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<br />-~- <br />• 2. 1;escriotien of the Environment <br /> <br />The mine site is located at an elevation of approximately 5800 feet. Land <br />use within the permit and adjacent areas is grazing and wildlife habitat. <br />Grazing is generally confined to the Lower-lying canyon bottom lands. The <br />upland area consists of steep slopes and rugged topography and is primarily used <br />by wildlife. Some irrigated agriculture is practiced in the East Salt Creek <br />Valley which is adjacent to the permit area. <br />Munger Canyon is Located in the Roan Cliffs area just north of Grand valley. <br />This area is northeast of the Garmesa .anticline and on the south flank of the <br />Piceance Basin. Local strata dip to the northeast into the Piceance 3asin at <br />one to three degrees and strike north-northwest. Mo faults have been identified <br />in the Munger Canyon Mine plan area. The adjacent :~lcClane Canyon Mine (north <br />of the proposed Munger Canyon Mine) is located within a graben structure which <br />is bounded by two large, high angle displacement faults. <br />The Mount Garfield Formation is the coal-bearing formation in the Book Cliffs <br />Coal Field. The rfount~Garfield Formation consists of fine-grained and medium- <br />grained sandstones and gray shales. The Seao Sandstone underlies the Mount <br />Garfield Formation and the hunter Formation overlies it. Included within the <br />Run ter Formation are the massive cliff-forming sandstones which outcrop along <br />the canyon walls of East Salt Creek. The Mount Garfield Focmatron contains <br />four coal zones; the Lama, Carbonetd, Cameo and ?alisade Zones. The Upper <br />Carbonera and Cameo seams wi1_' be mined at the fnger Canyon Mine. <br />• CVO major bedrock aquifers of regional extent have been identified in the permit <br />and adjacent area by the applicant. Drilling has indicated that the Cameo coal <br />seam becomes increasingly saturated downdip from its outcrop in Stanger Canyon. <br />The Cameo seam subcro_os below the East Salt Creek alluvium. This indicates <br />that East Salt Creek, several miles from the mine, is the recharge source for <br />the Cameo coal seam. Some local lenticular strata of Limited extent have been <br />identified above the Cameo seam which contain perched ground water. Underground <br />mining activities at the hfunger Canyon !dine will be updip and away from the <br />saturated zone in the Cameo seam (see r''_gvre 4.4-1 of volume III of the <br />application). <br />dlluvial around water exists within the .: ast Salt Creek alluvium. The East Salt <br />Creek Valley contains an intermittent stream channel. <br />'Munger Canyon contains an ephemeral channel which is tributary to East Salt <br />Creek. The proposed su.^face 3istlrbance Eor the :~tuncer Canuon .'nine is entirely <br />within the ?longer Canuon drainage basin. Ground water in the al_'uvism and <br />colluvium or :dancer Canyon is at depths greater than 40 'eet and thus a tco <br />deep to support subirriaation of crops. <br />::phemerai __ibutaries to :'dunaer Canyon will be underms.ned darinc the i-;ear <br />permit period and Life-oi-.mine. T:eo eeheeerai .^butaries _o Sic Sait :/ash; <br />3uni ter and Stove Canyons, :ai L also be ^rde rmined Suring the S-year permit <br />period snd 'i.e-of-mine. <br />• <br />