International Journal of Coal Geology, 23 ( 1993 ) 159-191 159

Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., A m s t e r d a m

Coal resources of the Sonda coal field, Sindh

Province, Pakistan

Roger E. Thomas a, Mohammad Riaz Khan b and Shafique Ahmed Khan b

au.s. Geological Survey, Branch of Coal Geology, National Center, MS956, Reston, VA 22092, USA
bGeological Survey of Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan
(Received April l 0, 1990; revised version accepted November l l, 1992 )

ABSTRACT

Approximately 4.7 billion t of original coal resources, ranging from lignite A to subbituminous C in
rank, are estimated to be present in the Sonda coal field. These resources occur in 10 coal zones in the
Bara Formation of Paleocene age. The Bara Formation does not out crop in the area covered by this
report. Thin discontinuous coal beds also occur in the Sonhari Member of the Laki Formation, of
Paleocene and Eocene age, but they are unimportant as a resource of the Sonda coal field.
The coal resource assessment was based on 56 exploratory drill holes that were completed in the
Sonda field between April 1986 and February 1988. The Sonda coal field is split into two, roughly
equal, areas by the southwestward flowing Indus River, a major barrier to the logistics of communi-
cations between the two halves. As a result the two halves, called the Sonda East and Sonda West
areas, were evaluated at different times by slightly different techniques; but, because the geology is
consistent between the two areas, the results of both evaluations have been summarized in this report.
The resource estimates for the Sonda East area, approximately 1,700 million t, were based on the
thickest coal bed in each zone at each drill hole. This method gives a conservative estimate of the total
amount of coal in the Sonda East area. The resource estimates for the Sonda West area, approximately
3,000 million t, were based on cumulative coal bed thicknesses within each coal zone, resulting in a
more liberal estimate. In both cases, minimum parameters for qualifying coal were a thickness of 30
cm or greater and no more than 50% ash; partings thicker than 1 cm were excluded. The three most
important coal zones in the Sonda field are the Inayatabad, the Middle Sonda and the Lower Sonda.
Together, these three coal zones contain 50% of the total resources. Isopachs were constructed for the
thickest coal beds in these three coal zones and indicate large variations in thickness over relatively
small distances. Coal beds in the Sonda coal field were difficult to correlate because of poor core
recovery in some intervals and abrupt lateral thinning and thickening. Most coal zones are separated
by 5-10 m of interburden, although in some places the interburden between zones is over 100 m thick.
More closely spaced drill holes should clarify and significantly improve coal zone correlations in the
Bara Formation.
Coal resources in the Sonda coal field were calculated for three reliability categories; measured,
indicated, and inferred. The most reliable estimates are those for the measured category. Measured
coal resources are approximately 91 million t, or about 2% of the total resource; indicated resources
are 681 million t, or about 14% of the total; and inferred resources, the least reliable resource category,
are 3,931 million t, or 84% of the total resources. The distribution of resources by reliability category
is due to the relatively wide spacing (approximately 5 km) between core holes.

0166-5162/93/$06.00
160 R.E. T H O M A S ET AL.

Analysesof 90 coal samples, on an as-receivedbasis, indicate average ash and sulfur contents of
13.7%and 3.6%, respectively,and a range in rank from ligniteA to subbituminousC. Calorificvalues
for these samples range from 6,000 to 8,000 Btu/lb ( 1 Btu= 1055J; 1 Ib=0.4536 kg).

INTRODUCTION

Location

The Sonda coal field (Fig. 1 ) lies between 24 ° 44' and 25 ° 15' N latitude
and 67 ° 50' and 68 ° 32' E longitude and covers approximately 1,583 k m 2.
The coal field is divided into two parts by the Indus River. The part of the
Sonda field east of the Indus River, is hereafter called the Sonda East area
(Fig. 2 ); it covers about 616 km 2. The part of the coal field west of the Indus
River (Fig. 2 ), hereafter called the Sonda West area, includes an area of about
984 km:.
The area defined as the Sonda East area o f the Sonda coal field had previ-
ously been identified by the Geological Survey of Pakistan ( G S P ) and the
U.S. Geological Survey ( U S G S ) ( 19 88 ), as part of the Indus East coal occur-

N
f
0 200 400 km
I ~ i
0 100 2(30 mi

32 ~_

A
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BALUCHISTAN ~ # J
INDIA

Turbat ~t i khra coal field 26° -

EXPLANATION
rhatta i • CAPITAL
• VILLAGE/ 24°"
CITY

Fig. 1. General location of the study area (Sonda coal field) in Sindh Province, Pakistan.
COAL RESOURCES OF THE SONDA COAL FIELD 161

to o
o
co do
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I I I
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Indus West area
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Town/Village
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-'7" J drill holes ~n Jherfuck
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area

Scale D.dritl holes drlHed by GSP

J ~ J S drill holes in Sonda area
T drill holes in Thalta area
~ ~'~ K,J,S,T, and JP are COALREAP

Fig. 2. Location of drill holes in the Sonda coal field.

rence area; however, subsequent exploratory drilling in the western part of

this area (Fig. 2 ), reported by Landis et al. ( 1988 ) and Thomas et al. ( 1990b ),
has shown that the stratigraphy and coal deposits o f this area are contiguous
with those on the west side of the Indus River and should, therefore, be in-
cluded as part o f the Sonda coal field. The area referred to as the Sonda West
162 R.E. THOMAS ET AL.

area (Fig. 2) had been identified as the Sonda coal field by GSP (Ahmed et
al. (1984a) until the area east of the Indus River was explored. Now the GSP
(Kazmi et al., 1990) has expanded the Sonda coal field to include the Sonda
East area. The Sonda West area has been reported on extensively by the GSP
(Ahmed et al., 1984a, 1984b, 1986) and the USGS (SanFilipo et al., 1988,
and Thomas et al., 1988b). This report presents a synthesis of current work
in the region.
Boundaries for the Sonda East and Sonda West areas (Fig. 2 ) are based on
the results of drilling and are somewhat arbitrary. At present, the Sonda East
area extends a few kilometers beyond Chhari Dhand in the south. The bound-
ary between the Hyderabad and Thatta Districts, which generally follows the
Indus River, and the village of Tando Muhammad Khan serve as the west
and east boundaries, respectively; and the northern boundary is marked by
the extensive, 75 m high Takkar bluffs (Thomas et al., 1988c), immediately
south of Hyderabad. The Sonda West area currently extends from Baran Nadi
in the north to Thatta in the south. It is bounded on the east by the Hydera-
bad-Thatta District boundary and extends westward to the village of Jhimpir,
north of Lake Kalri, and the railroad between Jhimpir and Baran Nadi (Fig.
2).

