle Kittanning (C), Lower Kittanning (B), and Brookville (A) coal seams.

Deposit Types
The coal reserves are bituminous coals. The primary coal-bearing formations on the properties are Carboniferous in age, being in the Pennsylvanian system, which includes the Monongahela, Conemaugh, Allegheny, and Pottsville groups. The coal seams are generally continuous and non-complex but may vary in thickness and may also be locally absent. Seams retain normal stratigraphic sequence throughout the properties and no evidence has been observed that seams have been modified from pre-deformational thicknesses.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Heavy Mobile Equipment

Fleet data has not been reported.

Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Commodity Production

On January 6, 2025, Corsa Coal Corp., the owner of the Northern Appalachia Division's assets, initiated bankruptcy proceedings. Due to the bankruptcy process Corsa Coal Corp. the operating results for 2024 were not published.

Sales guidance for coal in 2024 was assumed to be 1,349,000 tons.

Corsa Coal auctioned its assets to pay creditors. This included the sale of the Northern Appalachia Division's Acosta Deep mine, the Casselman mine, and the Cambria and Shade Creek coal preparation plants to Rosebud Mining Company in April 2025.
CommodityUnits202320222021202020192018201720162015
Coal (metallurgical) k tons  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1,8331,8721,475669740
Coal (thermal) k tons  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1918215235
Coal (metallurgical & thermal) k tons  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1,8521,8901,690

Operational metrics

Metrics20232022
Hourly processing capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Annual production capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Annual processing capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe

Production Costs

CommodityUnits2023202220212020201920182017
Total cash costs (sold) Coal (metallurgical & thermal) USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 81.7 / ton   88.3 / ton   79 / ton  
Total cash costs (sold) Coal (metallurgical) USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 82.1 / ton   88.6 / ton   84.5 / ton  
Total cash costs (sold) Coal (thermal) USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 46.6 / ton   54.4 / ton   41.6 / ton  
Operating margin Coal (metallurgical & thermal) USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 21.5 / ton   25.7 / ton   36.3 / ton  
Operating margin Coal (metallurgical) USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 21.7 / ton   25.9 / ton   41.1 / ton  
Operating margin Coal (thermal) USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe -1.52 / ton   -1.67 / ton   3.45 / ton  

Mine Financials

Units2023202220212020201920182017
Growth Capital M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Capital expenditures M USD 10.2   26.4   26.1  
Revenue M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 230.9   265.9   217.5  
Operating Income M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 3.6   16.3   119.3  
Gross profit M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 14.9   29  
Pre-tax Income M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 9.4   15.4   117  
After-tax Income M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 9.4   15.4   117  
EBITDA M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 36   41.2   129.2  
Operating Cash Flow M USD 14.7   15.3  

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