Rolleston Coal Mine lies on the western edge of the Bowen Basin in a tectonic region known as the Denison Trough, in which thick sequences of Permian and Triassic sediments are located. Deformation of the sediments is regarded as being contemporaneous, but accentuated by further movement during a mild orogeny in the late Triassic. Sedimentation continued throughout the Mesozoic, while uplift in the early Tertiary was followed by erosion and the extrusion of basalt flood volcanics. Deposition of alluvium occurred during recent geological times.

The regional stratigraphy of the area consists of the dominantly marine Lower to Upper Permian Back Creek Group (comprising in ascending order; the Cattle Creek Formation, Aldebaran Sandstone, Freitag Formation, Ingelara Formation and Catherine Sandstone, Peawaddy Formation and Black Alley Shale). This is overlain conformably by the dominantly terrestrial Upper Permian Blackwater Group (comprising in ascending order; the Burngrove Formation and the coal bearing Rangal Coal Measures which is equivalent to the Bandanna Formation in this part of the Denison trough). The Permian strata were conformably overlain by Triassic strata, however in much of the Rolleston area the Triassic sediments have been removed and a large unconformity exists between the Permian and Tertiary strata. The Tertiary consists primarily of sequences of basalt flows with some sedimentary strata developed between the basalts.

Tectonic deformation ........

Mining is done by dragline, electric rope shovels, hydraulic shovel, hydraulic excavators, rear dump trucks and tracked dozers. The support fleet principally moves mine waste material and coal.

Mining of new pits and extensions would be by open cut methods. The mining strips are generally 50 m to 70 m wide depending on depth and other constraints.

A maximum dragline dig depth of some 45 m has been applied for all reserve blocks. Waste occurring above this horizon has been allocated to the excavator and shovel fleets. The following the general design parameters used:
- Permian high walls – 70 degrees.
- Basalt high walls – 30 degrees.
- Undercut low walls – 40 degrees.
- Angle of repose – 35 degrees.
- Swell factor – 1.25.
- Berm width – 30 m on coal benches on dragline horizon.
- Dragline horizon – up to 45 m above D seam roof.

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