Background
Coal was discovered in the Sonda coal field in 1981 by the Geological Sur-
vey of Pakistan. Since then, 79 coal exploration holes have been drilled by the
Government and private investigators. Between 1981 and 1986, the GSP
drilled 20 coal exploration holes (D series, Fig. 2) in the Sonda area. Based
on recommendations made by Ahmed et al. (1984a,b), and other agency re-
ports that the Lakhra coal field (Fig. 1 ) might extend south into the Sonda
and Thatta areas, a coal resource exploration and appraisal program (COAL-
REAP) was initiated in 1985 by the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) and the Government of Pakistan (GOP) to explore
further the currently operating Lakhra coal field, northwest of Hyderabad (Fig.
1 ) and the recently discovered, but not mined, Sonda coal field, south of Hy-
derabad. COALREAP is part of USAID'S Energy Planning and Development
Project, Coal Resource Assessment Component, in Pakistan, and is currently
an ongoing program.
The USGS responsibilities in Sonda included: planning an exploration pro-
gram, monitoring compliance with drilling and logging contracts, training GSP
geologists in coal exploration and resource estimation, and planning and
guiding the preparation of progress and final reports on the results of
COALREAP.
Seventeen COALREAP exploratory holes were drilled in the Sonda area
(Sonda West) during parts of 1986 and 1987 (JP, S and T series, Fig. 2 ) and
COAL RESOURCES OF THE SONDA COAL FIELD 163

sixteen were drilled in the Indus East area (Sonda East) between 1987 and
1988 (K series, Fig. 2). Drilling of the K, S, and T holes and the JP hole was
carried out by the Indus Valley Construction Company, Ltd. (IVCC), of La-
hore, Pakistan, under contract to USAID. All drill holes were surveyed and
recorded by GSP surveyors. Specific locations, details of lithologies, strati-
graphic thicknesses and depths and copies of geophysical logs can be found in
Landis et al. (1988), SanFilipo et al. (1988), and Thomas et al. (1988b).
The area east of the Indus River is fiat, except in the north, and is occupied
by numerous shallow lakes. Extensive irrigation canals and sugar cane farms
complicate the logistics of access and the locating of drill sites. Therefore,
most of the sixteen drill holes in the Sonda East area had to be located along
the roads paralleling the canals. Drilling logistics were significantly less com-
plicated in the Sonda West area. It is relatively fiat, with few canals and little
farming. Most drill sites were accessible from the National Highway (Fig. 2 );
however, road conditions frequently deteriorated towards the Indus River,
causing drill sites to be changed from planned locations.
With the discovery of a 6.3 m thick coal bed in core hole S-4, about 8 km
north of the town of Jherruck, in the Sonda West area (Fig. 2 ), the program
in the Sonda West area was expanded to include a twenty-hole, in-fill drilling
program in the area around Jherruck. This drilling program (J-series holes,
Fig. 2 ) was conducted by GSP during 1988 and early 1989, with support from
USAID and USGS. The new information from this twenty-hole program was
not included in the coal-resource assessment of the Sonda West area reported
here, partly because the new information was not expected to make a material
difference in the overall resource quantity, but mainly to provide a refine-
m e n t in the reliability of the estimate (i.e., to increase the relative a m o u n t of
the resource classified as measured) and provide more detail to support even-
tual decisions as to the development of the resource. However, the new infor-
mation has been used in this report to prepare cross sections and coal-bed
isopach, isosulfur and isoash maps of selected beds to illustrate the general
characteristics of the coal deposits of the Sonda coal field.
The COALREAPprogram significantly increased knowledge of the areal ex-
tent of the coal-bearing rocks in Sindh Province and showed that coal beds
are not confined to the Lakhra coal field but are present far to the south,
locally becoming relatively thick.

Procedures

Daily recording of the drilling progress and recovery of coal samples for
analysis were performed by GSP geologists who lived at the drill site. They
also made lithologic descriptions of cores and cuttings recovered and assisted
in locating additional drill sites based on the available stratigraphic data.
Geophysical logs were run by the GSP, under the supervision of a repre-
164 R.E. T H O M A S ET AL

Drill hole

~ not coal -out

.-.--.-~not coal
coal -out

coal no wash-out

not coal ~wash-out in top of

the sandstone

coal . . . . . . .

/not coa' ~}slight wash-out

o~~o~ E~o wash-out

4PI DENSITY LOG 3-ARM CALIPER LOG Sandstone

500 cps/inch 2K range
no scale Claystone

Siltstone

U Coal

Fig. 3. Comparison of the geophysical and lithologic logs to interpret coal beds.
COAL RESOURCES OF THE SONDA COAL FIELD 16 5

sentative from Geoscience, Inc., a US-based firm under contract to USAID.

Five different types of geophysical logs were available to be run per drill hole,
depending upon hole conditions. In most holes, caving of loose sandstone
prevented open-hole logging. Flushing the caved sediment out of the hole al-
lowed for some open-hole logging, but this proved risky and was seldom tried.
Geophysical probes were usually run through the drill stem a n d / o r casing.
Density and caliper logs were used extensively for determining coal bed
intercepts and coal bed thicknesses. Both logs were used in conjunction with
lithologic logs to create composite logs. Density, or 4 PI gamma-gamma, logs
were used to measure the rock density. A sharp spike on the density log is
produced by coal beds, wash-outs and other low-density intervals. The caliper
log was used to interpret whether the trace on the log reflected a coal bed or a
"washout". Comparing all three logs facilitiated interpretations (Fig. 3 ).

COAL GEOLOGY

Stratigraphy

The study area, the Sonda coal field, lies in the Indus River Basin, which is
covered by thick deposits of sand and silt. The coal-bearing rocks are in the
Paleocene Bara Formation and in the Paleocene and Eocene Sonhari (Sohn-
ari ) Member of the Laki Formation (Fig. 4). The vast majority of the coal is
located in the Bara Formation. The Barn Formation is the oldest stratigraphic
unit that was penetrated by drilling during COALREAP. There is coal in the
Sonhari Member of the Laki Formation but it is in thin and discontinuous
beds and will not be further discussed in this report.

Bara Formation
The Bara Formation (Figs. 4-6) was named at the type section at Bara
Dohoro in the Laki Range (Cheema et al., 1977). Our investigations of the
Bara Formation were confined to the upper 350 m because of the practical
limits of current coal mining procedures. The Bara Formation consists of beds
of sandstone, siltstone, claystone and coal, which occur in ten identified coal
zones.
The sandstone is medium light gray to white, with light greenish gray shades;
it is coarse grained and well to poorly sorted. Coaly films are scattered
throughout the cores of the sandstone and in many places these films grade to
carbonaceous claystone beds. The thick-bedded to massive sandstones com-
monly contain crossbeds and flaser beds. Except for a few foraminifera, the
sandstone is largely unfossiliferous in the study area. A marine origin for these
sandstone beds, especially in the Sonda West area, is highly probable and is
under current investigation.
Much of the sandstone is unconsolidated, even at depths of 350 m. Coring
166 R.E. THOMAS ET AL.

