LAKE

SUPERIOR

LAKE

MICHIGAN

GEORGIAN

BAY

ERIE

ONTARIO

LAKE

LAKE

HURON

LAKE

22°

22°

24°

24°

26°

26°

28°

28°

30°

30°

32°

32°

34°

34°

36°

36°

38°

38°

40°

40°

42°

42°

44°

44°

46°

46°

48°

48°

128° 126° 124° 122° 120° 106° 86° 70°

118°

118°

116°

116°

114°

114°

112°

112°

110°

110°

108°

108°

106° 104°

104°

102°

102°

100°

100°

98°

98°

96°

96°

94°

94°

92°

92°

90°

90°

88°

88°

86° 84°

84°

82°

82°

80°

80°

78°

78°

76°

76°

74°

74° 72° 68° 66° 64°

COAL FIELDS OF THE CONTERMINOUS UNITED STATES: NATIONAL COAL RESOURCE ASSESSMENT UPDATED VERSION

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

OPEN-FILE REPORT 2012–1205

By

Joseph A. East

2013

NORTHERN

REGION

RHODE ISLAND

META-ANTHRACITE

REGION

PENNSYLVANIA ANTHRACITE

REGION

ATLANTIC

COAST

REGION

SOUTHWESTERN

REGION

TEXAS

REGION

WESTERN

REGION

MISSISSIPPI

REGION

EASTERN

REGION

FORT UNION

REGION

NORTH CENTRAL

REGION

REGION

REGION

REGION

REGION

REGION

DENVER

BLACK

HILLS

WIND

UINTA

REGION

REGION

REGION

REGION

REGION

REGION

POWDER

BIG- RIVER

MESA

TERTIARY

LAKE

BEDS

RATON

GREEN

BASIN

RIVER

SOUTHWESTERN

UTAH

HAMS

FORK

REGION

RIVER

SAN JUAN

HORN

RIVER

APPALACHIAN

REGION

OREGON

CALIFORNIA

NEVADA

IDAHO

WASHINGTON

UTAH

ARIZONA

NEW MEXICO

COLORADO

WYOMING

NORTH 

SOUTH 

NEBRASKA

KANSAS

OKLAHOMA

TEXAS

MINNESOTA

IOWA

WISCONSIN

MICHIGAN

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS

INDIANA

MISSISSIPPI

ALABAMA

GEORGIA

SOUTH

CAROLINA

FLORIDA

LOUISIANA

NORTH

CAROLINA TENNESSEE

KENTUCKY

VIRGINIA MARYLAND

DELAWARE

WEST VIRGINIA

OHIO

NEW YORK

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW JERSEY

CONNECTICUT

RHODE ISLAND

MASSACHUSETTS

VERMONT MAINE

NEW HAMPSHIRE

ARKANSAS

DAKOTA

DAKOTA

MONTANA

NORTHERN

SOUTHERN

WESTERN

RICHMOND

FARMVILLE

DEEP RIVER FIELD

1 WARRIOR FIELD

2 CAHABA FIELD

3 COOSA FIELD

4 LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FIELD

5 SAND MOUNTAIN FIELD

6 POCAHONTAS FIELD

VALLEY

7 NEW RIVER FIELD

8 UPPER POTOMAC FIELD

9 GEORGES CREEK FIELD

MEADOW

10 CONNELLSVILLE FIELD

11 WINDBER FIELD

12 BROAD TOP FIELD

EASTERN

SANTO TOMAS FIELD

EAGLE PASS FIELD

TERLINGUA FIELD

SAN CARLOS FIELD

EAGLE SPRINGS FIELD

ENGLE FIELD

SIERRA BLANCA FIELD

CARTHAGE FIELD

JORNADA DEL MUERTO FIELD

TIJERAS FIELD

KOLOB KAIPAROWITS

HENRY

3 WASATCH PLATEAU FIELD

4 EMERY FIELD

6 SUNNYSIDE FIELD

5 BOOK CLIFFS FIELD

9 GRAND MESA FIELD

10 SOMERSET FIELD

11 CRESTED BUTTE FIELD

12 CARBONDALE FIELD

13 GRAND HOGBACK FIELD

14 DANFORTH HILLS FIELD

16 VERNAL FIELD

17 TABBY MOUNTAIN

18 MT. PLEASANT FIELD

19 STERLING FIELD

20 CASTLEGATE FIELD

