The project area is located within the Hunter Coalfields of the Sydney Basin and includes coal resources and reserves that occur within the Foybrook Formation. This formation is part of the Vane Subgroup of the Whittingham Coal Measures and is the basal coal bearing sequence of the Singleton Supergroup.

The surface geology of the Ashton coal leases is dominated by outcrops of the Jerry’s Plains and Vane Subgroups which form the Whittingham Coal Measures. The main rock types of this subgroup include sandstone, siltstone and conglomerate, which occur with subordinate coal and tuffaceous claystone.

The Ashton area is located on the Camberwell Anticline which has a north north-west to north-west orientation and plunges to the north-west. The Camberwell Anticline is asymmetric with a moderately dipping (9° to 18° degrees) eastern limb which is situated in ML1529 and a gently dipping (6° to 9°) western limb which is situated in the remainder of the area. The western limb at Ashton contains the seams that are equivalent to those in the Auckland area at HVO. The Ashton area contains all coal seams from the Bayswater Seam to the Hebden seam which in stratigraphic descending order are:
- Bayswater;
- Lemington;
- Pikes Gully;
- Arties;
- Liddell;
- Barrett; and,
- Hebden.

The coal seams at Ashton exhibit the same degree of seam splitting, seam thickness. The Barrett Seam outcrops on the Camberwell Anticline. The strati ........

ACOL (Ashton Coal Operations Pty Limited) intends to continue mining operations at Ashton Underground, extracting coal from the Upper Liddell (ULD), Upper Lower Liddell (ULLD) and Lower Barrett (LB) coal seams via a descending longwall arrangement. The mine plan has been designed to minimise surface subsidence effects on overlying natural and built features, as far as practically possible. This includes the diversion of Bowmans Creek and adherence to a 40 m horizontal setback between the high bank of the creek (in its diverted form) and the projected vertical edge of the longwall void.

The ACP ( Ashton Coal Project) underground mine operates seven days a week, 24 hours a day on a rotating shift basis. At present, the ACP’s mining schedule in the underground mining area is subject to subordinate approvals and production rates. At the commencement date of this MOP, extraction of LW 201 (ULLD Seam) has been completed and extraction of LW 202 (ULLD Seam) is underway.

Approval for underground mining operations includes the extraction of coal from the Pikes Gully (PG), Middle Liddell (ML), Upper Liddell (ULD), Upper Lower Liddell (ULLD) and Lower Barrett (LB) coal seams. Underground mining relies upon the longwall extraction method following continuous miner development of main headings and twin heading gate-roads.

Mine Development and Sequence.
Underground mining during the MOP term intends to recover coal reserves from remaining panels of ........

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