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O ,1',~ ~ t,J U~!)i:.. Range % Ave. (%) Fi:~ed carbon volatiles Water Ash Sulfur 72,34-87.46 6.59-14,19 0,81-1.86 3,50-19.72 0.51-0.76 83.17 8.70 1. 30 6.83 0.61 coa12~fthin the Study Area has been mapped but not extensively prospected. Lee -- stated that 2 to 5 feet thick coals had been reported in the Oh-Be-Joyful Valley, but he could not confirm this because the prospect" were inaccessible at the time of his examination. The potential for economic coal in the Study Area is unknown pending further detailed investigation to determine number, thickness, and rank of the beds. The thinness of the beds within Oh-Be-Joyful, the difficulty of access, the presence of ample reserves outside the Study Area, and the current lack of interest in area coals all are against exploitation of this coal resource at this time. However, anthracite coal can be mined in relatively thin seams because of its high unit value. Adequate data is not yet available to assess the coal resource in the Study Area (see Figure III-II). 3. Oil and Gas Interest in oil and ':Jas exploration within the Study Area has been indicated. Brooks Exploration, Inc. holds four federal oil and gas lease.;; overlying the Study Area. Conversations with Brooks I personnel in 19"79 indicated th(~ir belief that there is potential for a structural trap for natural gas in the Dakota Sindstone at the crest of the Oh- Be-Joyful anticline. While admittin~ that this possibility was specu.Lative, they eXf,ressed interest in drilling an exploratory hole just east of the Study Area along Oh-Be-Joyful Creek. As of the present date, they have not submitte,:i a drilling application to the U .5. {~eological Survey. The same high temperatures resulting from igneous intrusions in and near the Study Area, which were responsible for the metallic mineral deposits and anthracitization of coal, also caused the area to have low potential for oil and possibly for natural gas. Baking of the rocks tended to decreas2l~orosity as well as drive off the volatile hydrocarbons. Spencer -- showed this area to be of low oil and gas potential on his map of western C~~7rado. Further discussions with Spencer (u.S. Geological Survey) -- elicited his belief that the western one-third of the study area has no oil or gas potential. He 20/ Lee, W.T., 1912, Coal Fields of the Grand Mesa and West Elk Mountains, Colorado; U,S.G,S. Bull, 510, p. 237, ~/ , . Spencer, C.W., 1980, 'Map Showing Oil and Gas I~tentlal of the San Juan, Gunnison, Grand Mesa, and Uncompahgr< National Forests in Colorado, U.S.G.S. Map prepared for U.S. Fo:est Service/USDA. ?:Y Spencer, C.W., Personal Communication March 25 March 31, 1981, U.S, GeOlogical Survey, Denvel 1981 and Federal Center. 37