U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1625-C

2000 Resource Assessment of Selected Coal Beds and Zones in the Northern and Central Appalachian Basin Coal Regions

By Northern and Central Appalachian Basin Coal Regions Assessment Team

Version 1.01

Summary

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in partnership with the State geological surveys of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, Kentucky, and Virginia, digitally assessed six top-producing Pennsylvanian coal beds and coal zones in the northern and central Appalachian Basin coal regions. The six coal beds and zones -- the Pittsburgh coal bed, Upper Freeport coal bed, Lower Kittanning coal bed, Fire Clay coal zone, Pond Creek coal zone, and the Pocahontas No. 3 coal bed -- produce over 15 percent of the Nation's coal. Total original resources were calculated for five of the coal beds and zones -- the Pittsburgh, Upper Freeport, Fire Clay, Pond Creek, and Pocahontas No. 3 -- and are estimated at about 93 billion short tons, of which about 66 billion short tons remain. Much of the remaining coal in all five coal beds and zones is thinner (<3.5 ft), deeper (>1,000 ft), and higher in ash and sulfur than the coal that has been mined; however, economic resources are still available and mining in each coal bed and coal zone will continue throughout this decade and into the next, given current market conditions. The assessments were carried out by a group of multidisciplinary scientists, technicians, and computer specialists from 1995 to 2000 as a part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Coal Resource Assessment project.

In addition to chapters on the assessed coal beds and coal zones, this CD-ROM includes (1) a report on the geology and mining history of the northern and central Appalachian Basin coal regions, (2) a report summarizing other selected coal zones in the central Appalachian coal region (No. 5 Block, Stockton and Coalburg, Winifrede/Hazard, Williamson/Amburgy, Campbell Creek/Upper Elkhorn No. 3, and Upper Elkhorn Nos. 1 and 2/Powellton) that were not assessed in the current USGS assessment, and (3) a report on USGS coal availability and recoverability studies in the northern and central Appalachian Basin coal regions.

Text Chapters

Professional Paper 1625-C is subdivided into 10 lettered chapters, which are provided as Adobe Acrobat PDF files unless otherwise noted. Download a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Volume Contents [Report sections can be accessed from this PDF file or from the following list. Most chapters contain links to appendixes.]

Chapter A [4 MB]
Executive Summary -- Coal Resource Assessment of Selected Coal Beds and Zones in the Northern and Central Appalachian Basin Coal Regions

Chapter B [6 MB]
Coal Resource Assessment Methodology and Geology of the Northern and Central Appalachian Basin Coal Regions

Chapter C [32.3 MB]
A Digital Resource Model of the Upper Pennsylvanian Pittsburgh Coal Bed, Monongahela Group, Northern Appalachian Basin Coal Region

Chapter D [23.9 MB]
A Digital Resource Model of the Middle Pennsylvanian Upper Freeport Coal Bed, Allegheny Group, Northern Appalachian Basin Coal Region

Chapter E [19.75 MB]
Geology and Geochemistry of the Middle Pennsylvanian Lower Kittanning Coal Bed, Allegheny Group, Northern Appalachian Basin Coal Region

Chapter F [23.5 MB]
A Digital Resource Model of the Middle Pennsylvanian Fire Clay Coal Zone, Pottsville Group, Central Appalachian Basin Coal Region

Chapter G [25.75 MB]
A Digital Resource Model of the Middle Pennsylvanian Pond Creek Coal Zone, Pottsville Group, Central Appalachian Basin Coal Region

Chapter H [9 MB]
A Digital Resource Model of the Lower Pennsylvanian Pocahontas No. 3 Coal Bed, Pottsville Group, Central Appalachian Basin Coal Region

Chapter I [5.2 MB]
Summary Report on the Coal Resources, Coal Production, and Coal Quality of the Allegheny Group No. 5 Block, and the Pottsville Group Stockton and Coalburg, Winifrede/Hazard, Williamson/Amburgy, Campbell Creek/Upper Elkhorn No. 3, and Upper Elkhorn Nos. 1 and 2/Powellton Coal Zones, Central Appalachian Basin Coal Region

Chapter J [13.7 MB]
Coal Availability, Recoverability, and Economic Evaluations of Coal Resources in the Northern and Central Appalachian Basin Coal Regions

Data

The Geographic Information System (GIS) files used in this assessment are available as ESRI Shapefiles, zipped into a single file with attendant metadata files. These files provide the user with the data used in Chapters C-H of the assessment and include some or all of the following: areal extents (outcrops), mined areas, structure contours, coal-bed thicknesses (isopachs), overburden thicknesses, stratigraphic data points, and areas of known resources.Below is a table that highlights data that are contained in the zip file.

Shapefiles contained in 1625c_datafiles.zip

	Coal Bed Thickness (Isopachs)	Mined Area	Areal Extent (Outcrop)	Overburden Thickness	Area of Known Resources	Stratigraphic Data Points	Structure (Elevation)
Chapter C: Pittsburgh coal bed	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Chapter D: Upper Freeport coal bed	X	X	X	X		X	X
Chapter E: Lower Kittanning coal bed		X	X
Chapter F: Fire Clay coal zone	X	X	X	X		X	X
Chapter G: Pond Creek coal zone	X	X	X	X		X	X
Chapter H: Pocahontas No. 3 coal bed	X	X	X	X		X	X

Product Availability

The CD-ROM version of this publication can be ordered from:

USGS Information Services, Box 25286,
Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225
e-mail: infoservices@usgs.gov

Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS.

For questions about the content of this report, contact Leslie F. Ruppert.