A review of the Traralgon formation in the Gippsland Basin - A world class brown coal resource

Abstract

The Traralgon Formation contains by far the largest brown coal resources in the Gippsland Basin, and is probably unequalled in the World for any single basin deposit of its type. Out of an indicated resource of 345 billion tonnes (Gt). approximately 10 Gt are currently listed as economically recoverable reserves. Low ash content (ave. 2.9% db) but higher organic sulphur contents (ave. 1.72% db) largely reflect the near-coastal depositional environments under which much of the original extensive peat swamps accumulated. The contained plant matter and coal types indicate a high-latitude rainforest environment where rainfall and temperatures were higher than present and where lithotype cycling ..