Fording River operations is located 29 kilometres northeast of Elkford. At the Fording River operations, at least eighteen coal seams, of which around eight are generally greater than four metres thick, occur in the Jurassic-Cretaceous Mist Mountain Formation (Kootenay Group) interbedded with sandstone, siltstone and shale. The coal is medium volatile bituminous in rank. Ash, volatile matter, fixed carbon and sulphur vary from approximately 8.2 to 46.5 per cent, approximately 17.1 to 37.5 per cent, approximately 36.9 to 64.2 per cent and 0.34 to 1.22 per cent respectively (composite seam data for 1980).

Mining operations have produced more than 301 million tonnes of cleaned metallurgical coal primarily for export to Japan, between 1972 and 2019.

The general structure of the area consists of the north- northwest trending Alexander Creek syncline in the east with a subsidiary north-northwest trending syncline to the west. The folds are separated by a north-northwest trending normal fault and smaller scale normal faults are also present.

Strata in the Blackwood pit dip 0 to 28 degrees northeast, striking north-northwest. Coal seams outcropping in the pit area include seams 11, 9, 7 and 5 in the northwest and north, and seam 4 (8.2 to 12.8 metres) in the south (seam 4 being the main target). Several thinner seams (1.3 to 3.8 metres) are present stratigraphically below seam 4, however they do not outcrop in the pit area. The Blackwood pit is the southernmost pit on the main Alexander Creek syncline.

The Turnbull pit was the northernmost pit on the Alexander Creek syncline. Beds generally strike north-northwest, dipping northeast 10 to 30 degrees. Seams 12, 11, 9, 7, 5 and 4 outcrop in the area, with seam R-4 (9.1 to 9.8 metres) being one of the main targets (Pit R-4). A major thrust fault, flat and gently west dipping, displaces seams 4 (2.1 to 10.2 metres), 5 (10.5 to 12.0 metres) and 7 (3.7 to 6.7 metres).

The Clode pit is located to the southeast of the Turnbull pit and contains normal seams 7, 5 and 4 in addition to repeated seams below a major flat thrust fault (horizontal displacement approximately 488 metres). Strata strikes north-northwest and dips towards the northeast. Seams 9 and 11 also outcrop in the area. Seam 4 thins downdip.

The Taylor pit (west face and northwest Eagle Mountain) contained seam 14 (split into 2 to 4 widely separated seams 0.5 to 3 metres thick), seam 13 (4.4 metres, often split seams), seam 12 (5.3 metres and thins to the east and north to 2.1 metres), seam 11 Upper (3.2 metres), seam 11 (4.7 metres, sometimes split), seam 9 (5.9 metres including Lower 9), seam 7 (6.2 metres), seam 5 (6.9 metres) and seam 4 (9.8 metres). Thrust faults in the area may account for seam thinning and splitting. The Taylor pit contains strata dipping 20 to 21 degrees northeast on the west face and the strata flatten from 8 to 10 degrees northeast in the axial region of the Alexander Creek syncline.

The Henretta Ridge Pit (western half of Henretta Ridge), follows the 112 and 115 Seams to the east producing medium-vol coal. It includes seams from the lower block of Ewin Pass Thrust Fault. Bedding is observed to dip 20 to 30 degrees to the west. Seams are mined from the east limb of the Alexander Creek Syncline.

The Castle North Pit (north facing slope of Castle Mountain) contains seams from the upper and lower blocks of the Ewin Pass Thrust Fault and will be mined from both limbs of the Alexander Creek Syncline. Bedding is measured to dip between 25 degrees on the west limb and 45 degrees on the east limb (Marston Canada Ltd. (2008-02-29): Technical Report on Coal Resources and Reserves of the Fording River Operations). Mining was projected in 2008 to commence in 2011 and continue through to 2022.

The Castle West Pit (west facing slope of Castle Mountain) is a proposed mine adjacent to the Castle North Pit and focuses on seams from the upper block of the Ewin Pass Thrust Fault. The seams will be mined from the west limb of the Alexander Creek Syncline. Bedding dips from 35 degrees to horizontal in the planned area. In 2008, the mine was scheduled to begin in 2020 and continue through to 2028.

The north and south face of Eagle Mountain lie predominantly on the east limb of the Alexander Creek syncline with strata striking north-northwest and dipping 20 to 30 degrees west-southwest. To the south the area contains the axial region and part of the west limb. Coal seams outcropping, from north to south, include seams 15, 13, 12, 11, 9 and 7. Seam 15 is the main target in the north while the stratigraphically lower seams are more important in the south.

From 2007 to 2011, Teck has conducted a serious of drilling programs throughout the Fording River Property totalling 14,504 metres across 115 drill holes in the Eagle area, 8,612 metres between 77 drill holes at the Turnbull area, 16,086 metres across 75 drill holes at the Henretta area, 29,960 metres across 92 drill holes at the Castle area, and 86,856 metres between 203 drill holes at the Swift area (Jensen, E., Knight, A., Mills, D., Musil, B. (2011-12-31): NI 43-101 Technical Report on Coal Resources and Reserves of the Fording River Operations).

In October 2008, Teck purchased the remaining assets of the Elk Valley Coal Partnership from Fording Canadian Coal Trust. As of 2019 Fording River Operations produces hard coking coal from the Eagle Mountain, Swift and Lake areas. At the current production rate of almost 9 million tonnes per year, Fording River has an estimated mine life of 43 years.

In 2008, Resource estimates by Marston Canada Ltd. suggests 318,000,000 tonnes of measured, 874,000,000 tonnes indicated, and 1,255,000,000 tonnes inferred in situ coal reserves (Marston Canada Ltd. (2008-02-29): Technical Report on Coal Resources and Reserves of the Fording River Operations). Reserves at Fording River were estimated by Marston Canada Ltd. to have 170,100,000 tonnes proven, and 169,900,000 tonnes of probable run of mine coal (Marston Canada Ltd. (2008-02-29): Technical Report on Coal Resources and Reserves of the Fording River Operations).

2019 Proven and Probable Reserves at Fording River are 265.2 million tonnes of clean metallurgical coal. Resources are 1,339.9 million tonnes (Measured and Indicated) and 711 million tonnes (Inferred) of raw metallurgical coal (2019 Teck Annual Information Form, www.teck.com).

Historic production at Fording River is given for years 2003 to 2010 at, 8.85, 9.60, 9.21, 7.70, 7.87, 8.10, 6.00, 7.50 million tonnes of product coal respectively (Jensen, E., Knight, A., Mills, D., Musil, B. (2011-12-31): NI 43-101 Technical Report on Coal Resources and Reserves of the Fording River Operations).