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Colorado Route 67 to Fremont county Route 15, then continuing on Route 15 for 4 <br />miles to the mine entrance. The load-out is located 1 1/2 miles northwest of the town of <br />Florence along Fremont County Road 79. The mine site can be located on the USGS <br />7.5 quadrangle map entitled, "Rockvale". <br />Following is a brief description of the environment and of the operations and <br />reclamation plans. More detailed information pertaining to a specific discipline, such as <br />ground water hydrology, is found in this findings document within the specific discipline <br />subsections under Section "B". <br />History <br />Extensive historic mining disturbances characterize the general area of the Southfield <br />Mine. In 1860 the first coal mine was opened in the northern portion of the Canon City <br />Coal Field. Production areas spread through the central area and into the southern <br />portion of the coalfield in the early 1900's. Over 177 abandoned mines with 600 acres <br />of existing associated surface disturbances have been identified by the Colorado <br />Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety's Inactive Mine Program. <br />Topography <br />The existing environment in the general area of the Southfield Mine is one of an arid, <br />steppe highland basin. The Canon City Coal Field/Basin lies in the transition zone <br />between the foothills of the Wet Mountains and the eastern Colorado plains, ranging <br />from 5,500 to 8,000 feet. The area can be characterized as a high plains mesa dipping <br />gently to the east-northeast. The mesa is dissected by several northeast trending <br />ephemeral drainages. To the west and southwest of the mesa are the Wet Mountains, <br />where the drainages have their headwaters. The Wet Mountain chain is fronted by a <br />series of overthrust faults which results in pre-Cambrian materials unconformably <br />overlying overturned sedimentary units. <br />Erosion of the mountains has resulted in a pediment surface within the basin from 0 to <br />100 feet thick. The action of several ephemeral and some perennial streams has cut <br />through the pediment surface, exposing the coal-bearing Vermejo Formation. This <br />easily accessed coal has been extensively mined since the turn of the century leaving <br />many un-reclaimed spoils and waste piles. <br />Additional information can be found in Section 2.04.3 "General Site Information" of the <br />permit application. <br />Geology <br />Geological information is found in Sections 2.04.5 and 2.04.6, pages 1 through 30 of <br />the permit application. Below is a summary of the geology for the Southfield Mine area. <br />The mine plan area is located along the east flank of the Wet Mountains adjacent to the <br />axis of the north plunging Chandler Syncline. The syncline parallels the trend of the <br />Page 5 of 36