Summary:
The Soumber Coal Project is comprised of four concessions: Central Soumber, East Soumber, Biluut and Jargalant.
The coal seams at Central Soumber, East Soumber, Biluut, and Jargalant are located within the Deliin Shand suite, which is estimated to have a thickness of up to 1,300 m in the Ovoot Khural Basin. The Deliin Shand suite is characterized by a sedimentary sequence consisting of claystones, siltstones, sandstones, conglomerates, and coal layers. These coal deposits are situated along the Nariin Sukhait thrust fault, indicating tectonic changes that have resulted in highly variable sedimentary partings and locally thick coal layers. that the drillhole interception suggested that there exists a substantial coal-bearing sequence in the central portion of the deposit, which is predominantly covered by the Quaternary and recent alluvium.
Deposit Type
The Soumber, Biluut and Jargalant coal sequence is classified as a "Surface" deposit type based on its characteristics, such as the low cumulative stripping ratio and the depth of the coal seams below the ground surface within the exploration licenses. These characteristics suggest that the deposit is amenable to surface mining methods.
Surface category encompasses deposits that can be extracted by removing overburden from the surface using techniques such as truck/shovel, dragline, or other mining methods. Coal seams that extend from the original ground surface down to a depth of 300 m are classified as surface mineable deposits, typically extracted through the open-pit mining method.
Structural Geology
The structural setting of the Coal Project is characterized by high structural complexity. The strata's geometry indicates a shallow structural basin that was formed due to post-depositional compression. This basin structure extends into the neighboring areas to the east. However, there is a barren area between Central Soumber and East Soumber where coal deposition did not take place.
The most prominent geological structure associated with the Coal Project is the Nariin Sukhait fault which is located to the north of the coal deposit. This fault is arcuate in shape, trending east-west, and moderately dipping. The coal-bearing sequences are generally trending west-toeast. It primarily manifests as a south-dipping homocline, with a dip angle generally ranging from 15° to 30°.
Coal-bearing Sequences
The coal seams of the Coal Project were hosted in the Deliin Shand suite, which is a sedimentary sequence consisting of intercalated claystones, siltstones, sandstones, conglomerates and coal seams. The sedimentary sequence is exposed along the trend of the Nariin Sukhait thrust fault. However, the coal-bearing sequence is largely covered by the Quaternary and recent alluvium, which makes it less accessible for direct observation. Near Soumber and Biluut concessions, the exposed sequences indicate the deposition of various geologic sequences occurred during the Permian, Triassic, Jurassic, and Quaternary periods.
The coal-bearing sequence of the Soumber concession has a roughly rectangular shape with dimensions of approximately 12 km in length from east to west and 2 km in width from north to south. On the other hand, the coal-bearing sequence of Biluut and Jargalant field has a longer strike length of approximately 25 km.
In the Biluut/Jargalant concessions, three major coal seams were identified. These seams have also been subdivided into plies based on the presence of stone partings within them.