The distribution of coal-bearing units in northeast British Columbia is controlled by structures of the Rocky Mountain Foreland Fold and Thrust Belt. Along the western flank of the Foothills, in the hanging walls of the Merrick and Whatley faults, coal is absent. Structurally beneath and east of these faults, in the central and eastern parts of the Foothills, folded and thrusted shallow-marine units of the Minnes Group and Gething, Gates, and Boulder Creek formations host coal. All coal mines worked to date are in this central zone. Exposed or at shallow structural levels, coal-bearing beds can be mined by surface and underground methods. On the Plains east of the Foothills, flat-lying rocks of the Minnes Group and Gething, Gates and Boulder Creek are at depths that preclude surface mining, but underground mining may be feasible. However, the Wapiti Formation is exposed and could be mined by surface or underground methods. The Belcourt-Saxon, Trend and Roman Mountain deposits are located in the south central region of the Peace River Coalfield and form part of the Rocky Mountain Foothills of north eastern British Columbia. The strata were uplifted during the Laramide Orogeny and now form portions of the eastern flank of the Rocky Mountains. Thrust faulting and intense folding strongly affected the strata during the mountain-building phase. Coal seams with economic potential occur in the Lower Cretaceous Gates and Gething Formations. These units were formed within a deltaic d ........

Peace River metallurgical coal mine - open cut operation, using truck and shovel.

- subscription is required.