EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

TERTIARY COAL RESOURCES IN THE NORTHERN
ROCKY MOUNTAINS AND GREAT PLAINS REGION—A
CLEAN AND COMPLIANT FOSSIL FUEL BEYOND 2000

By R.M. Flores and D.J. Nichols
in
U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1625-A


Credits
ADOBE ACROBAT FILES PREPARATION— K.I. Takahashi 

DATABASE COLLECTION, COMPILATION, AND DEVELOPMENT— R.M. Flores, G.D. Stricker, 
A.M. Ochs, M.S. Ellis, S.B. Roberts, R.C. Johnson, V.V. Cavaroc, Jr., G.G. Forney, Dan Vogler, E.M. Wilde, 
James Hunsicker, Katherine Yates, and Tim Gognat. Also the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (Casper, 
Rawlins, and Rock Springs Districts), Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, North Dakota Geological Survey, 
Wyoming State Geological Survey, and the U.S. Geological Survey National Coal Resource Data System. 

DATABASE MANAGERS— A.M. Ochs (stratigraphy in all basins); S.B. Roberts (stratigraphy and coal 
resources in Montana part of the Powder River Basin), G.D. Stricker and M.S. Ellis (coal quality and 
geochemistry in all basins); M.S. Ellis (coal resources in all basins); C.W. Keighin and Gerard Goven (Williston 
Basin stratigraphy); V.V. Cavaroc, Jr. (Hanna and Carbon Basins stratigraphy). 

PREPARATION OF GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM FILES— G.L. Gunther, G.S. Rossi, T.T. 
Taber, S.A. Kinney, S.B. Roberts, M.S. Ellis, L.R. Bader, P.M. Heggen, C.L. Molnia, E.M. Wilde, E.L. Heffern, 
Dorsey Blake, and Dan Likarish. 

GRAPHICS— L.R. Bader, G.L. Gunther, D.J. Nichols, M.S. Ellis, G.D. Stricker, S.B. Roberts, C.A. 
Quesenberry, S.A. Kinney, G.S. Rossi, K.I. Takahashi, Damon Sather, and Gregory Erhart. 

PROGRAMMERS— G.D. Stricker and Dorsey Blake 

REVIEWERS— F.C. Brunstein, K.L. Varnes, M.E. Henry, T.J. Rohrbacher, D.G. Nichols., L.R. Bader, M.D. 
Carter, C.W. Connor, C.W. Keighin, C.L. Pillmore, T.S. Dyman, E.C. Murphy, R.W. Stanton, and P.D. 
Warwick. 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We deeply appreciate the cooperation and generation of data by the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, 
North Dakota Geological Survey, Wyoming State Geological Survey, and South Dakota Geological Survey 
throughout our investigation. Special thanks are expressed to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in the 
Casper, Rawlins, and Rock Springs Field Offices in Wyoming, in the Montana State Office in Billings, and in the 
Wyoming State Office in Cheyenne for facilitating data acquisition and development. Appreciation is specially 
extended to Charlie Gaskill, Norm Braz, Nancy Doelger, John Spencer, E.L. Heffern, K.L. Jewell, Jim Gruber, 
Brenda Vosika, J.H. Webb, and Steve Wiig from these BLM offices for facilitating data collection. The 
Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, with the help of R.P. Christensen, made their files available for 
acquisition of mine data. The U.S. Office of Surface Mining (OSM) in Denver, Colorado, provided assistance in 
collecting digital database and coverages of mine properties and leases as well as mine geology and coal quality 
data. J.R. Galetovic and L.M. Wagner of OSM provided special assistance in training project members in and 
acquiring StratiFact software used in creating our database, and release of the CHIAG database. Finally, we value  the cooperation of the following mines in Montana: Big Sky mine, Decker mines, Rosebud mine, and Spring 
Creek mine; in North Dakota: Beulah mine (Knife River), Falkirk mine, Freedom (Coteau) mine, Center (BNI) 
mine, and Gascoyne mine (Knife River); and in Wyoming: Antelope mine, Belle Ayr mine, Black Butte mine, 
Buckskin mine, Cordero Rojo mine, Cyprus Shoshone mine, Eagle Butte mine, Fort Union mine, Glenrock mine, 
Jacobs Ranch mine, Jim Bridger mine, Medicine Bow mine, Rawhide mine, Thunder Basin mine, and Wyodak 
mine. 

Special thanks are extended to the following mining geologists and engineers of coal mines as well as supervisors  and managers of coal companies who provided assistance and information pertaining to the assessment: Kris 
Budak, C.L. Blohm, Tim Brown, Randy Burggraff, R.L. Carlson, D.J. Davison, Tim Fagley, Neal Forbes, A.J. 
Gaudielle, W.L. Gerhard, R.A. Gjere, J.F. Goss, Curtis Heidenreich, E.K. Hertel, D.M. Hogkiss, D.R. James, 
B.D. Kristiansen, M.J. Lincoln, Rob Livingston, Craig Madsen, G.J. Mager, D.W. Maunder, Dave Paszkiet, D.S. 
Peterson, Scott Peterson, William Peterson, Dave Peugh, M.G. Rexin, M.B. Robinson, Terry Rowland, D.M. 
Self, Mark Shaw, S.C. Skordas, T.J. Suchomel, Rick Tabert, T.L. Thamm, Bruce Tomsovic, J.E. Trummel, Eddy 
Turner, M. Shea, Mark Shaw, E. Turner, F.J. Visger, Don Visat, Don Wales, T.G. Wilkerson, and Ken Wrede. 


 Executive Summary  -  U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1625-A