The UK contains extensive resources of coal, both at surface and in the subsurface. It is estimated that onshore these surface and subsurface deposits cover an area of approximately 40,000 km2. This dataset is derived from a 2004 study to assess the potential of the UK onshore coal resources for both exploitation by conventional (mining) and new technologies. Digital data was created using a Geographic Information System (GIS) to produce the delivered output of the original project, a series of paper maps that would identify prospective areas. The dataset layers include: Mining Technologies: Area with technical potential for opencast workings (source Coal Resource Map of Great Britain BGS/Coal Authority 1999) Underground mining exploration prospects Good prospects for abandoned mine methane (AMM) (Mine workings not recovered) Resource area for coal mine methane (CMM) (source Coal Authority Underground Licences, May 2002) Extent of underground workings with 500m buffer zone (based on Coal Authority data, May 2002) New Technologies: Area greater than 1200m from surface with potential for CO2 sequestration Area with good coalbed methane (CBM) potential Underground coal gasification (UCG) potential Coalbed methane (CBM) resource area Coal-bearing strata
