Laserfiche WebLink
~~ <br />tection to the Pierre Shale which actually makes up the Black <br />Bills. <br />Another important geologic feature of this area is the <br />Trinidad Sandstone, which serves as a geologic marker for the <br />field, as this is the crost significant Cretaceous age sandstone <br />in the area. It outcrops from Trinidad to Walsenburg and can be <br />readily viewed fran I-25. As can be seen on Figure IV-1 it is <br />the bottom marker for the Vermejo Formation. <br />Coal is present in the basin which is camnnly referred <br />to as the Raton Basin in two formations. ~ lower of these is <br />~~ <br />the Vermejo Formation and is found ~~~~tely above the Trinidad <br />Sandstone. Rhe seccuul and higher formation is the Paton Formation. <br />Both Formations contain numerous coal beds that are ~nprally thin, <br />lenticular and discUntinuous over a broad area of the basin. <br />'R~e coals to be mined at the Trinidad Basin Mine are <br />contained within the Paton Formation. Johnson (1961) identified <br />four seams of e~nomic importance within the Raton Formation, those <br />being: Ciru~~Hed, Frederic Bed, Primero Bed, and Del Agua ~1 <br />Bed. The L~1 Agua and Cass Seams of the Paton Formation have been <br />extensively underground mined, as per the information presented in <br />Section 4.1. Hoch of these seams (beds) outcrop within Del Agua <br />Canyon and outside of the permit boundary. <br />The general geology of the area is presented on Map IV-3 <br />and a more thorough discussion of the site-specific geology <br />will follow in Section 4.4, CQOlogy ascription. 11ie regional <br />geology has been more thoroughly presented in E7chibit IV-4, <br />"Coal Resouroes of the Trinidad Coal Field in Huerfano and Las <br />Animas Counties, Colorado". <br />IV-11 <br />