The archives of the Polish Geological Institute house a wealth of coal-bed methane (CBM) data from surface boreholes and excavations in coal from the deposits of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin (USCB). These data support a model for the origin of substantial methane accumulations in the south-west part of the basin that reflects the interplay of the factors controlling methane sorption capacity and those controlling methane content. The factors controlling the sorption capacity of coal include coal rank, temperature, pressure, moisture content and maceral composition. Methane-content controls include lithology, stratigraphy, tectonics, hydrogeology and mining activity. The nature of the coal-bearing Carboniferous horizons, the sorption/desorption properties of the coals, the disposition of faults and folds, the topography of the Carboniferous palaeosurface and the presence of an impermeable Miocene cover were key controls. The methane accumulated in coal seams and in their host rocks in settings comparable with those in which petroleum and gas deposits are trapped. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.