Estimating coal quality from seismic data -is it possible? A case study from the Bowen Basin

Abstract

This paper is a case study from the Newlands Colliery, Bowen Basin, Queensland Australia. Stratigraphic information from high quality 3D seismic data was used to estimate the ash content for coal quality. A variety of seismic attributes were used, including impedance and facies analysis. Hard data from geophysical logs and core based ash content determinations have been correlated with these attributes. The application and limits of the methods are discussed.