Structural features and characteristics of coal seams at the Elga coal deposit

D.V. Hosoev, A.D. Nikiforova, V.V. Kiselev, A.M. Burakov
N.V. Chersky Institute of Mining of the North of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Yakutsk, Russian Federation
Russian Mining Industry №3/ 2026 p. 30-34

Abstract: This article presents archive data on the structural features of the coal seams in the North-Western part of the Elga deposit. It emphasizes the value and importance of this data when selecting mining methods. The structural arrangement and characteristics of the deposit’s main seams are presented. It is noted that all the seams are flat-dipping and complex in structure, with sporadic intermediate rocks. The paper points out that the adverse factors that make mining more difficult include the presence of areal cleavage into separate geologic units. Information is provided on the types of coal comprising the seams, which are mainly semi-lustrous dull and semi-dull, whilst lustrous coal is limited in occurrence. The structural and textural characteristics of the deposit’s coal and its ash content indicators are given. Their qualitative characteristics are presented in the tabular form. The results of studies by several organizations to determine the physico-mechanical and physico-technical properties of the coals are shown, with their averaged parameters presented in the tabular form. A conclusion is made on the low tendency of the coals to congealing and sticking during mining and transportation, as well as the need for drilling and blasting operations during the preparation phase. An assessment of the dust-forming properties of the coals has been carried out.

Keywords: coal seams, seam thickness, ultimate stress limit, brittleness coefficient, interbedding, true density, bulk density, moisture content, ash content, intermediate rocks

Acknowledgements: The study was carried out within the State Assignment of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (Topic No. FWRS-2026-0054, EGISU R&D No.126021217277-4).

For citation: Hosoev D.V., Nikiforova A.D., Kiselev V.V., Burakov A.M. Structural features and characteristics of coal seams at the Elga coal deposit. Russian Mining Industry. 2026;(3):30–34. https://doi.org/10.30686/1609-9192-2026-3-30-34

Article info

Received: 18.02.2026

Revised: 24.03.2026

Accepted: 30.03.2026

Information about the authors

Dorzho V. Hosoev – Junior Research, N.V. Chersky Institute of Mining of the North of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Yakutsk, Russian Federation; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1466-8509; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Agafya D. Nikiforova – Engineer, N.V. Chersky Institute of Mining of the North of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Yakutsk, Russian Federation

Valery V. Kiselev – Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Senior Researcher, N.V. Chersky Institute of Mining of the North of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Yakutsk, Russian Federation

Alexander M. Burakov – Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Senior Researcher, N.V. Chersky Institute of Mining of the North of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Yakutsk, Russian Federation

References

1. Baulin A.V., Babenko O.B., Belinkin A.A. Development of the Elginsky Coal Deposit. Ugol'. 2002;(1):22–23. (In Russ.)

2. Ermakov S.A., Khosoev D.V., Gavrilov V.L., Khoyutanov E.A. Assessment of coal dilution and losses in bulk and selective mining of Elga deposit coal seams of complicated structure. Russian Mining Industry. 2012;(6):50–52. (In Russ.)