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,IN
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= COAL ZONES

:L~-'~'_'..-r~,#-. USY- Upper Stray

;3-'::;0 ":;]~;. ~- Inayatabad
;.~}i'~\'.:-'::;:%'-.':~: MS- M i d d l e Sonda
LS- L o w e r $onda
LIW- U p p e r W a S S l
W" W a s s i
LSY- Lower Stray
,~--~-.~.~ u n c o n f o r m i t y

Fig. 4. Generalized stratigraphic column of the Sonda coal field showing the coal-bearing rocks
in the Bara and Laki Formations.
COAL RESOURCES OF THE SONDA COAL FIELD 167

these sands is difficult because they tend to be washed away during drilling.
Coal beds interbedded with the loose sandstone were rarely recovered and
that led to difficulties in making correlations.
Siltstones and claystones are pale brown to m e d i u m light gray and contain
scattered glauconite pellets. Some claystones are sandy but predominantly
contain scattered siltstone laminae and abundant siderite lenses. Coaly films
are scattered abundantly throughout much of the claystone but exhibit zona-
t i o n / o r clustering. Small broken fossil pelecypod a n d / o r gastropod shells oc-
cur in the beds of siltstone but are rarely preserved in the claystone beds. In
many core samples the siltstones are dark gray, suggesting that the sediment
has a high organic content. Both the siltstone and claystone are consolidated
at most places, regardless of depth. Most contacts between the siltstone and
claystone are gradational.
Claystone beds commonly grade into beds of carbonaceous mudstone a n d /
or underclay with scattered coaly lenses. Abrupt, well-defined contacts be-
tween beds of sandstone and carbonaceous claystone assist in delineating coal
zones. Underclay is carbonaceous in many cores, however, in many places,
seat rock composed of sandstone replaces the underclay. Thin beds of coal
and rootlets offer evidence that coal occurred directly above the seat rock.
The Bara Formation is conformably overlain by the Laldara Formation
(Figs. 4-6). The contact between the lowest bed of limestone in the Lakhra
Formation and the highest bed of sandstone in the Bara Formation served as
a datum for correlating some of the coal zones.

Coal zones in the Bara Formation

Ten coal zones were recognized in the Bara Formation. They are found at
an average depth of 230 m and range from a few centimeters to 15 m thick. A
coal zone may contain as many as six coal beds, as shown in the Middle Sonda
coal zone in drill hole K- 16 (Fig. 6 ), but the average is two coal beds per zone.
Individual coal beds within the coal zones range from 0.05 m to 5.46 m in
thickness. The thickest coal bed in the Sonda West area (6.33 m ) was pene-
trated in the Middle Sonda coal zone by drill hole S-4 (Figs. 2 and 5 ); the
thickest coal bed in the Sonda East area (2.40 m ) , also in the Middle Sonda
coal zone, was penetrated in drill hole K-15 (Figs. 2 and 6 ). Within each coal
zone are scattered beds of siltstone claystone, and sandstone. The thicknesses
of the coal zones in the Bara Formation vary considerably from drill hole to
drill hole, especially the sandstone beds. The interburden between coal zones
also varies greatly in thickness. The interburden averages between 5 and 12
m of rock from coal zone to coal zone and reaches a m a x i m u m thickness of
105 m in drill hole T-4 (Fig. 5).
Individual coal zones range in depth from 65 m (Sonhari coal zone ) to 350
m (Lower Stray coal zone) from the surface. Distinguishing between coal
zones in the Bara Formation becomes increasingly difficult as individual coal
168 R.E. THOMAS ETAL.

beds bifurcate and merge. Coal beds that appear to split and merge within
coal zones between drill holes create problems in determining the strati-
graphic position of individual beds. For example, in drill holes J- 19 and D-20
(Fig. 5), the Middle Sonda coal zone and the Lower Sonda coal zone are
separated by a very thin interval, thus making a clear distinction between
these two coal zones questionable.

Lakhra Formation
The Lakhra Formation overlies the Paleocene Bara Formation with appar-
ent conformity (Figs. 4-6 ). It consists of thick-bedded to massive limestone
with interbedded sandstone, claystone and lesser amounts of siltstone. The
limestone varies in color but is generally light gray to dark gray and slightly
clayey. The Lakhra Formation does not contain coal, however it is rich in
fossil fauna, such as marine pelecypods, gastropods, cephalopods and bra-
chiopods. Foraminifera and fossil oysters are common, especially in the top
50 m of the formation. Coquina lenses are common in the claystone but never
approach any significant thickness.
The claystone in the Lakhra Formation is olive gray, silty, sandy and pyri-
tic. A few broken shell fragments and evidence of bioturbation are present.
Most of the claystone is thin- to thick-bedded and calcareous in parts. Where
the limestone and claystone beds are in abrupt contact, core loss was minimal,
due to both the competent nature of the limestone and the cohesiveness of
the claystone. Further discussion and detailed descriptions can be found in
SanFilipo et al. (1988) and Khan et al. (1983).

Laki Formation
The Laki Formation of early Eocene (Ypresian) age (Figs. 2, 5 and 6 ) was
divided by Nuttal ( 1925 ) into four subdivisions, from bottom to top: ( 1 )
Sonhari (also spelled Sohnari) Member (Basal Laki laterite); (2) Meting
Limestone Member; (3) Meting Shale Member; and (4) Laki Limestone
Member. Members 1, 2, and 3 were penetrated during drilling. Members 3
and 4 out crop (Fig. 2 ) to the north and east of the coal field (Thomas et al.,
1988a). This area, known as Ganjo Takkar, forms steep claystone slopes and
limestone cliffs.
The Sonhari Member of the Laki Formation consists of siltstone, claystone
and sandstone, with a few thin (0.36 m thick) coal beds. Outcrops of the
Sonhari Member are dark red, iron-rich beds with sharply defined contacts.
The Hunting Survey Corporation (1960) referred to the Sonhari as a "later-
ite" or paleosol horizon; however, recent COALREAPdrilling has shown "the
contact with the Lakhra Formation is intertonguing and gradational"
(SanFilipo et al., 1988, pp. 2-30). Coal beds were penetrated in the Sonhari
Member in six drill holes: three in the Sonda East area and three in the Sonda
West area (Figs. 5 and 6 ) but the Sonhari coal beds will not be further consid-
COAL RESOURCES OF THE SONDA COAL FIELD 169

