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Applicant Violator System (AVS) checks were conducted by OSM on 8 December 2015, 13 July <br />2016, and 22 February 2017. Based on all three checks, there were no violations retrieved by the <br />system. <br />On May 11, 2017, the Division proposed to approve the application for renewal. <br />Description of the Environment <br />The New Elk Mine, located approximately 24 miles west of Trinidad, Colorado, is located in a <br />plateau area. The elevation of the surface facilities ranges from 7,400 to 7,800 feet. Land use in <br />the area consists of cropland, rangeland, pastureland, and wildlife habitat. Livestock grazing and <br />hay production on irrigated lands are the main agricultural practice conducted in the general area. <br />A variety of large and small mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, and reptiles are permanent or <br />temporary residents of the area. <br />The New Elk Mine is located in the western limb of the Raton Basin. The Raton Basin is a <br />broad, asymmetric syncline whose axis trends north -south. Previous mining at this site was <br />entirely within the Allen Seam, stratigraphically located in the Raton Formation (Upper <br />Cretaceous and Paleocene). The Poison Canyon Formation (Paleocene) unconformably overlies <br />the Raton Formation. The Poison Canyon Formation has a thickness of approximately 200 feet <br />and occurs only as small, isolated outcrops above an elevation of 8,000 feet. Unconsolidated <br />Quaternary alluvial and colluvial deposits overlie the Raton Formation in the low-lying areas. <br />The rock strata dip approximately two degrees to the north-northeast. The permit area contains <br />one steep, normal fault trending east-northeast with vertical displacement less than 25 feet. Four <br />coals seams are of mining interest in the New Elk Mine permit area and include (from bottom to <br />top) the Allen, Apache, Maxwell and Blue Seams. Both the Allen and Apache Seams attain <br />mineable thickness throughout most of the proposed permit area, whereas the Blue and Maxwell <br />Seams are more local in extent. The rocks immediately above and below the seams consist of <br />interbedded sandstone, siltstone and mudstone. Detailed information on the stratigraphy of these <br />seams can be found in the 6A map series. Some key facts about these seams follows. <br />• The thickness of the Allen Seam varies from 2 to 8 feet. The Allen Seam lies from 450 to <br />900 feet below the surface. <br />• The Apache Seam is stratigraphically located 20 to 50 feet above the Allen Seam and has <br />a thickness ranging from 1 to 6 feet. <br />• The Maxwell Seam is located 25 to 50 feet above the Apache Seam and has a thickness <br />ranging from 1 to 5 feet. The Maxwell Seam was extracted in the Golden Eagle Mine <br />which was a longwall operation. The seam thins westward from the Golden Eagle <br />towards the proposed permit area where it averages 2.5 feet thick. This seam is not <br />prominent in the New Elk mine plan. <br />• Potentially mineable coal occurs in the Blue Seam within the northern part of the <br />proposed permit area and occurs high above the Maxwell Seam in the Upper Coal Zone <br />of the Raton Formation. The thickness is shown on Map 6A - Sheet 1. <br />New Elk Mine <br />Findings for RN -06, May 11, 2017 <br />C! <br />