Geology and coal resources of the Lakhra coal field, Hyderabad area, Pakistan

Abstract

The Lakhra coal field is about 20 miles northwest of the ancient city of Hyderabad on the west side of the Indus River Valley in the southern part of Pakistan. The Lailian coal bed in the lower part of the Ranikot Formation under- lies an area of at least 64 sq mi on the Lakhra anticline, averages 3.6 feet thick, but is locally as much as 8.2 feet thick. The estimated reserves in the bed total 239.7 million long tons, of which 21.9 million long tons is classified as measured reserves, 43.8 million long tons as indicated reserves, and 174 million long tons as inferred reserves. The coal is apparently subbituminous C and lignite A in rank. It lies at depths of 83 to 439 feet below the surface of the gently dipping rocks along the crest of the 43-mile-long Lakhra anticline. Though the coal is liable to burn spontaneously, the simplicity of the structure, the shallow depth of the coal bed, and the easy accessibility of the area should warrant large-scale utilization of the coal in the Lakhra field.