ered here, due to their limited lateral extent and high ash (16.4%) and sulfur
(3.8%) contents.
The Meting Limestone Member consists predominantly of marine lime-
stone, with minor beds of claystone, siltstone and sandstone. The limestone
is grayish orange, sandy and contains abundant foraminifera. It is massively
bedded with a few thin beds of claystone a n d / o r shale. No coal occurs in the
Meting Limestone within the Sonda field. The Meting Member conformably
overlies the Sonhari Member and is conformably overlain by the Meting Shale
Member (Fig. 4 ).
The Meting Shale Member of the Laki Formation consists of claystone with
a few thick-bedded to massive beds of limestone and sandstone. Color varies,
depending on the extent of weathering, but it is generally moderate brown to
moderate yellowish brown. Abundant pelecypods, gastropods and echino-
derms comprise the fossil fauna in places and cephalopods weather out near
the limestone/claystone contact. The claystone is soft, loose and friable and
forms gentle slopes.
Sandstone in the Meting Shale Member contains less than 55% quartz and
is fine-grained and thick-bedded. It is yellowish orange and weathers to gray-
ish orange. The fossils include pelecypod and gastropod fragments, scattered
foraminifera and echinoderms. The sandstone is calcareous and clayey in some
sections measured in the Ganjo Takkar area (Thomas et al., 1988c).
Limestone in the Meting Shale Member is chalky, thick-bedded to massive
and forms gentle slopes. The limestone ranges from dark yellowish orange to
very pale orange. Scattered pelecypods and gastropods, comprise the fauna
and numerous burrows are also present.
The Laki Limestone Member of the Laki Formation consists of thick-bed-
ded, chalky limestone. Color ranges from very pale orange to dark yellowish
orange and pale yellowish orange. Fossil burrows, pelecypods, gastropods and
brachiopods are abundant, in addition to scattered sea urchins and spines.
The surface has undergone intensive weathering, which has produced many
vugs and solution cavities.

Holocene alluvium
The Holocene alluvium consists of unconsolidated Indus River sandstone
and siltstone, with minor mud and clay deposits. The sand is relatively clean
but has minor heavy-minerals and iron-stained quartz grains. Thickness ranges
from a few centimetres to as much as 100 m in drill hole K- 12 (Fig. 5 ) in the
southern part of the Sonda East area.

Structure

The Lakhra area (Fig. 1 ) is represented by a large, asymmetric, breached

anticline which can be traced southward into the Sonda West area. Current
170 R.E. THOMAS ET AL.

coal mining occurs in the breached anticline but does not extend southward
beyond the north edge ofBaran Nadi (Fig. 2 ). Regional dip increases towards
the anticline but is generally about 2 ° NNE. Numerous small faults and folds
occur throughout the Sonda West area.
The Sonda East area has several northeast-plunging synclines and anti-
clines. Most features trend in a north-south direction with a fairly open axis,
indicating slight structural folding. One predominant syncline, transecting drill
hole K- 14 and trending north-northeast, near the village of Wassi, is tightly
folded near the west side of Chhari Dhand. This syncline, with its associated
anticline on either side, is the major structural feature in the Sonda East area.
Coal is shallowest in the updip near Chhari Dhand. Although the Middle
Sonda coal zone does not outcrop in the Sonda East area, the best potential
for minable coal at shallow depths may be near Chhari Dhand and the village
of Mulla Katiar. Additionally, the Middle Sonda coals dip under the Ganjo
Takkar area (Fig. 2 ) making access to this coal difficult.

Isopach Maps

Coal zone correlations required the use of two datums (Thomas et al.,
1989). The first occurrence of a calcareous unit at the base of the Lakhra
Formation served as one datum for correlating the coal zones, while the thick-
est, most persistent coal bed, the Middle Sonda bed in the Middle Sonda coal
zone, served as a second datum. Where coal beds tend to be close together,
for example in drill holes J- 1 and J-2 (Fig. 5 ), separating the zones is difficult.
To illustrate the distribution of coal zones and beds in the Sonda coal field,
isopach maps of the three most important coal zones are included (Figs. 7-
9 ). The isopach maps are based on the thickest coal bed in each coal zone in
each drill hole. For example, in drill hole S-9, three coal beds are contained in
the Middle Sonda coal zone.
The thickest coal bed of the three was included in the isopach map for that
zone at that point. In some cases the thickest bed in a zone is the same bed in
several adjacent drill holes in an area; in others it may be a lower or higher
bed. The thickest coal bed in each coal zone in each drill hole in the study area
is shown in Tables 1 and 2. The lack of a thickness value in these tables indi-
cates that either the coal zone is absent or the drill hole did not penetrate deep
enough to intersect the coal zone. As previously discussed, the Middle Sonda
coal zone is the principal zone in the coal field, because it contains the thick-
est beds and has the greatest lateral extent (Figs. 5 and 6).
Inayatabad coal zone: The distribution of the thickest coal bed in the In-
ayatabad coal zone is shown in Fig. 7. This coal zone is at an average depth
of 170 m and the thickest coal bed measures 1.88 m in drill hole S-8 (Thomas
et al., 1989). A coal bed measuring 1.52 m thick was also penetrated in this
zone in drill hole K-7, near the village o f T a n d o M u h a m m a d Khan. Whether
 LAKHRA
LAKI FORMATION BARA FORMATION
FORMATION

Limestone Members
Member
I
; /

II /
/
ua

//

/
J

i i i
//

4
 COAL ZONES
SonharJ coal zone
Upper Dadun coal zone
DaCluri coal zone
U D p e r Stray c o a l z o n e D-22
inayatabad coa~ zone
LJpper Sonde coal zone °.2.
Middle Sonde coa~ zone "J--gi D-21 J-14
D-6 D-25 ~ ~_D
~ D-20

~D-~ 4 o-1 ~-:_~~ --

L -t

-----i~--- --- ~ ~
_ _
 COAL RESOURCES OF THE SONDA COAL FIELD

T-8
T-2 EXPLANATION

@ ......... ~ ....
T-4 © ......... ® .........
T-7

D-7

T-10
D-2
D-12
T-1

COAL

C OA__L_

Z-9-N~-
ZONE

L Z~N~ - - _ _

metars
40

~o
lo
o

Fig. 5. C r o s s s e c t i o n o f t h e S o n d a W e s t a r e a o f t he S o n d a c oa l field s h o w i n g coal z o n e c o r r e l a t i o n s .

 R.E. THOMAS ET AL.

L "Y~--~!'rV" "-- .._:_'ro.~--o ~ , 1......

K-9

K-15

K-13

N N ~ i $ \
o~,- ~ ~o2_: z-:7_.:_- :: . . . . . . . . . .

~_ o o ~ ~ ~ ~
_~ • ~--~~_ _ ~ : : ...... - 1~ *°
. _ L

~
" ,~ - o.o~ .... \ X m ....
: / " ~ \ N

J:0oi:4.,- .:- ~ \,
~o,,,:-~.-. k/'} ........ : \ ...... + \

io ~ Oil of COALREAPdrill ho',es and correlation traverses

1{-15
I

~ , K-2

~ .-,,_. K-IO /
//
/
/
R
_-- DADU
COAL ZOI /Y
__C_OAL _ ZONE / ,/
~.~. -~ ._COAL ZONE - / //

/ /" /
i //
/" //
/ /
174-176

.....
Z
O

(i
K-7

z
EXPLANATION
<
~,! Symbol and coal i
0
[~ ~ 2one,,
,oo.,,i name
0c 0 ;:} kilneatone Claystenel up uppe, Daou,~
w
0
[ ~ meters shame 0~, D=~u,e !~i
K-4 Sandstone Slltstone ~a uppufaonda

K-6
Sandstone with Ctayatone, w~ w~,,
o meters claystons laminae sandy _~ Lower 3 i r a ¢

w i t h gravel car bonaceoue

Z
-

uJ
Underclay Coal Msmber contract
0 K-16 K-12

0 Core IOS~; Coal zone ¢ontuot

>-

0 ¢ K - 1'

0 ~"
Z m
W
I/J

f:

-- ~- X m~,Y
O
- - ~ - - DATUM
tu

COA~ _ 7C'NE-

LOWER STRAY .,~ . .COAL

. . . Z_9_N__E. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ~~ . . . . ~ ---~" sr~4~,

><

Fig. 6. C r o s s s e c t i o n o f t h e S o n d a East a r e a o f t h e S o n d a c o a l field s h o w i n g coal z o n e c o r r e l a t i o n s .

