Turkish lignite deposits

The distribution of lignite deposits in Turkey is such that in general the Eocene lignites are in northern Turkey, Oligocene lignites are in northwestern Turkey, Miocene lignites are in western Turkey, and Pliocene-Pleistocene lignites are in eastern Turkey. Only the Oligocene lignites are paralic deposits, the rest being formed in a limnic environment. Turkey has about 8.4 Gt of lignite reserves of which 3.9 Gt are the exploitable reserves. Most of the known lignite deposits in Turkey are of low calorific value and have high contents of ash, moisture and total sulphur. Almost 80% of the total reserves have calorific values below 2500 kcal kg-1. The lignites having low calorific values are generally consumed in power plants. The lignites having relatively high calorific values are exploited for domestic and industrial use in the country. The majority of Turkish lignite deposits are worked in open-pit mines, but there are also some underground operations