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Nitrate and Ammonium Nitro en. Nitrogen is an essential plant nutrient. <br />Often, rangeland soils and overburden contain low levels of nitrogen. <br />However, where high concentrations of soluble nitrate nitrogen are <br />present, the potential for leaching towards the groundwater aquifer <br />exists. Overburden with high nitrogen should be placed near the spoil <br />surface within the root zone where it is available to surface vegetation. <br />Sam lin <br />Geophysical and geochemical analysis of each stratum within the overburden <br />(all strata above the first major coal seam) and the stratum immediately <br />below the lowest coal seam to be mined (underburden) were performed in <br />1977, 1979, and 1980. The sampling program consisted of drilling fourteen <br />2-1/8 inch diameter core holes at various locations to be disturbed by <br />mining. Survey information for these fourteen cores is listed in <br />Table 6-1. The locations of these holes are shown on Exhibit 6-1 and the <br />lithologic logs are presented in Appendices 6-1 and 7-1. In total, <br />fourteen overburden-underburden core holes were drilled within the <br />proposed permit area. <br />Cores are normally drilled using a bentonite-water fluid but are <br />occasionally drilled solely with air. Zinc and copper base drill stem <br />joint lubricants are normally utilized to reduce excessive drill stein wear <br />and torque. <br />Analysis <br />Each core was logged, packaged in 4-mil polyethylene, boxed, and shipped <br />to Peabody Coal Company's Central Laboratory in Freeburg, Illinois for <br />analysis. At the lab, cores are split, crushed to pass a 10 and/or <br />20 mesh sieve, and bagged according to litholoyic and stratigraphic <br />sequence. Detailed field sampling, laboratory cornpositing, and analysis <br />procedures are listed in Appendix 6-2. <br />Physical and chemical analyses have been completed fur 18 cores. The <br />ar~alyses of the samples for these cores are presented in Appendix 6-3. A <br />summary of the standard laboratory procedures used by the Central Lab are <br />listed in Table f-2 and Appendix 6-4, Table 2. <br />6-14 Revision 8/17/9U <br />