TABLE 1
t"

Thickest coal bed in each coal zone in each drill hole, Bara Formation, Sonda East area
©
Coal zone Drill holes

K-1 K-2 K-3 K-4 K-5 K-6 K-7 K-8 K-9 K-10 K-11 K-12 K-13 K-14 K-15 K-16 O

Upper Daduri . . . . 0.30 . . . . . . . . 0.38 0.23 0.58

Daduri - - - 0.40 0.30 0.35 . . . . 0.74 - - 0.98 - 0.35
Upper Stray - - - 0.70 0.26 0.60 0.31 0.12 - - 0.20 - 0.15 0.10 - 0.30
Inayatabad 0.55 - - 0.36 - 0.75 1.52 0.98 - 0.78 - 0.40 - 1.22 - - >
¢3
Upper Sonda - - 0.16 0.75 0.90 - - 0.20 - 0.39 . . . . . 1.00 o
>
Middle Sonda 1.95 0.78 1.51 0.75 0.95 . . . . 1.17 1.20 0.25 - 0.25 2.40 0.88 ~-
Lower Sonda 1.57 1.00 1.75 - 1.30 . . . . 0.45 - 0.29 - 0.28 1.00 0.28 -~
m
Upper Wassi - 0.29 0.73 . . . . 0.09 - 0.40 0.57 0.55 0.50 - - 0.38
Wassi 0.50 0.61 0.45 - 0.55 - - 0.28 - 0.37 0.25 0.61 0.40 - 0.20 -
Lower Stray 0.48 - 0.70 . . . . . . . . . 0.50 - - 0.50

Thicknesses in metres.
- i n d i c a t e s a coal b e d is a b s e n t o r d r i l l i n g d i d n o t p e n e t r a t e c o a l z o n e .
 oo

TABLE 2

Thickest coal bed in each coal zone in each drill hole, Bara Formation, Sonda West area (see Figs. 2-5 )

Coal zone Drill holes ~

D-I D-2 D-3 D-4 D-6 D-7 D-8 D-9 D-10 D-11 D-12 D-13 D-14 D-15 D-18 D-19 D-20 D-21 D-22 D-23"D-24 D-25

Upper Daduri - - 0.41 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.61 0.43 - -

Daduri 0.10 0.36 - - 0.15 . . . . . . . . 0.30 - - 0.43 - - 0.05
UpperStray 0.41 - - - 0.20 0.23 0.25 0.13 0.18 - 0.20 0.36 0.46 - - 0.31 - - -
Inayatabad 0.79 - 0.03 - 0.10 0.46 - - - 0.33 0.05 - 0.79 0.36 0.46 0.61 0.46 0.30 0.46 -
UpperSonda 0.43 - 0.43 0.35 0.41 0.53 - 0.61 0.48 0.13 0.36 - 0.10 - 0.43 1.37 . . . .
MiddleSonda 1.32 - 0.18 - 0.10 0.91 . . . . 0.33 - 0.18 0.61 1.88 - 2.44 1.52 1.37 - 0.41
Lower Sonda 0.20 0.05 . . . . 0.91 - 0.30 . . . . . 0.34 1.03 - - 0.79 -
UpperWassi - - 0.25 . . . . . 0.14 - 0.41 0.23 0.76 0.76 . . . . .
Wassi - 0.91 . . . . . . 0.08 - - 0.74 - 0.17 0.38 - 0.31 . . . . .
Lower Stray - - 0.92 - - - 0.03 - 0.34 . . . . . 0.20 - - 0.46 0.30 - -
 J-I J-2 J-3 J-5 J-6 J-7 J-8 J-9 J-10 J-l 1 J-12 J-13 J-14 J-15 J-16 J-17 J-18 J-19 J-20 >o
r-"
Upper Daduri 0.65 - 0.30 - - - 0.12 - 0.20 - - - 0.40 0.60 - 0.45
Daduri 0.20 . . . . 0.60 - - - 0.12 - - - 0.30 0.30 - m
Upper Stray 0.30 0.10 0.33 0.90 - 0.33 - 0.45 - 0.30 - - 1.48 0.36 0.64 0.30 O
Inayatabad 0.40 - 0.60 0.75 0.25 0.10 0.83 0.50 0.75 0.46 - - 1.00 0.40 0.95 0.84 - 0.12
upper Sonda - - - O.54 - - 0.40 - - - 0.3O O.55 - - 1~30 - ~
Middle Sonda 0.51 2.02 2.26 0.75 1.90 0.62 4.20 0.40 3.76 2.49 1.70 2.85 4.17 - 0.31 1.02 0.63 3.30 3.40 O
Lower Sonda 0.40 1.25 1.00 - 0.30 - 0.60 0.20 0.40 . . . . . . 1.72 2.01
Upper Wassi - 0.33 - 0.44 . . . . . . . 0.90 - - -
Wassi . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.50 - -
Lower oe ", r a ~" . . . . . 0.65 . . . . . . . . . .
~7
).

T-1 T-2 T-4 T-7 T-8 T-9 T-10 S-1 S-2 S-3 S-4 S-5 S-6 S-8 S-9 O
I-
Upper Daduri . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.27 0.26 - ',~
Daduri . . . . . . 0.02 - - 0.20 - - 0.41 - 0.30
Upper Stray - - 0.20 - - - 0.10 - - 0.25 - - 0.19 0.79 0.26
Inayatabad . . . . . 0.30 - 0.94 0.91 0.33 1.12 0.45 0.40 1.88 0.38
Upper Sonda - 0.14 . . . . . . . . . 0.62 0.50 0.65 0.84
Middle Sonda 0.28 0.40 0.19 0.40 0.48 0.47 0.40 1.14 1.47 0.50 6.33 1.30 0.80 1.09 0.85
Lower Sonda 0.30 - 0.40 . . . . . 0.30 - 0.82 0.97 1.30 0.20 1.60
Upper Wassi 0.10 0.05 . . . . 0.18 - 1.05 - - - 0.34 - 1.40
Wassi 0.23 . . . . 0.80 0.45 - - - 0.39 1.12 - - -
Lower Stray - - 0.05 - 0.30 . . . . . . 1.10 - - -

~Drill holes D-5, D-8, D-9, D-16, D-17, D-23, J-4 and T-3 not in section.
2Drill hole S-7 not drilled.
Thickness in metres.
180 R.E. THOMAS ET AL.

