Methane content, as well as methane-bearing capacity, is characterized by the amount of methane contained in a mass unit or a volume of a mineral (rock) in the form of a sum of free and sorbed (adsorbed, absorbed, and dissolved) methane. Methane content is the actual methane saturation of coal (rock) in a seam, which distinguishes it from methane-bearing capacity determined under given conditions in a laboratory using samples taken from a seam. Methane-bearing capacity is currently used as a control parameter when determining natural gas content by other methods, assuming it reflects the maximum capacity of coal as a gas collector (the potential gas-bearing capacity). According to statistical processing of experimental data contained in regulatory and reference documents, coal gas content can be both significantly lower than the potential methane-bearing capacity of coals and significantly higher. Methane content below the potential methane-bearing capacity has been explained by gas losses in gas core collectors, whereas the excess of gas content over potential gas-bearing capacity does not comply with the adopted definition of these indices. Based on conducted studies and calculations using experimental data, the causes of significant discrepancies between the potential methane-bearing capacity of coals and the gas content of coal mine seams have been identified. These are conditioned by the discrepancy between coal laboratory tests and the conditions of natural occurrence of seams. The cause of the excess of gas content over the potential methane-bearing capacity of coals is the underestimation of volumes of the methane free phase by the criterion of static rock pressure starting from a depth below 200 m, as well as by temperature regime starting from the depth below 800 m. Significant excess of potential methane-bearing capacity indices over gas content is caused not only by gas losses in gas core collectors but also by a potential removal of all gaseous products or a part of them at all stages of coal formation.
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