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ranges from about 6,000 feet above sea level to over 8,000 feet above sea level. The general area is <br /> situated along the southern flank of the Piceance Creek structural and sedimentary basin. The area is <br /> bounded by Larimide structural and physiographic features on the following sides: West Elk and Elk <br /> Mountains on the east; the Gunnison Uplift on the south;the Uncompahgre Uplift on the west-southwest; <br /> and the Grand Mesa-Piceance Basin on the north. <br /> The geologic structure of the eastern permit area exhibits an attitude of N70°W and dips 3 to 5 degrees to <br /> the northeast. The western permit area exhibits an attitude of N88°W to N76°W and dips 4 to 7 degrees <br /> to the northeast. The structural dip direction changes near Terror Creek due to faulting. There are <br /> numerous faults located within and adjacent to the permit area. The faults in the central portion of the <br /> permit area are high angle normal faults. These faults trend N40°W and dip 70 to 80 degrees to the <br /> northeast. The faults have a strike-slip component. The throw of the faults ranges from 7 to 30 feet. <br /> The coal in the area is situated within Mesaverde formation which contains interbedded sandstones, <br /> mudstones, shales, siltstones and coal beds. The Mesaverde formation lies upon the Rollins Sandstone <br /> Member of the Iles formation and below the Wasatch formation. The coal bearing member of the <br /> Mesaverde formation locally contains up to nine (9)coal seams. These seams are located within a <br /> stratigraphic interval of approximately 500 to 600 feet above the Rollins Sandstone. These coal seams <br /> are,in ascending order,the A-Seam,the B-I Seam,the B-2 Seam,the C-Seam,the D-1 Seam,the D-2 <br /> Seam,the E-I Seam,the E-2 Seam and the F-Seam. <br /> The B-2 and D-2 Seams are mineable within the permit area. The D-2 Seam overlies the Rollins <br /> Sandstone by 350 to 450 feet,and it ranges in thickness from about 8 to 16 feet. The B-2 coal seam lies <br /> between the Rollins Sandstone and the D-2 coal seam and varies in thickness from 9 to 22 feet. Once <br /> longwall mining in the D-2 coal seam was finished, and with the approval of Permit Revision No. 8, <br /> longwall mining began in the B-2 coal seam. <br /> Hydrology <br /> Detailed information regarding the surface and groundwater hydrology in and adjacent to the Bowie No. 2 <br /> Mine permit area is provided within Sections 2.04.5 and 2.04.7 of the PAP. A brief summary is provided <br /> below, and the summary is derived from the information presented in Sections 2.04.5 and 2.04.7 of the <br /> PAP. <br /> The permit and adjacent areas are generally bounded by two perennial streams, Terror Creek to the west <br /> and Hubbard Creek to the east, and the North Fork of the Gunnison River to the south. Tributary to the <br /> perennial streams are the following intermittent and ephemeral streams: Freeman Gulch, Stevens Draw, <br /> A-Gulch,B-Gulch,C-Gulch,D-Gulch,Dove Gulch and Sheep Corral Gulch. The specific locations of <br /> these streams are depicted on Map No. 9 of the PAP. <br /> The North Fork of the Gunnison River drains an area of approximately 526 square miles. The average <br /> annual yield of the North Fork of the Gunnison River from October 1993 to September 1994 was <br /> approximately 330,500 acre-feet. The quantity and quality of this river is influenced significantly by <br /> agricultural and municipal uses. Near Somerset,Colorado,the water in the North Fork of the Gunnison <br /> River is a calcium-bicarbonate type,and total dissolved solids concentrations range from approximately <br /> 100 milligrams per liter(mg/1)to approximately 400 mg/1. <br /> Terror Creek is a perennial stream which drains approximately 29 square miles, and Hubbard Creek is a <br /> perennial stream which drains approximately 35 square miles. Freeman Gulch is a significant drainage <br /> which is tributary to Hubbard Creek. Freeman Gulch exhibited flow during the snowmelt period of <br /> 6 <br />