0 0 0
CO ¢0
~0
I

+
,BAD

-25 ° 15/0~ '

Meting

/
05

Jhimpir

+ ;

/
J
/

5 5/

\
\\
,~/._ \~'_~ // EXPLANATION
""--" ~ Paved road

/ - O,rt-roa-d--

f~- Town,VHlage

~ 0.5-- ~Lake
// Isopach (m) • Drill hole
• /"/F/ + 0 1 2 3 4 5 km < dill qoles irdds ~[lst rL'L

I / Mlrpur 6atoro 1 2 mi J drill +°l° r, J g e r r u ( " ¢re~

js ~/ Sca~e • ~,il, m o t e d, l e d oy ss:
~J o~ ~ K,J,S,JP-1, and T are s dr I] rio es rl Sonua a e,
~.'~t~ COALREAP drill holes T drill "ole n " &~t~ <l;ea

Fig. 7. Isopach map of the thickest coal bed in each core hole in the Inayatabad coal zone.

the coal zone extends under the Ganjo Takkar area is not known. However,
the isopach map indicates thinning both northward and southeastward. The
thicker coal beds in this zone are located in drill holes J- 14, K-7, K-8, S-4 and
S-8. South o f the village o f Jherruck, the Inayatabad coal zone thins south-
ward to a thickness o f less than 1.0 m thick.
COAL RESOURCES OF THE SONDA COAL FIELD 1 81

The Inayatabad coal zone is largely confined to the northern section of the
study area. A small outlier of the Inayatabad coal zone occurs near the village
of Sonda (Fig. 7), but beds in this area are less than 1.0 m thick. No Inaya-
tabad coal occurs near the village of Thatta.
The interburden between the Inayatabad and Middle Sonda coal zones
consists predominantly of sandstone a n d / o r claystone (Figs. 5 and 6). The
sandstone was frequently not recovered as core, due to its unconsolidated na-
ture. Claystones are semi-consolidated and are also difficult to recover as core.
Middle Sonda coal zone: The Middle Sonda coal zone is found at an aver-
age depth of 200 m, with the thickest coal bed in the zone measuring 6.33 m
in drill hole S-4 (Table 2) (Wnuk et al., 1987). Individual coal beds within
the zone average a thickness of 0.73 m in the Sonda East area and 0.72 m in
the Sonda West area. Drill hole K-15, located approximately 5 km west of
Mulla Katiar, has the thickest (2.40 m ) coal bed in this zone in the Sonda
East area (Table 1 and Fig. 8 ).
The Middle Sonda coal zone is the most important coal zone because it
contains the thickest, most persistent, coal bed, the Middle Sonda coal bed,
in the study area (Thomas et al., 1990b). Most of the coal in this zone is
located north of Jherruck and tends to thin southward towards Thatta (Fig.
8 ). Coal with a thickness greater than 1.0 m probably occurs under the Indus
River, between drill hole J-10 and Mullar Katiar.
Coal beds in the Middle Sonda coal zone that are less than 1.0 m thick are
given in Tables 1 and 2 but are not shown in Fig. 8, due to the 1 m isopach
limit imposed by the author for clarity. Figure 8 shows a pod-like feature in
which the coal thins on the margins to a thickness of less than 1.0 m. Most of
the coal appears to be located in the Sonda West area. A few drill holes west
of river did intersect the Middle Sonda zone in the area between Sonda and
Thatta; however, coal beds in this area average a thickness of less than 0.40
m, with more than 100 m of overburden near Thatta.
Due to the proximity of the Lower, Middle, and Upper Sonda coal zones
(Figs. 5 and 6 ), Middle Sonda coal bed correlations were based on coal bed
thickness. Coal beds in the Lower Sonda zone are not as thick as the beds in
the Middle Sonda zone. Although in most circumstances the Middle Sonda
coal zone was identifiable, the Lower and Middle Sonda coal zones appeared
to merge in drill holes K-3 and K-16 in the Sonda East area. The thickest
Middle Sonda coal bed was used as a datum in Figs. 5 and 6. It exhibited the
most reliable stratigraphic constancy among those drill holes that contained
the Middle Sonda coal zone.
Lower Sonda coalzone: An isopach map of the thickest coal bed in the Lower
Sonda coal zone in each core hole is shown in Fig. 9. This is the third most
important coal zone in the study area. Individual coal beds in the zone show
great variation, ranging from 0.05 m to 2.01 m thick, with an average thick-
182 R.E. THOMAS ET AL.

o o o
~o ~o
I

3AD

o v'~3 9
N
/

r /e~ ,~ Muh~m
/
05" +
/" /

Jhimpir

~ir~ Lal

Bana
-1.0 ~. , ~~ ,/

55" ~aya + +

\
EXPLANATION
\
Paved road
/ ........
Dirt road

~ ÷ nadroad

I s o p a c h (m) Lake
• Drill hole
//4 + 0 1 2 3 4 5 km K drill holes ,ndus Eas~ are{
l--'7" /'' ' i,,
iit / Mirpur ] 2 3 ml ~ dr, ho es ,r J . . . . . . ck ar,~
/Bat°r Scale D drll hole :lrlHed b, GSF,

JJf k~O~/K,J,S,JP-1, and T are S ~rl ! qoles IP Sorda are,~

,~'~' COALREAP drill holes T d, ii ho e~ ,r T h a t t a ark

Fig. 8. I s o p a c h m a p o f the t h i c k e s t coal b e d in e a c h c o r e hole in the M i d d l e S o n d a coal z o n e .

ness o f 0.73 m. Figure 9 shows a pod-like shape, with coal measuring 1.75 m
thick at drill hole K-3 and 2.01 m thick at drill hole J-19. Drill hole S-1 was
not drilled deep enough to penetrate the Lower Sonda coal zone; however,
based on the shape and trend o f the isopach lines, coal approaching 2.5 m
thick may be present.
COAL RESOURCES OF THE SONDA COAL FIELD 18 3

O 0
¢I~ 0D

l I
+
+ , 4
,BAD

-25° 15/o,o,, / + + + 7: ~' L?.=L+ \\ io ~ /e; + If.. +

~o ~'~ N
-ab

Meting~--',... o~ ,, ~ °

dhimpir~

+/
/ :J
".J /

r~/

- 2 4 ° 55:
/ EXPLANATION
Paved road

Dirt road

f Tow n , ' V d l a g e

0.5 ' ~
/ / + + Isopach (m) Lake
• .// • D r i l l hole
/~ 0 1 2 3 4 5 km K drill holes Indus East area
,tl1 j , , ,u i
r: J dr,,I hole~ ~ Jherruek a,ea
ii Mirpur gatoro 0 1 2 3 ml
//J f / Scale D orllt holes ¢,,I,eo b~ SS ~
: ~g~3~o\~' K,J,S,JP-1, a n d T are s dr'l h°les ' C S°rlda area
COALREAP drill holes T d,,ll ho,es ,n r h a t t a area
1.:'£O 9P ~,m hole n ~r,mo.

