Pennsylvanian System

Type locality: The name Fairbanks Coal Member was proposed by Wier (1961, 1965) for the coal that crops out and has been mined near Fairbanks in Sullivan County, Ind. The type locality is in the SW¼SE¼ sec. 8, T. 9 N., R. 10 W., 1 ¼ miles (2.0 km) northwest of Fairbanks.

Description: The Fairbanks Coal Member is a bright-banded coal ranging from 1 to 4 feet (0.3 to 1.2 m) in thickness and containing numerous thin shale partings. Stratigraphically, this coal lies 30 to 40 feet (9 to 12 m) above the Carthage Limestone Member in the Fairbanks type area. The Fairbanks is not generally recognized in other areas of the state, although a thin coal has been reported at this general stratigraphic level in some places in Posey and Gibson Counties.