2 SALINA CANYON

15 LOWER WHITE RIVER

1 WALES FIELD

7 SEGO

8 BOOK CLIFFS FIELD

CANYON CITY FIELD

GLACIER FIELD

ROSLYN-CLE ELUM

SUMMIT

CENTRALIA

COOS BAY FIELD

EDEN

ROGUE RIVER FIELD

IONE FIELD

COALDALE FIELD

STONE CANYON

OROFINO FIELD

HORESHOE BEND FIELD

GOOSE CREEK FIELD

FLATHEAD

MISSOULA FIELD

LOMBARD FIELD

ELECTRIC

JACKSON

HUDSON

LODGE

BRIDGER

GARLAND

GEBO

MOUNTAIN

GARFIELD

BLACKFEET

GREAT LEWISTOWN

COALVILLE

KEMMERER

TETON

CAMBRIA

TURTLE MOUNTAIN FIELD

FIRESTEEL

TRINIDAD FIELD

RATON FIELD

14 NUCLA-NATURITA FIELD

11 MONERO FIELD

3 GALLUP FIELD

2 ZUNI FIELD

13 DURANGO FIELD

10 PAGOSA SPRINGS FIELD

24 DATIL MOUNTAIN FIELD

1 SALT LAKE FIELD

4 CROWNPOINT FIELD

5 STANDING ROCK FIELD

6 NEWCOMB FIELD

7 TOADLENA FIELD

8 NAVAJO FIELD

17 BISTI FIELD

18 CHACO CANYON FIELD

19 STAR LAKE FIELD

20 LA VENTANA FIELD

21 SAN MATEO FIELD

22 MOUNT TAYLOR FIELD

23 RIO PUERCO FIELD

9 TIERRA AMARILLA FIELD

12 BARKER CREEK FIELD

15 FRUITLAND FIELD

16 HOGBACK FIELD

PLATEAU

FIELD PLATEAU

FIELD

MOUNTAINS

FIELD

FIELD

CREEK

FIELD

CHEHALIS

FIELD

RIDGE

FIELD

FIELD

COLORADO

SPRINGS

FIELD

SOUTH

PARK

FIELD

BOULDERWELD

FIELD

LIVINGSTONE

CREEK TRAIL

FIELD

FIELD

FIELD

FIELD

SILVERTIP

FIELD

FIELD

FIELD

FIELD

RED

FIELD

FALLS

FIELD

FIELD

VALIER

AREA

FIELD

ISABELFIELD

BASIN

FIELD

FIELD

FIELD

BULL

FIELD

COUNTY

FIELD

HOLE

FIELD

13

12

11

2

1

FIELD

MIDDLE

FIELD MIDDLE

FIELD

FIELD

FIELD

FIELD

BRANCH

FIELD

THE

FIELDS

3

8

9

12

PINEDALE

YAMPA

FIELD

9

24

10

14

HARMONY 

FIELD

CERRILLOS

FIELD

UNA

DEL

GATO

FIELD

4

7

15

16

17

12

19

23

20

21

18

22

13

11

8

6

5

3

2

BLACK

MESA

FIELD

FIELD

SPRINGS

ROCK

FIELD

COALSTRIP

ASHLAND

FIELD

DECKER

FIELD SHERIDAN

FIELD

FIELD

GILLETTE

FIELD

BEULAH CENTER-FALKIRK

FIELD

BOWMAN-DICKINSON

FIELD

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

17

6

2

4

5

7

10

11

1

POINT OF ROCKS

BLACK BUTTE FIELD

SOUTH

CARBON

 FIELD

HANNA FIELD

FERRIS FIELD

14

15

16

1

ALTON

FIELD TONGUE MESA FIELD

18

19

20

STILLWATER

FIELD

MIDDLE

PARK

FIELD

NORTH

PARK

FIELD

ROCK

FIELD

CREEK

GOSHEN

FIELD

HOLE

FIELD

DEER CREEK

FIELD

Pacific

Coast

Province

Province

Mountain

Province

Northern

Great

Interior

Province

Gulf

Province

Eastern

Province

Rocky

Plains

Coast South

Georgia

Basin

Florence Basin

Cumberland

Marlboro

Basin

Deep

River

Basin

Dan

River

Basin

Richmond

Basin

Scottsville

Basin

Taylorsville

Basin

Delmarva

Basins

Scottsburg Basin

Randolph Basin

Roanoke Basin

South Newark Basin

North Newark Basin

Culpeper Basin

Gettysburg

Hartford Basin

Basin

OREGON

CALIFORNIA

NEVADA

