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<br />Additional Comments on the <br />Mesaverde Group <br />The Mesaverde group consists of the Williams Fork <br />and Iles Formations. Of these two members, only the Iles <br />Formation is of interest in Sunland's permit and adjacent <br />area. The ~illiams Fork Formation (and the Trout Creek <br />Sandstone immediately below it) has been completely eroded <br />off our permit area. <br />The Mesaverde Group conformably overlies the Mancos <br />and consists of the Iles and Williams Fork Formations, both <br />of which are Upper Cretaceous in age. The Iles Formation <br />is approximately 1500 ft thick and is composed of sand- <br />stone, shale, and coal. The base of the Iles is generally <br />defined by the Tow Creek sandstone member, a light brown, <br />fine grain, well sorted sandstone. The Mancos - Iles <br />contact in this area is identified as the base of the first <br />sandstone above the predominance of shale. No holes were <br />drilled by Sunland to a depth to reach this contact. However, <br />seventy three feet of continuous sandstone was drilled at <br />the bottom of hole EF-3 and a core was removed for analysis. <br />This is the deepest sandstone member reached by Sunland's <br />drilling, which is still some distance above the Tow Creek. <br />This drill hole was off our permit area on Energy Fuels <br />leasehold, approximately 5900 ft horizontal distance from <br />the point of deepest projected penetration into the lower <br />pinnacle seam by the No. 2 Mine. The core analysis (see <br />page 60) indicates that this sandstone is a very poor aquifier. <br />The Iles contains several massive sandstones that are <br />similar lithologically to the Tow Creek. They include the <br />Double Ledge Sandstone, the Oak Creek Sandstone that has the <br />pinnacle coals associated with it, and the Trout Creek Sand- <br />stone at the top of the formation. The shale between these <br />sandstones is of marine orgin, is light to medium grey in <br />color and tends to include progressively greater amounts of <br />silt and fine sand in an upward direction. Sandstones <br />within the Iles are thought to represent beach, delta front . <br />and shallow marine environments. The coarsening upward shale <br />is thought to indicate a trend toward transgression of the <br />sea across the land. <br />The data represented on page 25.2 represents depths and <br />strata reached in hole 41SL-21 with the aforementioned <br />sandstone correlated back to SL-21 collar elevation from <br />EF-3 <br /> <br />Rev 05/01/81 <br />25.1 <br />