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West Elk Mine E-Seam • The E-Seam constitutes the first occurring economically recoverable coal above the B-Seam. Like the B-Seam, the E-Seam and adjacent strata gently dip to the northeast at approximately 3.5 degrees (Map 17), however, in the southern part of the Box Canyon permit revision area, it dips 2.5 degrees. In Section 14, the strike swings to east-west and the dip lessens to only 1 degree to the north. The E-Seam outcrops on the northern side of the coal lease azea along the North Fork, and on the western side of the leases along Jumbo Mountain and Minnesota Creek, following the pattern of the B and F-Seam outcrops (Map 9). Iviinor bum azeas occur along the outcrop in this area. The E-Seam is too low in elevation to outcrop in Sylvester Gulch; however, does outcrop along the North Forkjust to the east at the Oliver No. 2 Mine portal. E-Seam Lithology The E-Seam is a thick and widespread coal deposit of high economic importance within the West Elk Mine coal lease azea. The E-Seam is comprised of two coal benches, which aze sepazated locally by a rock parting. The upper coal bench is informally denoted as the "EO" Bench and the lower bench as the "E1" Bench (Figure 7). MCC generically uses the E-Seam designation For the upper (EO) coal bench or the combined upper and lower benches, where the rock parting is less than 0.5 feet thick. The E-Seam thickness is controlled by the splitting of the two coal benches (Map 18). In the central and southern portions of the coal lease azea, both EO and E1 coal benches aze merged to ~~ form a thick coal body ranging from 15 to 20 feet in total thickness. To the east and west of the central coal body, the E-Seam splits into two distinct benches (EO and El) as the intervening rock parting thickens (Map 18). Further to the east and west, the upper (EO) bench of the E-Seam remains minably thick, ranging from 8.0 to ]2.0 feet in thickness. The EO bench thins to its minable thickness limit of 8.0 feet and continues splitting and thinning further to the east and west. On Jumbo Mountain, the E-Seam is split and comprised of several thin (<5 feet) coal benches which aze sepazated by rock partings. In that area, these splits collectively form the E-Seam "zone" as shown on the stratigraphic cross- sections (Figure SC and Figure SD). Because of the thin and erratic nature of these coal benches, the E-Seam is considered unminable in the Jumbo Mountain lease tract. Where the E-Seam coal benches merge to form one thick seazn, away from the influence of the split, the coal quality is generally good (Table 2). This is because the upper (EO) bench is thicker and "cleaner" with fewer impurities than the lower (E1) bench, which frequently contains bony or shaley layers. The additional seam height will also allow top and bottom coal to be left during mining, which will improve product quality by reducing out-of--seam dilution. This thicker and higher quality E-Seam deposit was mined during the 1940's from the Oliver No. 2 mining operation (Map 18), and will likewise be mined locally within the Apache Rocks permit revision azea. No E-Seam mining is planned within the Box Canyon permit revision area. 2.04-30 Revised Jun. 1995 PR06; Revised Jan. 1998 PR08