IDAHO

WASHINGTON

UTAH

ARIZONA

NEW MEXICO

COLORADO

WYOMING

NORTH DAKOTA

SOUTH DAKOTA

NEBRASKA

KANSAS

OKLAHOMA

TEXAS

MINNESOTA

IOWA

WISCONSIN

MICHIGAN

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS

INDIANA

MISSISSIPPI ALABAMA

GEORGIA

SOUTH

FLORIDA

LOUISIANA

NORTH 

TENNESSEE

KENTUCKY

VIRGINIA

MARYLAND

DELAWARE

WEST VIRGINIA

OHIO

NEW YORK

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW JERSEY

CONNECTICUT

RHODE ISLAND

MASSACHUSETTS

MAINE

VERMONT

NEW HAMPSHIRE

ARKANSAS

CAROLINA

CAROLINA

MONTANA

LAKE

SUPERIOR

LAKE

MICHIGAN

GEORGIAN

BAY

ERIE

ONTARIO

LAKE

LAKE

HURON

LAKE

22° 22°

24° 24°

26° 26°

28°

28°

30°

30°

32°

32°

34°

34°

36°

36°

38°

38°

40°

40°

42°

42°

44°

44°

46°

46°

48°

48°

128° 126° 124° 122° 120° 106° 86° 70°

118°

118°

116°

116°

114°

114°

112°

112°

110°

110°

108°

108°

106° 104°

104°

102°

102°

100°

100°

98°

98°

96°

96°

94°

94°

92°

92°

90°

90°

88°

88°

86° 84°

84°

82°

82°

80°

80°

78°

78°

76°

76°

74°

74° 72° 68° 66° 64°

Albers Equal-Area projection

Central meridian 96.000° W.

Reference latitude 37.5° N.

Standard parallels: 29.5° N., 45.5° N. 100 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 KILOMETERS

100 0 200 400 600 800 1000 MILES

SCALE 1 : 14,000,000

Tertiary

Tertiary and Cretaceous

Cretaceous

Cretaceous and Jurassic

Triassic

Permian and Pennsylvanian

Mississippian

EXPLANATION

Geologic age

LAKE

SUPERIOR

LAKE

MICHIGAN

GEORGIAN

BAY

ERIE

ONTARIO

LAKE

LAKE

HURON

LAKE

22° 22°

24° 24°

26° 26°

28°

28°

30°

30°

32°

32°

34°

34°

36°

36°

38°

38°

40°

40°

42°

42°

44°

44°

46°

46°

48°

48°

128° 126° 124° 122° 120° 106° 86° 70°

118°

118°

116°

116°

114°

114°

112°

112°

110°

110°

108°

108°

106° 104°

104°

102°

102°

100°

100°

98°

98°

96°

96°

94°

94°

92°

92°

90°

90°

88°

88°

86° 84°

84°

82°

82°

80°

80°

78°

78°

76°

76°

74°

74° 72° 68° 66° 64°

OREGON

CALIFORNIA

NEVADA

IDAHO

WASHINGTON

UTAH

ARIZONA

NEW MEXICO

COLORADO

WYOMING

NORTH DAKOTA

SOUTH DAKOTA

NEBRASKA

KANSAS

OKLAHOMA

TEXAS

MINNESOTA

IOWA

WISCONSIN

MICHIGAN

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS

INDIANA

MISSISSIPPI ALABAMA

GEORGIA

SOUTH CAROLINA

FLORIDA

LOUISIANA

NORTH CAROLINA

TENNESSEE

KENTUCKY

VIRGINIA

MARYLAND

DELAWARE

WEST VIRGINIA

OHIO

NEW YORK

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW JERSEY

CONNECTICUT

RHODE ISLAND

MASSACHUSETTS

VERMONT MAINE

NEW HAMPSHIRE

ARKANSAS

MONTANA

100 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 KILOMETERS

100 0 200 400 600 800 1000 MILES

SCALE 1 : 14,000,000

Albers Equal-Area projection

Central meridian 96.000° W.

