2010-02-18_PERMIT FILE - C1980007

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• The general stratigraphy of the area consists of members of the Mesa Verde Formation of the Upper Cretaceous System underlying the Wasatch Formation of Tertiary Age (see Figure 2). The Barren Member of the Mesa Verde formation crops out lowest in the exploration area with the overlying Ohio Creek member exposed along many of the steeper slopes. Above the Mesa Verde, rocks of the Wasatch Formation are exposed. Capping most of the higher terrains are colluvial deposits. The Upper and Lower Coal Members of the Mesa Verde Formation are the major coal - bearing units in the area. The A (King), B (Somerset), and C (Bear) coal beds of the Lower Coal Member and the D (Oliver), E (Hawks Nest), and the F -Seam coal beds of the Upper Coal Member have all been mined within the North Fork Valley. The extent of these coal beds beneath the exploration area is only marginally defined. The strata in the Dry Fork and Lions Mesa areas dip generally at 4 degrees to the north and northeast. Steeper dips are assumed to occur in the proximity of the Mt. Gunnison laccolith although the extent of folding is unknown at this time. Water Resources The town of Paonia, situated about 10 miles west of the exploration area, averages around 15 inches of precipitation annually. Given that precipitation increases as elevation increases, the annual precipitation of the Dry Fork area would be expected to be somewhat higher. An estimated 75% of the annual precipitation occurs during late winter and early spring, mostly as snowfall. June, July, and August are often the driest months. • The East Fork of Minnesota Creek and the North Fork of the Gunnison River are the principal drainage systems in the area, flowing east to west both north and south of the application area. The exploration area is drained primarily by Deep Creek, which flows northward into Ravens Gulch and by intermittent streams that comprise the Dry Fork of Minnesota Creek drainage, which in turn flows west, and southward into Minnesota Creek. Minnesota Creek joins the North Fork of the Gunnison River at the town of Paonia. The Rollins Sandstone Member is located beneath the Lower Coal Member of the Mesa Verde Formation. The Rollins Sandstone, a massive marine sandstone, has been identified in literature as a potential regional aquifer. Recent and historic monitoring well data and analytical data, however, indicate a low potential for aquifer characteristics in the exploration area. Localized perched ground water aquifers within the sandstone lenses of the Upper Coal Member and the Barren Member of the Mesa Verde Formation. Evaluation of water inflows encountered at the West Elk Mine, operated by Mountain Coal Company, indicates that significant amounts of non - tributary water can be held within and transported through fault zones in the Mesa Verde Group including the Rollins Sandstone. Faults intercepted during mining of the B -Seam at the West Elk Mine have encountered substantial inflows and in all instances the flows have quickly diminished and stabilized to a minimal amount. The proposed exploration drilling is not expected to encounter any water bearing fault zones. 3