Overview

Mine Type	Open Pit
Status	Inactive / Suspended
Commodities	Coal (metallurgical) Coal (coking)
Mining Method	Truck & Shovel / Loader
Mine Life	...
Snapshot	The Bingay Main coal project has total resources of approximately 220 million raw tonnes, consisting of 98% coking coal, with 100 million tonnes classified as measured and indicated. In August 2022, after Centermount Coal Ltd. failed to provide the required studies for the environmental assessment, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada made the decision not to extend the legislated three-year time limit in which they had to do so. As such, the environmental assessment for the Bingay Main Coal Project was terminated. Since the termination, no updates or progress have been reported regarding the revival or continuation of the project.

Deposit type

• Sedimentary

Summary:

The Project includes the western margin of the Elk Valley coalfield. The coalfield is an infaulted remnant of a substantially larger body of coal-measures, correlative with the Crowsnest Basin to the south and the Highwood Pass/Mount Allen/Canmore coalfields to the north. During deposition of the Mist Mountain coal-measures, the Fernie Sea (the local name for the Interior Seaway) lay to the east and northeast, and orogenically-elevated highlands lay to the southwest.

The Bingay property is situated within the geologic Bingay Syncline, a steeply dipping bedrock fold which dips to the northeast beneath the Elk River. The syncline’s southern nose extends along the southern slope of Bingay Hill above the north bank of Bingay Creek. Because of the synclinal structure, the bedding in the proposed mining area ranges between generally sub-vertical (45 to 65 degrees) to vertical and even overturns in a few areas. The eastern syncline limb is known to be significantly less steep than the western limb. Numerous small faults have been observed in exploration rock core and geologic maps show the west-dipping Bourgeau Thrust Fault extending along the west part of the proposed mine area.

Coal-measures in the Project’s area are hosted by the Mist Mountain Formation of the Kootenay.

Group, of latest Jurassic to earliest Cretaceous age. The Mist Mountain Formation is underlain by Jurassic rocks of the Morrissey and Fernie formations. At the crest of the Greenhills Range, east of the Project the Mist Mountain Formation is overlain by the younger coal-measures of the Elk Formation, also of Cretaceous age. Although younger coals are known from the overlying Elk Formation in the Greenhills Range, the Elk coals appear to have been stripped away by erosion within the Project area. At least 32 coal seams, whose true thickness ranges from 0.3 to 16.2 metres are present. Of these coals, 24 typically have a thickness of 1 metre. The maximum cumulative thickness of these coals is 62.6 metres, within an overall coal-bearing rock thickness of approximately 460 metres. Bedrock in the proposed mine area consists primarily of siltstone, mudstone and sandstone with interbedded coal seams, which are exposed in the central Bingay Hill and along the east side of the proposed open pit adjacent to the Elk River. The mudstone, siltstone and coal layers appear relatively soft; however coalbearing and erosion resistant sandstone layers form prominent bedrock ridges in the southwestern part of the proposed mining area and along Bingay Creek.

Overburden, generally consisting of coarse sand and gravel is present on the west and north sides of the proposed pit area, and thick silt and clay is located on the north side of the proposed pit area. Thin deposits of silty sand and gravel overlying bedrock are present on the pit’s south and east sides.

Three primary waste rock types are present within the Project disturbance area: mudstone, siltstone and sandstone. A minor amount of ironstone and marine sediments associated with the Anderson Formation are also present at the site; however the amount of these materials expected to be excavated as a result of open pit mining represent significantly less than 1% of the total rock to be disturbed by mining. A metal leaching and acid generating potential study is underway to gain a full understanding of the potential environmental effects. Current studies have shown that the rock disturbed by the Project has minimal acid generation potential, consistent with the observations at nearby mines; ongoing studies will provide further confirmation of this aspect. The focus on metal leaching studies is primarily related to the potential for selenium to be leached from rock at the site.

Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Production

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