Overview

Mine Type	Open Pit
Status	Active
Commodities	Coal (thermal) Coal (metallurgical)
Mining Method	Truck & Shovel / Loader
Production Start	...
Snapshot	The Sonoma Coal Mine (SCM) comprises three granted mining leases held by the the Sonoma Coal Joint Venture (JV), namely ML 10325, ML 10326, and ML 10327. The SCM is operated as part of the wider QCoal Northern Hub, which incorporates the adjoining Cows, Drake and Jax mines. The JV is seeking to add a 73.7 ha mining lease to the SCM, which is referred to as the “Sonoma East 2 ML” (SE2ML). The SE2ML is located directly south of and adjoining the existing ML 10327, and together these areas are hereafter collectively referred to as the ‘Sonoma East Complex’. Since 2022, Queensland's Department of Resources has not reported the production of the Sonoma mine.

Deposit type

• Sedimentary

Summary:

The main stratigraphic unit of interest is the Moranbah Coal Measures, which are part of the Blackwater Group. The Moranbah Coal Measures are characterised by seven persistent coal seams. All coal seams are potentially economic.

A Seam
Highly banded and extensively intruded as well as heat affected. Although the seam occurs over a 15 – 19 m thick interval, individual coal plies are typically = 1 – 1.5 m thick. The coal is commonly dull, intermittently stony, and contains abundant mudstone and tuffaceous claystone partings. The A Seam is generally classified as non-economic because of its inferior quality.

B Seam
The B Seam is separated from the underlying A Seam by 15 – 24 m and is dark grey, fine-grained sandstone, siltstone and carbonaceous mudstone. The northern extent of the B Seam sub crops approximately 12 km to the northwest in the vicinity of Coral Creek. The seam consistently dip at approximately 5 – 7° toward the south and south-southeast, but records indicate dipping as high as 12 – 15° in some areas. At the northern end of the deposit, the B Seam is essentially a single entity. Where the B Seam is a single entity, it has been identified as 12 – 16 m thick. As the seam continues to the southwest, it progressively splits into two and three distinct units and during mining these were observed as B1 (1 m thick), B2 (3 m thick) and B3 (1 m thick).

B-Rider Seam
The B-Rider Seam is generally thin (0.7 – 2.0 m), laterally persistent coal seam which is midway between the B and C Seams. In most instances, the B-Rider Seam is found to be intruded or significantly heat affected. The B-Rider Seam is not considered to be of economic importance.

C Seam
The C Seam is separated from the underlying B Seam by approximately 70 m of interburden. The C Seam ranges in thickness from 4.5 – 6.7 m with dips to the south-southeast at a constant angle of around 4 – 5°. The C Seam has a consistent geophysical profile that is more stone banded in the top half of the seam, but as the coal plies display similar ash liberation characteristics as in the lower parts of the seam, it was treated as a single ply for mine planning purposes.

E Seam
The E Seam correlates with the Goonyella Middle seam. The experience of mining at Sonoma Coal Mine (SCM) indicates E Seam can be intruded and heat affected. The E Seam is not considered to be of high economic value for the SCM.

P Seam
The P seam is separated from the underlying E Seam by approximately 30 – 40 m of light to medium grey siltstone. The seam itself comprises an upper and lower horizon separated by approximately 1 m of partly carbonaceous siltstone. Neither coal horizon is particularly well developed, with the upper ply ranging between 0.5 – 1.0 m thick and the lower play between 1.0 – 1.5 m thick. Both horizons are also either extensively intruded or significantly heat-affected and are not considered to be of economic importance.

Q Seam
Q Seam ranged in thickness with two parting bands (10 – 25 cm) appearing in the seam, which form marker bands for the purposes of mining activities. Mining of Q Seam in other QNH pits has seen Q Seam split into three working sections with a total thickness of 9 m, of which two were economic and mined.

Mining Methods

- subscription is required.

Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Processing

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Production

Commodity	Units	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016
Coal (thermal)	t	....	....	689,639	366,447	842,559	1,764,297
Coal (hard coking)	t	....	....	193,506	139,802	384,682	626,888

Operational metrics

Metrics	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016
Coal tonnes mined	....	....	1,448,954 t of ROM coal	838,242 t of ROM coal	1,699,505 t of ROM coal	3,811,120 t of ROM coal
Annual production capacity	....	....
Tonnes processed	....	....	1,400,471 t	826,592 t	1,889,087 t	3,643,046 t
Hourly processing capacity	....	....

Personnel

Job Title	Name	Profile	Ref. Date
.......................	.......................		Dec 22, 2023

Total Workforce	Year
......	2022
......	2021
......	2020