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• Chapter IIZ The Affected Environment A. General Setting The mine site is located on a plateau at an elevation which ranges from 7,000 feet to 7,600 feet above mean sea level. Land use in the area consists of cropland, rangeland, pastureland, and wildlife. Agriculture, primarily hay production, is practiced in the river valley. Cattle utilize the rangeland for grazing on a permanent year-round basis. A large number of small and large mammals, aquatic species, and reptiles are permanent or seasonal residents of the area. Golden eagles reside and breed in the area during the winter months. The Golden Eagle mine is located in the western limb of the Raton Basin, a broad, asymmetrical syncline with a north-south trending axis. All mining activities occur in the Raton Formation from which the Maxwell coal seam is being mined. Unconsolidated quartenary alluvial and colluvial deposits overlie the Raton Formation in the low-lying areas. The Maxwell coal seam lies from 450 feet to 950 feet below the surface elevation of the proposed revision area. The overburden consists of interbedded sandstone, siltstone, and shale; the same strata underlies the coal seam. There are no important fragile lands, as defined by 30 CFR 762.5, which contain ecologic, scientific, aesthetic resources, or natural systems in the mine plan and adjacent areas. No areas of unstable geology exist in the mining area or adjacent areas. Five adobe houses, some barns, and a utility building are in the mine area. WFC committed to monitoring subsidence effects on these structures. Colorado MLRD has stipulated quarterly, rather than annual, surveys of the adobe houses. Surface facilities for the mine are situated on the south side of the Purgatoire River, which flows generally from west to east. The Purgatoire alluvium is an aquifer of local importance. The rock strata in the area contains water, but is not a major source of water in the area. The Purgatoire River originates several miles west of the mine in the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range. The flow is easterly until entry into the Arkansas River near Las Animas, Colorado, approximately 120 miles northeast of the mine. Portions of the Apache Canyon, Santistevan Canyon, wet Canyon, and Ciruela Canyon drainages as well as four other small unnamed drainages are found within the permit area. These basins contain intermittent and ephemeral streams, all of which are • tributary to the perennial Purgatoire River. 5