Fig. 9. Isopach map of the thickest coal bed in each core hole in the Lower Sonda coal zone.

Isopachs exhibit a SE-NW trend. The coal zone is present in the Sonda and
Jherruck areas, but bed thicknesses there are less than 0.50 m and are not
shown in Fig. 9. Additional exploration drilling should be carded out in the
area between drill hole K-1, south o f Mulla Katiar, and drill hole K-3, east o f
Chhari Dhand in the Sonda East area. A drill hole 2 km south o f drill hole S-
184 R.E. THOMAS ET AL.

9 in the Sonda West area may reveal coal approaching 2.0 m thick in this
zone. However, drilling would be complicated, due to the loose alluvial sand
and silt cover.

COAL RESOURCES

Two methods were used to determine coal resources for the Sonda coal
field. The US Geological Survey Circular 891 (Wood et al., 1983 ) was used
as a guide for both methods. The method used in the Sonda West area was
based on the cumulative total o f all the coal beds with a thickness o f 30 cm or
more and less than 50% ash in a zone, but excluded partings greater than 0.95
cm thick. For the Sonda East area, only the thickest coal bed (30 cm or thicker)
and less than 50% ash in each zone was used for calculating resources.

Resources

Approximately 4.7 billion t of coal were discovered in the study area (Table
3 ) (Thomas et al., 1989, 1990a). Most of the coal resources occur in the Sonda
West part o f the Sonda coal field. The Middle Sonda coal zone contains the
thickest coal beds in the Sonda area. In the Sonda East area the Middle Sonda
coal zone accounts for 54% o f the resources o f all three Sonda coal zones and

TABLE3

Estimated original coal resources of the Sonda East and Sonda West areas of the Sonda coal field

Coal zone Sonda east area Sonda west area l

(616 k m 2) (967 k m 2)

Measured Indicated Inferred Total Measured Indicated Inferred Total

Upper Daduri 1 6 24 31 - - -
Daduri 2 13 40 55 3 20 93 116
U p p e r Stray 2 14 76 92 4 23 134 161
Inayatabad 4 36 380 420 8 55 298 361
Upper Sonda 2 19 88 109
MiddleSonda 8 66 370 444 34 261 1,468 1,763
Lower Sonda 5 39 220 264
UpperWassi 2 16 65 83 - - -
Wassi ( W ) 3 21 114 138 10 70 375 455
Lower Stray 1 10 36 47 2 12 150 164
Total 1,683 3,020

Grand total 4.7 billion t.

IData from SanFilipo et al. ( 1988 ).
All values in million.
COALRESOURCESOF THE SONDACOALFIELD 185

51% o f the resources in all the non-Sonda coal zones. The Sonda coal beds,
together, for both the Sonda East and Sonda West areas, account for 55% of
the resources in the ten coal zones in the Bara Formation.
The Upper Daduri and Upper Wassi coal zones were not recognized in the
Sonda West area. Coal zones stratigraphically high in the Bara Formation or
at the lower limit o f penetration of the core holes (Lower Stray) have signif-
icantly smaller resources, which may not be economical to extract. The values
generated for the Sonda East area are conservative, due to the method o f cal-
culating coal resources. The average thickness of the thickest coal bed in each
o f the ten coal zones is 0.74 m (Tables 1 and 2).
For example, a drill hole in the Sonda East area may contain five separate
coal beds belonging to one zone. In that case only the thickest coal bed was
used to construct the isopach map. This procedure produced a very conserv-

MEASURED COAL
0-0.4 km radii
from drill hole

~ INDICATEDCOAL
0.4-1.2 km radii
from drill hole

'~ INFERRED C O A L
1.2-4.8 km radii
from drill hole
Drill hole

• DRILL HOLE

5000-
--4.8

4000-
¢o
3000-
E
2000- o
v'

-1.2
1000-
--0.4
0- --0

Fig. 10. Radii constructed from drill hole showing reliability categories for coal resource estimates.
186 R.E. THOMASET AL.

ative estimate. Coal resources were then determined by a polar planimeter

and calculator.
Three categories of reliability of coal resource estimates were used for both
areas (Wood et al., 1983). In the Sonda West area a computer was used to
determine coal resources based on boundaries set by certain limits of calcu-
lating resources. Measured coal is defined as virgin coal that lies within a
radius of 0.4 k m ( 1/4 mile) from a point where coal thickness was measured.
Estimates for the other two categories: indicated (0.40-1.2 km radius) and
inferred (beyond 1.2 km radius); are less reliable, due to the distance from
points of measurement (Fig. 10). For each coal zone, appropriate radii were
constructed from drill holes and placed over previously prepared coal bed
isopach maps. Finally, volume was multiplied by the specific gravity ( 1.30 )
(Wood et al., 1983 ) of subbituminous coal. The result represents the weight
of coal per unit volume and is expressed in tons.

COAL QUALITY

Standard coal analyses consisting of proximate (moisture, volatile matter,

fixed carbon and ash), and ultimate (hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur and
ash) analyses and other chemical tests were performed on 144 coal samples
from the study area. Data used in this paper are for analyses on an "as-
received basis". However, other analytical results, such as the dry and dry,
ash-free basis are available. Coal samples were collected at the drill site and
wrapped in plastic to prevent excessive water loss. After being labelled and
packed, they were sent ot the United States for chemical testing. Partings
composed of siderite or carbonaceous shale greater than 0.95 cm in thickness
were removed from coal bed cores before shipping (Landis et al., 1973 ). Due
to its importance, sulfur and ash isopleth maps (Figs. 11 and 12) are shown
for the Middle Sonda coal zone.

