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<br />The Raton Creek Mine is located in the eastern limb of the Trindad-Raton 5asin <br />syncline. The coal seam to be mined (Lower Starkville seam) occurs in the <br />Vermejo Formation and dips to the west three to four degrees. Some minor <br />faults have been noted in old underground workings. <br />the RdtOn Formation Iles straligl apiiiCdiiy dbGVe file w~cr iTiejv Fvr iTintiuri, and <br />includes some coal seams of minor importance. <br />Located below the Vermejo Formation is the Trinidad sandstone, an aquifer of <br />regional significance. <br />The Starkville seam outcrops in the mine area slightly above the Starkville <br />drainage. This drainage flows only in response to rainfall or snow melt. <br />Starkville Gulch drains into Raton Creek, which is tributary to the Purgatoire <br />River. <br />The region is characterized by a semi-arid climatic regime. Prevailing winds <br />are from ±he southwest at an average speed of ten knots. The mean annual <br />precipitation is 15 inches. The growing season is approximately 156 days. <br />The area around the Raton Creek Mine has been disturbed to varying degrees by <br />preceding mining operations leaving varying amounts of mining refuse on the <br />ground surface. Natural soils are derived from the sedimentary materials of <br />the foothill slopes. <br />The soils on the side slopes of the mine site are characteristically shallow, <br />being derived from parent sandstone and shale layers which outcrop in the <br />area. The soils are neutral to slightly alkaline, clay to clay-loam in <br />texture, with low concentrations of salts and minimal organic water. Soil <br />mapping units found in this area are Midnight-Rombo and Louviers-Rombo- <br />Travessilla. <br />Soils near the ephemeral drainage and at the mouth of the drainage are deeper <br />and have a finer texture. These soils are of the Fort Collins and Limon- <br />Gaynor mapping units. Textures of these soils range from loam to silty clay <br />loam with a neutral to slightly alkaline pH. <br />Large areas of the existing bench and parking area have red dog and cinder <br />material on the surface that is four feet deep in places. <br />Two primary vegetative communities dominate the area which has been disturbed <br />by mine-related activities for over 125 years. <br />At the mouth of the ephemeral Starkville drainage (below 6400 feet) and to the <br />west of the immediate mine area, a grassllow shrub community is dominant. <br />Warm season grasses and low shrubs are the major life forms found in this type. <br />On the north and south-facing sides of the drainage at the mine proper, a <br />shrub community characterized by pinyon pine, juniper, and Gambel's oak is <br />found. Dominance of individual species is variable and determined by abiotic <br />(slope, aspect), and biotic (grazing pressure, species tolerance) factors. <br />No characteristic vegetative community exists in the vicinity of the ephemeral <br />Starkville drainage. <br />-6- <br />