The Brule occurrence (Lower Seam adit) is located near the headwaters of Blind Creek about 37 kilometers south of Chetwynd. The Lower Cretaceous Gething Formation (Bullhead Group) is the main coal-bearing unit at Burnt River and is up to 400 metres thick and consists of interbedded sandstones, siltstones, mudstones, bentonites and semi-anthracite low volatile, low sulphur and high heat value coal. The sediments are generally fine-grained and carbonaceous with some crossbedding and soft sediment deformation structures. The lithologies exhibit extreme thickening and thinning over short distances, and abundant facies changes. Nine main coal seams occur in the Middle and Upper Gething Formation. They are designated from oldest to youngest: Marker A, A-A, B, Lower seam, Upper seam, Marker C, D, Seam 60 and Marker E. These vary in thickness from 0.5 to 1.5 metres for markers and 0.5 to 11.0 metres for seams. All markers have carbonaceous mudstone, floor and roof, and are predominantly of interest as marker horizons. The Lower seam is the most consistent with respect to extent and quality. It varies in thickness from 2 to 11 metres and is on average 3.2 metres and 6.2 metres thick in the south and north of the main reserve area, respectively. The seam shows no rock partings except at the southern edge of the property where it is thin with a mineable rock parting. Average ash content is 6.9 per cent, volatile matter is 13.2 per cent, fixed carbon is 79.0 per cent, inherent moistu ........

The Brule Mine uses standard open-pit mining equipment that is diesel fuel-powered. This equipment includes hydraulic excavators, front end loaders, off-highway rear-dump haulage trucks, rotary drills and support machinery. About 35% of the waste material excavated to uncover coal (Seam 60, Upper Seam and Lower Seam) will be placed in waste dumps to the south and east of the developing pit.

The remaining 65% of waste material will be backfilled into the resulting pit to minimize impact on the environment and reduce cost.

The mining equipment is being used to carry out unit operations that are designed to minimize coal loss and dilution. Coal wedge removal, contact cleaning and excavation are planned to be performed with hydraulic backhoes operating in modes that are designed to eliminate any blasting or dozing of the coal seams. Backhoe operating modes should change as seam dips change to optimize coal recovery.

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