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The proposed operation is in compliance with the requirements of this section. <br />III. Cultural and Historic Resources - Rules 2.04.4 and 2.05.6(4) <br />Pursuant to Rule 2.07.6(2)(e), and on the basis of information provided by the <br />State Historic Preservation Office (Attachment 1), the Division finds that the <br />proposed mining operation will not adversely affect any publicly owned park or <br />place listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The site of the <br />existing and proposed surface facilities at Red Canyon has been previously <br />disturbed by mining, beginning in the early 1900's. <br />Federal regulations require an archaeological survey of affected areas in <br />order to determine if cultural resources eligible for listing on the National <br />Register of Historic Places are present. A survey of the surface facilities <br />area and areas which could potentially be impacted by subsidence was <br />conducted, and is reported in Volume 5 of the application. <br />The proposed operation is in compliance with the requirements of this section. <br />IV. Geology - Rules 2.04.5 and 2.04.6 <br />The geology sections of the permit application, found on pages 41 through 55 <br />of Volume 1 of the application have been reviewed by the Division for <br />compliance. <br />The Red Canyon No. 1 and proposed No. 2 Mines are located on a north plunging <br />monocline. Geologic units underlying the permit area include (in ascending <br />order): Cretaceous Age Mancos Shale; the Rollins Sandstone Member of the Iles <br />Formation of the Mesaverde Group; the Bowie Shale Member (coal bearing unit) <br />of the Williams Fork Formation, Mesaverde group; and Quarternary Age glacial <br />outwash and alluvial deposits. <br />The two coal seams to be mined (the "E" and "D" seams, respectively) occur <br />within the 300 to 350 feet of strata above the Rollins sandstone. The strata <br />above the Rollins Sandstone are characterized as predominantly non-marine <br />siltstone, claystone, and alluvial channel sandstone deposits. The "E" seam <br />averages 6 feet thick and the "D" seam averages 8 feet thick in the permit <br />area. The beds dip 3 to 5 degrees to the northeast. Overburden thickness <br />ranges from less than 100 feet near the portals, to approximately one thousand <br />feet at the northern permit boundary. <br />A prominent surface geological feature in the area is a gravel deposit which <br />covers a large portion of the permit area. The deposit is topographically <br />above and primarily to the west of the mine entries. The gravels were <br />apparently deposited by mud flow or glaciation, and reach a depth of over 200 <br />feet in the central and northern portions of the permit area. The deposit is <br />a significant aquifer, fully saturated in most areas and recharged by <br />perennial and intermittent streams including Williams Creek, Cottonwood Creek <br />and Ward Creek. Alluvial deposits are present in the stream valleys. The <br />potential for impacts to the surficial aquifer is discussed in detail in <br />Section IX - Cumulative Hydrologic Impact Study of this document. <br />_lp_ <br />