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numerous rock outcrops. Detailed soil descriptions are given in the Colorado Division of <br />Minerals and Geology permit for National King Coal's Federal Coal Leases P-058300, <br />COC -29125, COC -49465 and COC -60941. <br />The land within the project area does not consist of prime or unique farmlands, or alluvial <br />valley floors. An alluvial valley floor may exist south of the application area in Hay Gulch. It <br />is not anticipated that mining in the area will affect the possible alluvial valley floor at Hay <br />Gulch. <br />GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES <br />The only known mineral resource contained in the project area is coal. The coal deposits <br />occur within the Menefee Formation of the Cretaceous Mesa Verde Group and is within the <br />Durango Known Recoverable Coal Resource Area (KRCRA). <br />National King Coal is the only operating mine in the area at this time. There are no known oil <br />and gas deposits (NKOGD) in the proposed project area. However, oil and gas is known to <br />occur in the Point Lookout, Gallup, Dakota Sandstone and the Paradox Formations in other <br />Southwestern Colorado locations.. <br />The proposed project area is characterized by hilly plateau tops cut by two ephemeral <br />drainages. The elevation ranges from about 7,300 to 8,200 feet. The geologic formations <br />outcropping in the area are the Cliff House Formation of the Cretaceous Mesa Verde Group <br />and the overlying Quaternary alluvial deposits. The coal proposed for mining is coal bed 1 in <br />the Menefee Formation which outcrops along the northwest boundary of the proposed lease <br />area in the East Alkali Gulch drainage and also to the southeast along an un -named gulch <br />("No Name Gulch"). <br />No quantitative data exists for subsidence on the proposed project area; however, the surface <br />effects of subsidence have been recorded on Federal leases P-058300, C-29125, and COC <br />49465 approximately one mile south of the proposed project area. The overburden thickness <br />12 <br />