Shendong (Shenfu-Dongsheng) Mining Area is located in the north of Shenmu county, west of Fugu county and the south of Yikezhao League, along Ulanmulun River and Kuye River. The longitude and latitude of the mining area is 108°30′-10°45′E and 37°20-9°30’N. It is an integral part of Shaanbei Jurassic coalfield, bordering Inner Mongolia in the north and 10 kilometers to Matagou in the south. Outcrop of Seam 5-2# and Drilling holes 54#, 32#, 60# constitute the east and west boundaries of the mining area. The total area is about 2150 km2 (60 km long, 15-50 km wide).
This mining area is situated to the north of Loess Plateau, at the southeast of Maowusu Desert, with altitude averaging +1000-1300m.
The 303km Bao-Shen-Fu highway has been completed and open to traffic. It runs through the entire mining area from north to south and connecting Baoshen Railway in the north and Shenshuo Railway in the east. So, the mining area is blessed with favorable conditions for coal transported to the outside.
Geological Structure
Shendong coalfield, part of Erdos coal-bearing basin, is situated to the north of Shan-Gan-Ning Platform Depression in Zhongchao Paraplatform. Structural unit is located in the Erdos syncline. This coal-bearing stratum belongs to lower-mid Yan’an Formation of Jurassic, and forms a Triassic unconformity relationship with underlying Fuxian Formation. It is gently dipping monoclinal structure in the coalfield. There are small structural changes and few fold fractures. Board and gentle undulation is only observed in local areas.
Coal seam and coal quality
Shendong Mining Area is identified with Carboniferous, Permian and Jurassic coal, but only Jurassic coalfield is being explored and developed presently. Coal-bearing strata include lower and middle Jurassic Yan’an formations that are composed of sandstone and mudstone and in parallel unconformity above the Fuxian formation, measuring 200-300 meters thick.
Yan’an formation contains more than 20 coal-bearing strata, but only 9 of which are minable and belong to medium-thick or thick coal seams. There are four major coal seams, averaging 2.3-4m thick for a single seam and 12.3m in maximum thickness.
It is mainly non-caking and long flame coal, followed by weakly-caking coal and gas coal, which are regarded as rare and excellent thermal coal and chemical coal due to their ultra-low to low sulfur, ultra-low to low ash, ultra-low phosphor, high thermal value, and high volatile matter. Specification of raw coal is: ash, 7.79 - 9.82 %; volatile matter, 34.89 - 38.34 %; total sulfur, 0.62- 2.17 %; phosphor, 0.007- 0.0017%; and tar yield, 8.75-10.85%. The moisture content is relatively high, with free moisture of raw coal estimated to 5% and total moisture between 11% and 16%,
Hydrogeological and mining conditions
Shendong Mining Area is simple in hydrogeological condition. There are only a few faults, and seam dip is 1°- 2°. Coal is buried shallowly and few mine fields could adopt opencast mining, with a stripping ratio around 7:1. Lithologically, the roof and floor is mostly composed of fine-grained sandstone, siltstone, sandy mudstone, belonging to semi-hard rock. Coal measure strata contain little water, but good water storage is observed in the subsidence area resulted from spontaneous combustion of crop coal. Opencast mining in water abundance area is dangerous.
In Shenmu and Fugu exploration areas, the normal water yield is 40m3/d and maximum 266m3/d. With sandstone mainly in roof and floor, it is mostly low-methane mines.
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