ABSTRACT: This study estimates the availability of coal resources in the Wheatland 7.5 Minute Quadrangle, Knox County, in southwestern Indiana. The total original coal in place, remaining coal after mining, and available coal resources were calculated for four coal beds underlying the study area. In ascending stratigraphic order, the four coal beds which belong to the Carbondale Group of the Pennsylvanian System are: the Springfield Coal Member of the Petersburg Formation, and the Bucktown, Hymera and Danville Coal Members of the Dugger Formation. Other coal beds are present int he quadrangle but are not considered in this report because there is insufficient information to accurately calculate resources on these coals. Resources were calculated by assigning each coal data point to one of two coal thickness categories, "14-28 inches," or "greater than 28 inches," and to one of two overburden thickness categories, "0-100 feet" or "100-1000 feet." Additionally, resources calculated for each coal were characterized by four levels of geologic assurance or confidence. The confidence categories express the degree of confidence of finding coal at a particular location based upon the distance from a data point. The four categories are: measured (0-0.25 miles from the data point), indicated (0.25-0.75 miles), inferred (0.75-3.0 miles), and hypothetical (3.0-10.0 miles). The total original resources of the four coal beds in the study area are calculated to be 630 million short tons. Of the 630 million short tons, 109 million short tons have been removed by mining or lost in the mining process, thus leaving 521 million short tons of remaining resources. Land-use and technological restrictions remove 177 million short tons from potential mining, leaving 344 million short tons (55% of the original resources or 66% of the remaining resources) available for mining in the area.
Conolly, C. L., Krueger, A. J., Buciak, M. A. 1996, The coal availability study in Indiana: Wheatland 7.5 minute quadrangle: Indiana Geological Survey Open-File Study 96-17, 46 p., 26 fig.
Notes: Publications in the Indiana Geological Survey Open-File series have been inconsistently named using a variety of series titles including "Open-File Report," "Open-File Map," and "Open-File Study." Prior to 1994, a publication in this series was generally referred to as an "Open-File Report" (but not always). To help reduce confusion created by these inconsistencies, the IGS now refers to every publication in the Open-File series as an "Open-File Study." To be entirely correct in writing a bibliographic reference for a publication, one should use the series name and number that appears on the publication itself.
Final Report to the United States Geological Survey
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Keywords: coal, energy resources, Pennsylvanian, Carbondale Group, Springfield Coal Member, Petersburg Formation, Bucktown Coal Member, Hymera Coal Member, Danville Coal Member, Dugger Formation
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