B024 NEAR-SURFACE ELECTROMAGNETICS FOR IMAGING THE SHALLOW COAL SEAMS AT THE GARZWEILER MINE WEST OF COLOGNE 1 INTRODUCTION The largest single lignite or brown coal formation in Europe is found in Rhineland which covers an area of some 2 500 km 2 to the west of Cologne. RWE Rheinbraun AG is responsible for mining of lignite in Rhineland with an annual production of around 100 million metric tons which accounts for around 16% of German’s electricity supply. The "Garzweiler I" mine (Fig. 1) produces one-third of the total lignite output. The shallow stratigraphy at the "Garzweiler I" region consists of