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Geological Society, London, Special Publications; 1996; v. 109; p. 13-26;
DOI: 10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.109.01.02
© 1996 Geological Society of London

Coalbed Methane Resources in USA and Europe

Coalbed methane potential of some Variscan foredeep basins

Thomas G. Fails

, 4101 East Louisiana Avenue, Suite 412, Denver, CO 80222, USA

Five Variscan foredeep coal basins in Germany and Great Britain are compared for coalbed methane (CBM) potential with the productive Black Warrior coal basin in Alabama. Although generally geologically similar, compared with the Black Warrior the European foredeep basins usually have much thicker coal measures, with more numerous coalbeds and thicker net coal thicknesses. Also compared are coal ranks, the present methane contents of the coals, potential depths of production and post-coalification histories. Despite basin to basin similarities, the CBM productive potential depends on characteristics unique to each coal basin. Only the unmined portions of the eastern Ruhr and western South Wales basins appear to be prospective for CBM; both the characterized by high exploration risks for potentially high economic returns. The Oxford and Kent basins appear to be non-prospective for CBM. The CBM potential of the Bristol-Somerset basin is speculative, given the lack of methane content data and severe tectonic compression. Subaerial exposure and erosion during Stephanian-Permian-early Triassic times may have destroyed the CBM potential of the Oxford, Kent and Bristol-Somerset basins. The Belgian and French foredeep basins are not evaluated here.