International Journal of Coal Geology, 6 (1986) 299--301 299 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam -- Printed in The Netherlands

Book R e n e w

Coal Resources: Origin, Exploration and Utilization in Australia, C.W. Mallett (Editor), Proceedings of a Symposium of the Coal Group, Geo- logical Society of Australia Inc., Melbourne, November 15--19, 1982. Australian Coal Geology, Vol. 4, parts 1 and 2 , 5 9 7 pp. (paperback).

Publication of the proceedings of a symposium on coal rarely results in the success envisioned by the organizers during the early planning stages. Authors who readily contr ibute abstracts too often fail to deliver the goods in the form of a completed manuscript, jeopardizing the entire endeavor. Even if most of the papers are submitted, the final publication may turn out to be a loosely knit collection of articles which fail to do justice to the title. Fortunately, in spite of some problems in organization, Coal Resources is a very worthwhile aquisition, especially for those involved in the explora- tion and utilization of low-rank coal. All of Part 1 and some individual articles in Part 2 (the two parts have been published together in one volume) deal with the brown coal and lignite resources of Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. In the editor's words, this compilation "is the most comprehensive review of the occurrence, properties and utilization of Australian brown coals to date, and reflects the results of the greatly in- creased exploration and research activities in recent years".

Most coal geologists have heard of the amazing deposits of the Latrobe Valley; this volume introduces other fields which are now being explored in the Gippsland Basin. The coverage provided is wide and detailed, including the tectonic, sedimentary, stratigraphic and climatic settings of deposition, petrology, analysis, chemistry, palynology, combust ion, liquefaction and hydrogeology. One paper describes the role of a brown-coal geologist, noting that it is sufficiently different from that of a hard-coal geologist for the two to be regarded as quite separate fields of endeavor. Another discusses the special considerations which need to be given to the analysis of brown coals and the modifications required to conventional analytical techniques. A paper on the combust ion assessment of brown coals and lignites explains the implications of using such fuels at all phases of the process, including handling, drying, pulverizing, combustion, heat transfer, particulate collection and atmospheric emissions. The coal properties which affect all stages of plant design are enumerated, and the costs of burning brown coal are com- pared to those incurred in burning higher rank coals.

The articles in Part 1 are not all of the review type or discussions of re- gional coal geology; new scientific ground in research has also been broken. For example, little has been known hitherto regarding the process of bio- chemical gelification; one paper describes how transmission electron micros- copy has revealed some of the details of changes in the cell-wall materials and of the gel particles cementing detrital huminite in brown coal.

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For surprising good measure in a book on Australian resources, there are four not inappropriate articles on brown coal and lignite resources in the Rhineland, New Zealand and Thailand.

The index for Part 2 is tucked between pages 288 and 289, and this is somewhat indicative of the problems the editor must have had in organizing the 31 papers plus 10 abstracts which constitute the whole volume. Some papers had clear affinities to Part 1 but also logically fell under the subject headings for Part 2, although the two broad sections in this part, Coal Deposit Evaluation and Mine Development, deal mainly with hard-coal practice. Even within Part 2 the subjects of papers seem to straddle or cross the divisions between sections and subsections. Add to this a paper on defects in oil shale and the reader is best advised to ignore the confusing attempts to classify the papers. However, as a guide to subject matter, the section on Coal Deposit Evaluation contains subsections entitled General Methods and Regional Studies, Geophysical Techniques, Geological Data Base and Processing, and Hard Coal Properties.

Geophysical Techniques includes some unashamed promoting of com- pany services, but there is also useful review of methods used in coal explora- tion. Under Geological Data Base and Processing, one of the five papers describes the work being undertaken to establish a reference lithology manual, that is a set of standard rock descriptions and photographs. It is intended that this can be used as an aid in logging Australian coal - measure sequences in the same way that the publications of the Carolina Coal Group have been used in the Appalachian Basin. The need for such a system has been highlighted by the rapid increase in computer storage and manipulation of data. This reviewer wonders why provision has not been given for in- cluding the lithological description of coal itself.

The section on Hard Coal Properties includes two papers describing novel applications of petrology. One of these shows how two petrographic ratios can be used as indicators of coal facies and the paleoenvironment of deposi- tion. The other examines the control of microlithotype composition by floral assemblages and tectonic setting. For example, Early Permian Australian coals generally are more finely banded than Late Permian coals, apparently because of changes in the composition of the flora induced climatically.

The final section, Mine Development, includes papers on the use of geo- technical data in this area. One deals with the prediction of mining con- ditions in the broad areas of stability of workings and machine performance. The systematic evaluation of geologic factors is essential for such work; for most mining conditions, the number of factors is too great for non-systematic mental evaluation. Critical contr ibutory factors are listed for particular mining concerns, and the vertical intervals over which these factors must be evaluated are also suggested. The paper, however, advocates a methodology for geotechnical analysis rather than a set of instructions to be followed blindly. Another paper, a case history of geotechnical assessment of the North Theodore prospect in Queensland, describes how several constraints

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to mine planning (e.g., sediment bedform, seepage) were identified by geo- technical appraisal. Each constraint was related to particular lithofacies and these associated with certain depositional units (channels, crevasse splays, etc.). Lithofacies and bedform could be identified by responses to wireline geophysical logging.

Coal Resources is more than just the proceedings of a symposium; it is a unique collection of articles concerning the brown-coal resources of Australia, and an update on many of the techniques used in coal prospect evaluation and mine development. It is hoped that anyone who has been inspired by this review to obtain a copy will be able to do so with the limited information supplied on the cover and title page. No address or price has been given and the fact that this is Volume 4 of Australian Coal Geology does not appear on the covers.

ALAN DAVIS (University Park, Pa.)