Sophistication of tools and depth of investigations required of a geologist in pre-planning analyses of a coal reserve are analogous to the pre-operative "cat-scan" evaluation a patient might experience prior to surgery. Before a cubic yard of earth is moved, all geologic materials to be encountered in the mining process must be properly identified and characterized both physically and chemically. Today's coal geologists use the latest in computer, petrographic, geophysical, and geochemical techniques to accomplish such a "pre-op" assessment. Geologists, hydrologists, soil scientists, and planning engineers must thoroughly understand the behavioral traits of the various geologic materials in order to prepare viable economic and environmental mining and reclamation plans. very facet of the mining process is geologic dependent. Reconstruction of prime farmlands is dependent on the presence or absence of suitable rooting materials. Success or failure of a permanent stream relocation is controlled by our ability to understand and properly engineer the behavioral characteristics of geologic materials encountered.

Geologic pre-planning must be twofold in its approach. The geologist must always be looking for attributes and limiting factors of various geologic materials. Limiting factors are defined as those properties of the geology that have the potential for creating undesirable results in mining and reclamation. Undesirable results may range from decreased coal production to environmental degradation and consequent regulatory violations and bond forfeiture. Pre-planning efforts should also accentuate the positive attributes or favorable properties of the geology. A constant effort should be made to define those geologic materials that have potential for achieving maximum revegetation productivity and hydrologic benefits following reclamation.

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