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Description of the Environment <br />Introduction <br />The Nucla Mine permit area encompasses 426.6 acres. The proposed Nucla East <br />permit addition would encompass 219,9 acres fora total permit area of 646.5 <br />acres. The topography is gently sloping with a few small ridges and swales. <br />Most of the land surrounding the permit area is agricultural and is used <br />primarily for irrigated and non-irrigated farmland which produces alfalfa and <br />pasture grasses. Agricultural practices have been abandoned within the Nucla <br />Mine permit area but not the Nucla East area. <br />The mine is located within the southeast portion of the Colorado Plateau. The <br />region is characterized by broad, fairly smooth surfaced plateaus and mesas <br />with gently dipping slopes dissected by steep canyons. Surface elevations at <br />the Nucla Mine range from a high of 5,767 feet (MSL) in the northwest part of <br />the permit area to a low of slightly less than 5,672 feet on the southeast <br />part of the permit area along Tuttle Draw (see Exhibit 7-1 of the permit <br />application and the attached Index Map Figure 1). Total topographic relief <br />for the Nucla Mine area is about 95 feet. Surface elevations at the Nucla <br />East area range from a high of 5,760 feet (MSL) in the northwest part to a low <br />of 5,642 feet in the southeast part along Calamity Draw fora total relief of <br />about 110 feet (Figure 1 and Exhibit 12-3 of the permit revision application). <br />Climate <br />The regional climate of the Nucla Mine area is typical of intermountain <br />regions. It is characterized by cold winters, hot summers, low rainfall, and <br />short growing seasons. The Nucla Mine receives approximately twelve inches of <br />precipitation in an average .year. The majority of the precipitation falls <br />between October and May. <br />Regional Geology <br />The Nucla Mines are located near the axis of the Nuc1a Syncline (San Miguel <br />Syncline) a shallow, broad synclinal fold running northwesterly for 65 miles. <br />No evidence of faults has been observed in drill holes at Nucla East or at the <br />Nucla Mine area. The Nucla Syncline is 10-15 miles southwest of the major <br />regional geologic feature of the area, the Uncompahgre uplift. The region <br />lies in the Dolores River basin. The mines are located two to four miles <br />northeast of the San Miguel River. Gently rolling terrain traverses the area <br />and the mines occupy a predominantly southwestern exposure. <br />-6- <br />