Total sulfur
A total sulfur value of over 2.0% occurs in the Middle Sonda coal beds
throughout most of the Sonda East area. The average Middle Sonda sulfur
content for the Sonda West area is also about 2.0% (Fig. 11 ). Sulfur values
greater than 2.0% predominate in the southern part of the study area, near
Thatta. Sulfur values of less than 1.0% are found around the village of Jher-
ruck and again just west of Ganjo Takkar, with an area of high values (3.0%)
lying in between. If the isopach map of the thickest Middle Sonda coal bed
(Fig. 8 ) is superimposed on the map showing isopleths of the total sulfur in
the Middle Sonda coal zone (Fig. 11 ), it can be seen that high sulfur values
occur where the coal is the thickest. An additional coal area with high sulfur
content (5.5%) is located near Meting. However, there the coal is less than
1.0 m thick. The lowest total sulfur (0.5% or less) is located near Jherruck
and between drill holes K-4 and S-8, north of Ongar.
COAL RESOURCES OF THE SONDA COAL FIELD 187

:L ° ° °
o0 co co

BAD

25jS,~ ~ +

+
Meting

TVlulla
-- /"
Katlar/' "~':
25° 05" +

~r /~J.JJ her, uck ~ ~ ' "

dhimpir~

,KaHI La~ ~ /
Bano .} / K

-24 o 55/ /
&X

~/-~ ~ ,//// 1/ EXPLANATION

0.5I , ~
~'\A / _ _ J ISOPLETH OF . . . . . .....9e
\~./ X jr _L TOTAL SULFUR
)/ / //f OarOl~ INTERVAL
// / ¢.. ~ 0.5 AND 3.0 PERCENT
/ //
.or,,,0o,°
I ." 4 ~+/" 0 1 2 3 4 5 km K arMIno~e no. hast ,~e~
i ,: ......~ ; rf1' Jj :rr".' t'1:,:
~ 1"~i~31!'' : :~,'ir'e:rrb':"
:r""~
~ Ij ~o~,/ s dr II hOe r, onoE 3£3
~; AO~ ' ~ K'OJ'ASL'dPA1p•rnidl Toalrees ..........................

Fig. 11. Isopleth map of total sulfur in the thickest coal bed in each drill hole in the Middle
sonda coal zone.

Ash

For all coal in the study area, the average ash content is 12-13%. Low ash
coal is very limited in the study area and current mining methods in Pakistan
would probably include partings of carbonaceous shale greater than 0.95 cm
188 R.E. THOMAS ET AL.

I I
+

+
~5 o 15/o ~

Meting

/' ÷
- 25 ° 05" +
' /

l
/
Jhimpir~
÷ C. + i
J
U f
i

_240 55 z

\, ~/ ~aga +

EXPLANATION

Dirt road

Town,ViLlage

Da 3 - -
laopleth of ash
Interval 3 percent Lake
I • Drill hole
/ "/F + o 1 2 3 4 5 km < ar,II nolef r i d . ' E a g t e r d a

/ MiIpur or ' 1 2 3 mi J dr' I Pole c ' erra(k ' ea

f Scale D o,,l~ n o e o ,ll~C b,, SS;'

~ Ir ~ G~/ K,J,S,JP-1, and T are

COALREAP drill holes T dr ~o1~ ~ r~,~Ta z~,

Fig. 12. Isopleth map o f ash in the thickest coal bed in each drill hole in the Middle Sonda coal
zone.

thick. The ash content of the thickest coal bed in the Middle Sonda coal zone
is illustrated in Fig. 12. Values o f 24% or higher are located southwest o f Said-
pur. A thin band o f coal having less than 3.0% ash is located from Chhari
Dhand in the Sonda East area and curves northwestward towards Hyderabad.
COAL RESOURCES OF THE SONDA COAL FIELD 189

Generally, high ash values for the thickest coal bed of the Middle Sonda coal
zone are most common where the coal bed is the thinnest (Figs. 8 and 12 ).

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

Approximately 4.7 billion t of original coal resources are estimated for the
Sonda coal field. The Sonda East part of this represents a conservative value
because coal resource calculations were based on the thickest coal bed (30 cm
or more) in each coal zone. The Sonda West part is based on a cumulative
figure for all qualifying coal beds with a thickness of at least 30 cm in each
zone. Eleven coal zones were identified and each zone was separated by a
distinct lithologic unit, such as sandstone or claystone. Of the ten coal zones
in the Paleocene Bara Formation, three contain about 50% of the total origi-
nal coal resources. The Middle Sonda coal zone, which has the thickest coal
bed in the study area, was used as a datum for correlation purposes. Although
it does not outcrop in the study area, it does come within 200 m of the surface
near Chhari Dhand. Future drilling programs should plan to drill at least 300
m or more in depth to reach the bottom of the Lower Sonda coal zone and
additional lower coals that can be relied upon to correlate from coal zone to
coal zone.
The current level of information is too sparse, due to the wide spacing of
drill holes, to permit a high level of assurance that coal zone correlations are
reasonably accurate. Additional drilling is recommended to provide a better
geologic basis on which to make a decision. Verification of existing coal zone
correlations and formational boundaries will assist in increased coal bed to
coal bed recognition. Additional drilling in the Sonda East area should be
west of the village of Mulla Katiar, towards the Indus River, as far north as
drill hole K-16, and as far southwest as drill hole K-15. Drill holes near the
river may prove that the coal is thick, perhaps approaching 4 m or more.
Drilling operations close to the river may be hampered by water and loose
sand. Specific areas for future drill sites should include areas between drill
holes K-14 and K-2; between K-11 and K-13, but near Chhari Dhand; be-
tween K- 11, K- 1 and K- 15; between K- 1 and K- 16; near the river; a drill hole
near the village of Wassi; and a drill hole in the middle ofChhari Dhand.
Future drilling in the Sonda West part of the Sonda coal field should be
concentrated in two areas: near drill hole S-4 and between the Lakhra coal
field, north of Hyderabad, and Baran Nadi, north of drill hole S-8 (Fig. 2 ).
This area represents a gap in which drilling is lacking and should be carefully
considered in future drilling plans. Additional drilling south of the village of
Sonda should be avoided, due to the pinching out of the coal beds in that area.
With an increased understanding of the stratigraphy, coal quality and geology
of the coal-bearing rocks, the study area could become a productive coal field.
190 R.E. THOMAS ET AL.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

T h e a u t h o r s w o u l d like to t h a n k the geologists o f the U.S. G e o l o g i c a l Sur-

v e y a n d the G e o l o g i c a l S u r v e y o f P a k i s t a n w h o d e s c r i b e d the core a n d super-
vised the drilling o p e r a t i o n s . T h e i r f o r t i t u d e a n d h a r d w o r k d e s e r v e special
r e c o g n i t i o n . Special t h a n k s go to R a f i q A h m e d K h a n , D i r e c t o r o f Coal G e o l -
ogy, S i n d h P r o v i n c e , for assisting in the drilling p l a n a n d s u p e r v i s i o n o f G S P
geologists. We are especially grateful to the U S A I D drivers, b o t h for t h e i r pa-
t i e n c e a n d for t h e i r ability to d r i v e in the r o u g h a n d d u s t y terrain. T h a n k s go
to J o h n R. S a n F i l i p o , C h r i s t o p h e r W n u k , W i l l i a m F. O u t e r b r i d g e , E d w i n R.
L a n d i s a n d Charles R. M e i s s n e r Jr. ( r e t i r e d ) , o f the U.S. G e o l o g i c a l Survey,
for t h e i r help in m o n i t o r i n g a n d c o o r d i n a t i n g the drilling p r o g r a m n e a r H y -
d e r a b a d . Finally, a d d i t i o n a l c r e d i t goes to J o h n R. SanFilipo, U.S. G e o l o g i c a l
S u r v e y , for p r o v i d i n g r e s o u r c e e s t i m a t e s for the S o n d a West area.

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