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<br /> <br />all character of the stratigraphic section, at least some <br />fossil destruction would result. Beneficial impacts <br />would result. Beneficial impacts would occur if unearthed <br />fossils were collected and studied. <br />3. Mineral Resources <br />A beneficial effect of the applicant's mining methods <br />would be the recovery of more coal than possible by <br />underground mining methods. <br />The coal resources of the region would be depleted by <br />the sum of the coal produced plus coal lost in mining. <br />A 10 percent loss of the mined coal bed is usually <br />expected with surface mining methods. Coal resources in <br />thin and/or discontinuous seams above the mined beds, if <br />disposed of with other overburden rather than recovered <br />during mining, would be an additional loss. The amount <br />present in these areas is expected to be minimal in <br />comparison to the amount of coal that would be extracted. <br />4. Water Resources <br />Environmental impacts stemming from the proposed action <br />are separated into two categories, (1) those occurring <br />during the period of mining and (2) those occurring <br />following the completion of mining and reclamation. <br />It is true that disturbances associated with mining <br />operations in any area tend to alter pre-mining hydro- <br />logic equilibrium with consequent changes in the quantity <br />120 <br />