2014-11-21_PERMIT FILE - C1996084 (23)

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Rule 1: Permits • The Poison Canyon Formation consist of distal and proximal fan deposits. The Poison Canyon distal facies consists of massive buff to red arkosic sandstone and conglomerates with thin yellow shale beds. The larger grain size and unweathered feldspar grains distinguishes the distal and proximal Poison Canyon from the Raton Formation. The igneous geology encountered in the permit area consists of intrusive sills associated with the Spanish Peaks. Outcrops of basalt occur th areas located in Little Jeff Canyon, Puertecito Canyon and Cow Canyon. The basalt is weathered in these areas and predominantly consists of fine grained, dazk grey rocks. The sills are the cause of metamorphism of coal to natural coke in the Raton Basin and possibly the permit area. The major geologic structure in the area is the Raton Basin which was undergoing gentle down warping during the time of depositions of the coal. After deposition of the basin sediments, deformation with intense folding and subsequent thrust faulting occurred west of the site. Shears developed in an east-west pattern, and normal tension faults have developed in a complimentary set of fractures. The La Veta Syncline bisects the site with the location of the axis located roughly through Lorencito Canyon. Structure contour maps of the primary coal seams to be mined, the Ciruela and Primero coal seams, aze presented in Exhibit 6, Geology Technical Report. Dips on the top of the Ciruela coal seam average 1.5 degrees toward the axis of the syncline. Dips on the top of the Primero coal seam average 1.7 degrees toward the axis of the syncline. • The stratigraphy of the units included within the permit area can be divided into six hydrogeologic units. The six hydrogeologic units identified are: alluvium, which includes the unconsolidated valley fill material in drainages; overburden, defined as the unit overlying the Ciruela coal; Ciruela coal; interburden, the units located between the Ciruela coal and the Primero coal; Primero coal; and underburden, the unit that underlies the Primero coal. Four past exploration activities have been conducted at the site prior to the 1996 field drilling program. A total of 79 boreholes were drilled across the site as shown in Map 2.04.6-1. A geologic map of the permit area is included as Map 2.04.6.2. Exhibit 6, Geology Technical Report, includes geologic cross sections of the permit area. Lithologic and electric logs are also included in Exhibit 6, Geology Technical Report. PERMIT.revUpril3l, 1941 2.04-6 (revised 4/21/97)