Reference latitude 37.5° N.

Standard parallels: 29.5° N., 45.5° N.

Tertiary continental deposits

Tertiary marine deposits

Tertiary Claiborne, Jackson, or Wilcox Group

Cretaceous continental deposits

Upper Cretaceous

Lower Cretaceous

Pennsylvanian marine deposits

Pennsylvanian Atokan and Morrowan Series

Pennsylvanian Des Moinesian Series

Pennsylvanian Missourian Series

Mississippian marine deposits

Pennsylvanian Virgilian Series

EXPLANATION

LAKE

SUPERIOR

LAKE

MICHIGAN

GEORGIAN

BAY

ERIE

ONTARIO

LAKE

LAKE

HURON

LAKE

OREGON

CALIFORNIA

NEVADA

IDAHO

WASHINGTON

UTAH

ARIZONA

NEW MEXICO

COLORADO

WYOMING

NORTH DAKOTA

SOUTH DAKOTA

NEBRASKA

KANSAS

OKLAHOMA

TEXAS

MINNESOTA

IOWA

WISCONSIN

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS INDIANA

MISSISSIPPI

ALABAMA

GEORGIA

SOUTH 

CAROLINA

FLORIDA

LOUISIANA

NORTH CAROLINA

TENNESSEE

KENTUCKY

VIRGINIA MARYLAND

DELAWARE

WEST VIRGINIA

OHIO

NEW YORK

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW JERSEY

CONNECTICUT

RHODE ISLAND

MASSACHUSETTS

MAINE VERMONT

NEW HAMPSHIRE

ARKANSAS

MONTANA

MICHIGAN

22° 22°

24° 24°

26° 26°

28°

28°

30°

30°

32°

32°

34°

34°

36°

36°

38°

38°

40°

40°

42°

42°

44°

44°

46°

46°

48°

48°

128° 126° 124° 122° 120° 106° 86° 70°

118°

118°

116°

116°

114°

114°

112°

112°

110°

110°

108°

108°

106° 104°

104°

102°

102°

100°

100°

98°

98°

96°

96°

94°

94°

92°

92°

90°

90°

88°

88°

86° 84°

84°

82°

82°

80°

80°

78°

78°

76°

76°

74°

74° 72° 68° 66° 64°

18.796

7.474 .005

28.267

33.748 35.655

.185 107.338

3.657

2.305

3.440

.452

39.486

25.124

29.945

27.501

.956

57.979

1.996

35.093

21.718

21.019

137.127

431.107

No commercial coal production

Less than 1 million short tons

Between 1 million and 20 million short tons

Between 20 million and 50 million short tons

Between 50 million and 250 million short tons

Over 250 million short tons 100 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 KILOMETERS

100 0 200 400 600 800 1000 MILES

SCALE 1 : 18,000,000

Albers Equal-Area projection

Central meridian 96.000° W.

Reference latitude 37.5° N.

Standard parallels: 29.5° N., 45.5° N.

EXPLANATION

National Coal Resource Assessment area

Anthracite

Lignite

Low volatile bituminous

Medium and high volatile bituminous

Subbituminous

Minimal or no coal present

Unknown coal potential

Coal present

EXPLANATION

Predominant coal rank

Unassessed Triassic Basins

Coal province boundary

Meta-anthracite

Anthracite

Semianthracite

Low volatile

bituminous

Medium

bituminous

volatile High volatile A bituminous

High volatile B bituminousHigh volatile C bituminousSubbituminous ASubbituminous BSubbituminous CLignite ALignite B

16,000 14,000 13,000 11,500 10,500 9,500 8,300 6,300

98

92

86

78

69

60

50

40

100

(37.3) (32.6) (30.2) (26.7) (24.4) (22.1) (19.3) (14.7)

Btu/lb

(Mj/Kg)

Calorific Value (moist, mineral matter-free)

Fixed Carbon (dry, mineral matter - free)

