Coals from the Highvale Mine, central Alberta Plains, were studied in order to determine the quantity (range and mean values), affinity, and mode of occurrence of the elements present in these subbituminous coals. Detailed elemental analyses were carried out for all coal seams and interburden in two drillholes, HV901-84 and HV904-84. In total, 49 samples were analyzed from the 16-m-deep HV904-84 drillhole (approximately three samples per meter of succession) and 33 samples from the 10.8-m-deep HV901-84 drillhole (also three samples per meter of succession). Mean concentration of various elements in the Highvale Mine coals are as follows, all others are below detection limits: Sb, 0.74 ppm; As, 3.82 ppm; Br, 286.4 ppm; Cl, 72.3 ppm; Cr, 11.5 ppm; Co, 3.25 ppm; Cu, 20.6 ppm; F, 74.3 ppm; Hg, 0.012 ppb, Se, 1.65 ppm; U, 2.57 ppm; Th, 5.6 ppm; and V, 17.1 ppm. By world standards, all mean concentrations, except Br in some instances, are relatively low and the coals are not enriched in any environmentally or industrially hazardous elements. Therefore, the Highvale coals are considered ＇＇clean＇＇ by world standards and suitable for utilization. The concentration of elements associated with minerals (clays and/or carbonates), such as K, Mg, Na, Th, U, V, and Zn, follows similar repetitive trends within coal seams throughout the coal-bearing succession, indicating that the pattern of coal formation is often cyclic and that these geochemical trends are related to the ash content of the coal and the parting location within the coal-bearing succession. Consistent seam-by-seam variations in the concentrations of elements generally do not occur, although some of the elements, such as Al, As, Sc, Th, and the rare earth elements, tend to decrease from the roof toward the floor of coal seams. Only a few elements show a higher concentration in the middle or lower parts of the seam, and it is believed that these trends may be more related to variations in ash content of the samples than to stratigraphic controls. Almost all the elements whose concentrations consistently exceed the detection limit appear to have strong inorganic associations. Exceptions are Cl, Br, and B, which appear to be associated predominantly with the organic fraction in coal, and a few elements, such as Mn, which appear to have an intermediate affinity.