Click on “Download PDF” for the PDF version or on the title for the HTML version.

If you are not an ASABE member or if your employer has not arranged for access to the full-text, Click here for options.

Open-cut coal mining in Central Queensland involves the removal of topsoil, the use of explosives to break-up the overburden, generally of Permian origin, that overlies the coal seams, followed by rapid removal of that overburden material with very large draglines. This results in the formation of extensive overburden spoil-piles with steep slopes (at the angle of repose of approximately 75 % or 37). These spoil-piles form long multiple rows, with heights of up to 60 or 70 m above the original landscapes. They are generally highly saline, dispersive and highly erosive. Legislation requires that these spoil-piles be rehabilitated into a stable self-sustaining ecosystem with no off-site pollution.