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-23- <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 <br />Coal-Bearing member and contains three seams. Thts horizon is currently being <br />mined in the Orchard Yalley Mine, and is planned to be mined at the Hawk's <br />Nest Mine. This seam may also be mined in the Future at the Mt. Gunnison <br />Mine, and by Bear Coal 1n the Bear No. 3 Mine, The 'E' horizon occurs about <br />130 feet above the "D" horizon and contains two coal seams. This horizon is <br />currently being mined at the Hawk's Nest Mine and was mined at the Blue Ribbon <br />Mine. It may be mined at the Mt. Gunnison Mine and at the Bear No. 3 Mine in <br />the future. The "F° horizon contains two coal seams and presently is only <br />mined at the Mt. Gunnison Mine. Coal seams of the 'F' horizon do not exist to <br />the north of the North Fork in thicknesses sufficient for mining. <br />The Barren (Undifferentiated) member of the Mesa Yerde Formation consists of <br />up to 1,500 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 />Ylasatch Formation, This formation consists of red to buff-colored shales, red <br />sandstones, and red to gray conglomerates, fie sediments of this formation <br />• are weathered volcanic rocks. The Ohio Creek conglomerate is the basal unit <br />within the fortnatlon and is 100 to 200 feet thick. <br />Tertiary igneous intrusive rocks exist within the North Fork Drainage Basin. <br />A diorite plug about 1,000 feet in diameter outcrops along Hubbard Creek in <br />the SE 1/4 of Section 7, T13S, R91W of the 6th P.M, Th15 may represent the <br />- erosional remnants of a volcanic flow feeder. Sills have injected the Lgwer <br />Coal-Bearing member, particularly the 'B' and °C" seams. These sills consist <br />of diorite and appear to have their source to the northwest of Terror Creek. <br />The alluvium of the North Fork of the Gunnison River consists of Quaternary <br />Age deposits of mixed coarse sand, cobbles and boulders, fiese coarse <br />sediments are composed primarily of igneous and metamorphic rock types, and <br />have their source area in the headwaters and upper reaches of the North Fork. <br />This coarse alluvium is capped Dy finer sands and silts. The North Fork <br />alluvium in the area of the Hawk's Nest. Bear, Mt. Gunnison and Somerset Mines <br />is fairly narrow in width and between 50 to 70 feet thick. About a mile below <br />the town of Somerset, Colorado, the width of alluvium increases while the <br />thickness of alluvium decreases to about 35 feet. <br />DESCRIPTION OF THE GROUND HATER REGIME <br />Four categories of potential aquifers occur in the Somerset Coal Field. These <br />are: the alluvial and terrace deposits associated with the North Fork of the <br />Gunnison River; the localized, shallow alluvium along creeks tributary to the <br />North Fork; the discontinuous, lenticular and laminar sandstones of the Mesa <br />. Verde Formation; and the Rollins sandstone. <br />