Overview

Mine Type	Open Pit
Status	Active
Commodities	Coal (metallurgical)
Mining Method	Truck & Shovel / Loader
Production Start	...
Mine Life	...
Snapshot	Elkview Operations produces steelmaking coal - also called metallurgical coal or coking coal - which is used to make steel. Teck exports the processed coal by sea to the Asia-Pacific region and elsewhere. This involves the shipment of the steelmaking coal from the mine site to bulk port terminals in Vancouver by rail. It is then loaded on to larger seagoing vessels, which carry it to our target markets.

Deposit type

• Sedimentary

Summary:

The Elkview mine is located within the Crowsnest Coalfield in the Elk Valley. The coal measures are situated within the Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous Kootenay Group sediments.

From earliest to latest, the Kootenay Group includes:
• Morrissey Formation: sandstones; subdivided into the Weary Ridge and Moose Mountain Members; 20–80 m in thickness;
• Mist Mountain Formation: interbedded sandstone, siltstone, mudstone, shale and thin to thick seams of bituminous to semi-anthracite coal; 450–550 m in thickness;
• Elk Formation: interbedded sandstone, siltstone, mudstone, shale and locally thick beds of chert-pebble conglomerate and thin seams of high volatile bituminous coal; 350–450 m in thickness.

The geology within the Elkview Project area dips towards the west at approximately 20º and plunges gradually to the south at about 4–8º.

The Mist Mountain Formation contains approximately 25 coal seams of potential economic interest, consisting of medium to high volatile bituminous coal.

Within the coal measures, there are three structurally separated coalfields, the Elk Valley, Crowsnest, and Flathead coalfields. Elkview is situated on the northern end of the Crowsnest coalfield. The Crowsnest coalfield is bounded by the west-dipping Erickson normal fault on the east and the Bourgeau thrust fault on the west.

The major structure in the Project area is a southwest plunging syncline, the Sparwood (Michel) Syncline. Multiple thrust faults and normal faults occur throughout the Project area, mostly striking in a northwest to southeast orientation. The thrust faults generally dip west to southwest at inclinations of 20–50º. This has resulted in coal seam repeats and structural deformation and complexity along the thrust fault boundaries, by overlapping and drag folding.

The tectonic thickening of the basal 10-seam is an important factor in mine planning.

The Mist Mountain Formation depth of burial ranges from surface exposures to >750 m. The coal measures on the EVO contain bituminous grade coal seams with varying volatile matter contents. The coal quality varies with depth of burial and location along the strike of the deposit. Seams may range in thickness from <1 m to >15 m.

Seams range in rank from high to low volatile bituminous and are numbered from 10 at the base, upwards to 1, with additional seams A through D at the top of the 600 m thick stratigraphic column. All mineable coal seams in Baldy, Adit and Natal Ridges are within the Mist Mountain Formation. A portion of the Fernie Formation occurs at the top of Adit Ridge.

These are the areas in which over thrusted repeats of 10-seam may be found due to the thrust fault thickening, and as such, required an increased drilling density to maintain the geological assurance. Zones of complex geology pass through Baldy Ridge, Adit Ridge and Natal Ridge and are adjacent to the fault lines. About half of the deposit at EVO is classified as complex, with the remaining half classified as moderate.

EVO produces both hard coking coal and semi-hard coking coal products which are derived from the mineable coal seams:
• Hard coking coal (HCC): coke strength after reaction (CSR) 64+;
• Semi-hard coking coal (SHCC): =55 CSR =63.

The specific quality characteristics of individual seams will determine into which of the products it will be placed.

Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Production

Commodity	Units	2022	2021	2020	2018	2017	2016
Coal (metallurgical)	Mt	....	....	....	7	6.2	7.1

Operational metrics

Metrics	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
Annual production capacity	....	....	....	....	7.4 Mt of clean coal	7 Mt of clean coal	7 Mt of clean coal	7 Mt of clean coal	7 Mt of clean coal

Personnel

Job Title	Name	Profile	Ref. Date
.......................	.......................		Sep 3, 2024
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