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-26- <br />sandstone, however, appears not to be a single persistent bed, but is actually <br />several thick lenticular sandstones occurring at progressively lower <br />stratigraphic horizons from east to west. <br />Three coal horizons exist in the Lower Coal-Bearing member, the "A" (Old King) <br />horizon, the "B" (Somerset) horizon, and the "C" (Bear) horizon. The "A" <br />horizon is immediately above the Rollins sandstone and is not currently <br />mined. The "B" horizon contains two coal seams and occurs about 20 to 120 <br />feet above the Rollins sandstone. This horizon is presently mined by U.S. <br />Steel at the Somerset Mine The "C" horizon contains one coal seam that <br />occurs 50 to 100 feet above the "B" horizon. This horizon has been mined at <br />U.S. Steel's Elk Creek Mine and the Bear No. 1 and 2 Mines, and is currently <br />mined at the Bear No. 3 Mine. <br />The Upper Coal-Bearing (Paonia) member consists of 200 to 500 feet of gray <br />shales, interbedded, buff-colored, lenticular sandstones, and coals. The top <br />of this member is generally considered to be capped by a massive, <br />cliff-forming sandstone. However, like the similar sandstone at the top of <br />the Lower Coal member, this sandstone is not a single persistent bed. Drill <br />hole data for both the Mt. Gunnison and the Somerset life-of-mine areas show <br />this sandstone unit to occur as several lenticular sandstones at slightly <br />different stratigraphic horizons. <br />Three coal horizons have been identified in the Upper Coal member, the "D" <br />(Oliver) Horizon, the "E" (Hawk's Nest) horizon, and the "F" horizon. The "D" <br />horizon occurs directly above the massive sandstone of the Lower Coal-Bearing <br />member and contains three seams. This horizon is currently being mined in the <br />Orchard Valley Mine, and is planned to be mined at the Hawk's Nest Mine. The <br />"E" horizon occurs about 130 feet above the "D" horizon and contains two coal <br />seams. This horizon is currently being mined at the Hawk's Nest Mine and at <br />the Blue Ribbon Mine. It may be mined at the Mt. Gunnison Mine and at the <br />Bear No. 3 Mine in the future. The "F" horizon contains two coal seams and <br />presently is only mined at the Mt. Gunnison Mine. Coal seams of the "F" <br />horizon do not exist to the north of the North Fork in thicknesses sufficient <br />for mining. <br />The Barren (Undifferentiated) member of the Mesa Verde Formation consists of <br />up to 1,600 feet of terrestrial sedimentary rocks. This unit consists of <br />fine-grained, buff-colored, lenticular sandstones, gray shales and thin <br />lenticular coal beds. The sandstones predominate and are highly lenticular, <br />discontinuous and of limited lateral extent in outcrop (Johnson, 1948). <br />The Mesa Verde Formation is unconformably overlain by the Tertiary Age Rudy or <br />Wasatch Formation. This formation consists of red to buff-colored shales, red <br />sandstones, and red to gray conglomerates. The sediments of this formation <br />are weathered volcanic rocks. The Ohio Creek conglomerate is the basal unit <br />within the formation and is 100 to 200 feet thick. <br />Igneous intrusive rocks exist within the North Fork Drainage Basin. A diorite <br />plug about 1,000 feet in diameter outcrops along Hubbard Creek in the SE 1/4 <br />of Section 7. This may represent the erosional remnants of a volcanic flow <br />feeder. Sills have injected the Lower Coal-Bearing member, particularly the <br />"B" and "C" seams. These sills consist of diorite and appear to have their <br />source to the northwest of Terror Creek. <br />