Laserfiche WebLink
King Coal Mine (C- 1981 -035) <br />MT -07 <br />habitat. The area is sparsely populated. Information concerning land use can be found in <br />Sections 2.04.3 and 2.05.5 of the permit. <br />Cultural and Historic Resources (2.04.4) <br />The valley known as Hay Gulch has been settled since the late 1800s, deriving its name from the <br />fact that the U.S. Cavalry once stationed at nearby Fort Lewis obtained hay for their horses <br />from the valley. The Hay Gulch Cemetery is located within the permit area, on a low ridge west <br />of the King II access to County Road 120. The cemetery was utilized from the 1880's to the <br />1920's and was fenced in 1976. Construction of the Hay Gulch Irrigation Ditch was begun from <br />the La Plata River in the late 1800s. By the 1960s, it had been extended as far as the tributary <br />valley occupied by the King II Mine surface facilities. <br />Cultural resource inventories were prepared for the King I Mine in 1980, 1994, and 1997 and for <br />the King 11 Mine in 2005 and 2014. No cultural or historic resources eligible for listing on the <br />National Register of Historic Places or significant archaeological sites that may be affected by <br />surface disturbance (including subsidence) were identified in the surveys. Cultural and <br />historical information is found in Appendix 3 of the permit. <br />Geology and Topography (2.04.5 and 2.04.6) <br />The King Coal Mine lies at the northeastern corner of the Four Corners Platform. The La Plata <br />Dome and the larger San Juan Dome lie to the northeast. Southeast of the mine area lies the <br />San Juan Basin, which extends southward into New Mexico. The Hogback monocline forms the <br />boundary between the Four Corners platform and the San Juan basin. <br />Sedimentary rocks of the Upper Cretaceous Mesaverde Group are exposed throughout the <br />area. The Lower Cretaceous Mancos shale forms the valley five miles to the north, through <br />which U.S. Highway 160 has been constructed. The Mesaverde Group sits stratigraphically atop <br />the Mancos shale, and is composed of three major units (in ascending order): the Point <br />Lookout Sandstone, the coal- bearing Menefee Formation, and the Cliffhouse sandstone. The <br />general dip of the strata is to the south, ranging from 2 to 11 degrees. Locally, the Point <br />Lookout is approximately 400 feet thick, the Menefee is 300 feet in thickness, and the Cliff <br />House unit averages 350 feet. A stratigraphic section is provided in Appendix 4 of the permit. <br />Topography in the area consists of gently south - sloping upland surfaces, bisected by steep - <br />sided drainages which generally flow to the south - southwest. Within the permit area, the <br />Cliffhouse forms the top surface of the upland areas and is exposed, with the Menefee in some <br />instances, in the sides of the drainages. The deeper Point Lookout unit is not exposed within <br />the permit area. Quaternary sediments, both alluvial and colluvial, are present in the valley <br />bottoms, and minor landslides have been mapped on the valley slopes. <br />Of the two mineable coal seams exposed in the permit area, only the upper seam (Peacock, or <br />"A ") of the Menefee formation was developed at the King I Mine and is currently being <br />developed at the King II Mine. Thickness of the upper seam ranges from less than 48 inches to <br />more than 76 inches. The upper seam lies approximately 22 feet below the base of the Cliff <br />House sandstone, and has 100 to 400 feet of overburden throughout much of the permit area. <br />Page 4 of 16 <br />