Geologic information has been gathered from 93 holes drilled and cored during the summers of 1968 and 1970 on coal lands in T6, 7S, R37, 38E, Big Horn County, Montana. Results of drilling indicate that at least 16 correlatable coal seams are present and range in thickness from 2 to 55 ft. Several billion tons of strippable reserves (200 ft high wall) were found in the Canyon, Anderson, Smith, Realbird, Schaak, and Roland seams. Realbird and Schaak are new seam names. Other correlations were established and are found in agreement with the work of the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology.

Stratigraphic changes in the upper part of the geologic column (surface to 1,000 ft) should be of interest and importance to both the oil explorationist and those involved with the mode of environment and origin of the Northern Powder River basin coal deposits.

The entire project data are being digitized. More than 700,000 points controlling the surface contours are used in conjunction with coal-seam structure maps to arrive at overburden estimates, outcrop patterns, volumetric rock accounting, and mine model studies. Log suites were digitized as were chemical coal analysis results in order to develop both quantitative and qualitative control of the stratified sequence as well as the coal seams.

It is believed that this and other discoveries in the area are nationally significant and are suitably large enough to be able to support petroleum liquid or gasification conversion plants, de-ashing refineries, as well as mine-mouth and char power facilities. Development of those industries will be dependent on many factors

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from engineering feats to economics of world petroleum.

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