New hard coal deposit in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin and mine development concept

Debiensko 1 hard coal deposit is situated in the western part of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin, (USCB) mostly within former Debiensko mine area, below its stopes. Individual balance criteria were applied with the depth of documentation increased to 1400 m. and the remaining cut off parameters unchanged. New documentation is based on geological and mine informations from earlier exploitation and from 10 borcholes drilled to the depth no less than 1400 in. The overburden consists of Holocene, Pleistocene, Miocene, Triassic and Upper Carboniferous Orzesze beds. Its thickness oscillates between 600 in and 1000 in. Newly documented deposit is formed by Ruda beds between the top of 401/1 seam and the bottom of 410 scam. They are underlain by older section of Ruda beds up to 419 scam and Anticline beds. The most important tectonic element is Orlowa overthrust along the western border of Debiensko I deposit. Major faults displace coal scams, some more than 400 in apart. Belski (J) Fault divides the deposit area on two parts: Native (northern) and Leszczyna (southern). A net of minor faults influences division of the deposit into natural exploiting blocks. Coking coals of 35.1, 35.2.1, 36 and 37.2 type are present solely in Debiensko 1 deposit. Their chemical and technological parameters are very good. The geological and mine conditions of exploitation and hazards are recognized basing on research drill core samples from coal scams and by analogy to the conditions in closed Debiensko mine. The following hazards are defined: methane (IV category), susceptibility for burst (III degree) and radiation (group II-III). The coal resources are documented in 24 seams. The balance resources are present in all scams, while non-balance in 22 scams. The richest scams are: 405, 401/1, 402/1, 403/1, 404/1, 404/9, 407/2, 407/3, 408/1, 408/2, 408/3, 408/5, and 409/1. The resources are recognized mainly in C-1 (90%) category. The share of resources in B category is 1% and in C-2 - 9%. The resources of accompanying coal-bed methane are calculated, too. Only balance coal seams thicker than 1.5 in were classified into reserves. Therefore only 9 scams: 404/9, 405, 407/2, 407/3, 408/2, 408/3, 408/5, 409/1, and 409/3 laying in depth interval 1000-1400 in contain reserves of hard coal. The share of total reserves in the balance resources is 32%. Exploiting reserves, are calculated on the basis of reserve utilization index (0-65). Economic reserves comprise 93% of the exploiting reserves. The beginning of implementation phase is planned for 2009, and the exploitation of the deposit since 2018 through 40 years.