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Coal Mine, there are currently no active coal mining operations in Hay Gulch or in La Plata <br />County. Historically, Hay Gulch has been used for grazing and production of hay. The <br />surrounding uplands have been used primarily for rangeland (grazing), with a secondary use of <br />wildlife habitat. The area is sparsely populated. Information concerning land use can be found <br />in Sections 2.04.3 and 2.05.5 of the permit. <br />Cultural and Historic Resources (2.04.4) <br />The valley known as Hay Gulch has been settled since the late 1800s, deriving its name from the <br />fact that the Fort Lewis Cavalry obtained hay for their horses from the valley. The Hay Gulch <br />Cemetery is located within the permit area, on a low ridge west of the King 11 access to County <br />Road 120. The cemetery was utilized from the 1880's to the 1920's and was fenced in 1976. <br />Construction of the Hay Gulch Ditch was begun from the La Plata River in the late 1800s. By <br />the 1960s, it had been extended as far as the tributary valley occupied by the King II Mine <br />surface facilities. <br />Cultural resource inventories were prepared for the King I Mine in 1980, 1994, and 1997 and for <br />the King II Mine in 2005. No cultural or historic resources eligible for listing on the National <br />Register of Historic Places or significant archaeological sites that may be affected by surface <br />disturbance (including subsidence) were identified in the surveys. Cultural and historical <br />information is found in Appendix 3 of the permit. <br />Geology and Topography (2.04.5 and 2.04.6) <br />The King Coal Mine lies at the northeastern corner of the Four Corners Platform. The La Plata <br />Dome and the larger San Juan Dome lie to the northeast. Southeast of the mine area lies the San <br />Juan Basin, which extends southward into New Mexico. The Hogback monocline forms the <br />boundary between the Four Corners platform and the San Juan basin. <br />Sedimentary rocks of the Upper Cretaceous Mesaverde Group are exposed throughout the area. <br />The Lower Cretaceous Mancos shale forms the valley five miles to the north, through which US <br />Highway 160 has been constructed. The Cretaceous Mesaverde Group sits stratigraphically atop <br />the Mancos shale, and is composed of three major units (in ascending order): the Point Lookout <br />Sandstone, the coal- bearing Menefee Formation, and the Cliffhouse sandstone. The general dip <br />of the strata is to the south, ranging from 2 to 11 degrees. Locally, the Point Lookout is <br />approximately 400 feet thick, the Menefee is 300 feet in thickness, and the Cliff House unit <br />averages 350 feet. A stratigraphic section is provided in Appendix 4 of the permit. <br />Topography in the area consists of gently south - sloping upland surfaces, bisected by steep -sided <br />drainages which generally flow to the south - southwest, as shown on Figure 2 of this findings <br />document. Within the permit area, the Cliffhouse forms the top surface of the upland areas and <br />is exposed, with the Menefee in some instances, in the sides of the drainages. The deeper Point <br />Lookout unit is not exposed within the permit area. Quaternary sediments, both alluvial and <br />colluvial, are present in the valley bottoms, and minor landslides have been mapped on the valley <br />slopes. <br />E <br />