Laserfiche WebLink
State Reg. <br /> 2.04.5 GEOLOGIC INFORA'IATION <br /> 2.04.6 <br /> I. PHYSIOGRAPHY <br /> Peabody Coal Company's Nucla Mine is located two and one-half <br /> miles northwest of Nucla in Montrose County, Colorado. The mine <br /> is located within the Colorado Plateau Physiographic Province, <br /> Canyon Land section in southwest Colorado. The region is char- <br /> acterized by broad, fairly smooth surfaced plateaus and mesas <br /> with gently dipping slopes dissected by deep canyons. Numerous <br /> large folds and rugged laccolithic mountains attribute their <br /> topographic relief and steep slopes to geologic structures; <br /> while local hills, drains, and canyons are erosional features <br /> produced by surface drainage. <br /> In relation to regional drainage systems, the permit area is <br /> located in the upper reaches of Tuttle Draw, a tributary to <br /> the San Miguel River. The San Miguel River empties into the <br /> Dolores River northeast of Uravan, Colorado, which in turn, <br /> leaves the state northwest of Gateway, Colorado and empties into <br /> the upper Colorado River in Utah (see Exhibit 6-1) . <br /> Approximately 4,870 feet of relief is present in the Nucla area, <br /> from a high elevation of 9,870 feet (MSL) at the crest of the <br /> Uncompahgre Plateau to the northeast, to below 5,000 feet (MSL) <br /> along the San Miguel River at Uravan. Steep slopes are common <br /> on the flanks of the Uncompahgre Plateau; whereas more gentle <br /> slopes dominate in the Nucla area. Vertical drops of several <br /> hundred feet are not uncommon along the San Miguel and Dolores <br /> River canyons. <br /> Surface elevations at the mine range from a high of 5,767 feet <br /> (MSL) in the northwest part of the permit, to a low of slightly <br /> 6-1 <br />