Coppabella Moorvale Joint Venture (CMJV) coal deposits comprises coal seams hosted within a sedimentary interbedded package of sandstone, siltstone and mudstone. The depositional environment is interpreted as entirely alluvial with little evidence supporting marine influence. Sandy river channels traverse extensive peat mires where the peat mounds constrain the channels. Periodic high sediment flow events occasionally breach the peat levy and form lobed splays of sand and silt which cover and compress the peat. Peat growth establishes on the new surface as the locus of deposition shifts away and a second seam is established. This second seam merges with the first seam at the edges of the splay, often at a steep angle due to peat compaction related bed rotation.

The deposit types of Coppabella and Moorvale South are considered to have high geological complexity based on the following factors:
-Presence of intrusive sills and dykes within the Coppabella and Moorvale South deposits. This can have negative impacts on coal product yields as adjacent heat affected coal has a higher relative density and can therefore be lost during lower density washing at the coal handling and preparation plant (CHPP);

-There are multiple thrust faults across Moorvale South. Whilst tonnages maybe be increased in close proximity to the thrust, quality estimates can vary due to duplication of plies within the seams and existence of fault breccia which may lead to increased ........

Conventional open cut mining methods are used at the CMJV Coal Mines. Coppabella utilizes a dragline and two electric rope shovels to perform the majority of overburden waste removal, supplemented by diesel hydraulic excavators, which are also used to mine the coal. Moorvale and Moorvale South use diesel hydraulic excavators only. All mines utilize cast and dozer push operations where applicable.

Mining Process
The general sequence of open cut mining is as follows:
1. Vegetation clearance and removal (including mulching).
2. Topsoil/subsoil stripping by scrapers and/or dozers with additional loading and haulage undertaken with excavators and truck. Stripped topsoil is used directly in progressive rehabilitation or is placed in stockpiles for later re-use.
3. Drilling and blasting of overburden, with some waste rock ‘cast blast’ into the adjacent mined-out strip.
4. In appropriate pit geometries, dozer pushing of blasted overburden into the adjacent mined-out strip to expose the target seam, or removal with excavator and haul truck. Coppabella also utilizes a dragline to expose the main target seam.
5. Where required, drilling and blasting plus ripping of coal/parting material.
6. Mining of exposed coal seams by excavator and loading into haul trucks for transport directly to the ROM dump hopper or ROM pads.
7. Interburden/parting material is then drilled and blasted, ripped, pushed or excavated and hauled to ex ........

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