Dry, Mm - free FC = 100(FC - 0.15S) / (100 - (M + 1.08A + 0.55S))

FORMULA

Dry, Mm - free VM =100 - Dry, Mm - free FC

Moist, Mm - free Btu = 100(Btu - 50S) / (100 - (1.08A + 0.55S))

Btu = gross calorific value, British thermal units per pound

FC = fixed carbon, in percent

VM = volatile matter, in percent

M = moisture, in percent

A = ash, in percent

S = sulfur, in percent

Mm = mineral matter

Mj/Kg = megajoules per kilogram

lb = pound

Percent

DEFINITIONS

2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1986 1985

Alabama 18,796 20,611 19,327 18,830 21,339 22,271 20,118 18,931 19,364 19,324 19,504 23,013 24,468 24,637 24,640 23,266 24,768 25,796 27,269 29,030 25,826 27,685

Arizona 7,474 8,025 7,983 8,216 12,072 12,731 12,059 12,804 13,418 13,111 11,787 11,315 11,723 10,442 11,947 13,056 12,173 12,512 13,203 11,304 11,556 9,625

Arkansas 5 69 83 23 3 7 8 14 14 12 22 24 18 21 29 51 44 58 52 59 167 68

California 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 103 57 61 0 71

Colorado 28,267 32,028 36,384 36,322 38,510 39,870 35,831 35,103 33,372 29,137 29,989 29,631 27,449 24,886 25,710 25,304 21,886 19,226 17,834 18,910 15,237 17,202

Connecticut 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Delaware 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

DC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Florida 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Georgia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Idaho 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Illinois 33,748 32,918 32,445 32,729 32,014 31,853 31,640 33,314 33,783 33,444 40,417 39,732 41,159 46,656 48,180 52,797 41,098 59,857 60,258 60,393 61,866 59,201

Indiana 35,655 35,893 35,003 35,119 34,457 35,110 35,355 35,337 36,738 27,965 34,004 36,803 35,497 29,670 26,007 30,927 29,295 30,466 31,468 35,907 32,852 33,294

Iowa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 46 175 289 344 381 484 591

Kansas 185 229 420 426 171 71 154 205 176 201 409 341 360 232 285 284 341 363 416 721 1,486 994

Kentucky 107,338 120,323 115,280 120,848 119,734 114,244 112,680 124,142 133,834 130,688 139,626 150,295 155,853 152,425 153,739 161,642 156,299 161,068 158,980 173,322 153,933 149,929

Louisiana 3,657 3,843 3,127 4,114 4,161 3,805 4,028 3,803 3,715 3,699 2,953 3,216 3,545 3,221 3,719 3,463 3,134 3,240 3,151 3,186 2,254 207

Maine 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Maryland 2,305 2,860 2,301 5,054 5,183 5,225 5,056 5,147 4,644 4,546 3,837 4,060 4,160 4,093 3,667 3,632 3,355 3,341 3,773 3,487 3,906 2,903

Massachusetts 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Michigan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Minnesota 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Mississippi 3,440 2,842 3,545 3,797 3,555 3,586 3,695 2,305 604 902 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Missouri 452 247 236 394 598 578 533 248 366 436 392 372 401 710 548 838 653 2,886 2,304 2,647 4,687 5,561

Montana 39,486 44,786 43,390 41,823 40,354 39,989 36,994 37,386 39,143 38,352 41,102 42,840 41,005 37,891 39,451 41,640 35,917 38,889 38,237 37,616 33,978 33,286

Nebraska 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Nevada 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

New Hampshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

New Jersey 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

New Mexico 25,124 25,645 24,451 25,913 28,519 27,250 26,389 28,916 29,618 27,323 29,156 28,597 27,025 24,067 26,813 28,041 28,268 24,549 21,518 24,292 21,496 22,202

New York 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

North Carolina 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

North Dakota 29,945 29,627 29,606 30,411 29,956 29,943 30,775 30,799 30,475 31,270 31,135 29,912 29,580 29,861 30,112 32,286 31,973 31,744 29,530 29,213 25,640 26,871

Ohio 27,501 26,251 22,575 22,722 24,718 23,222 22,009 21,157 25,400 22,269 22,480 28,048 29,154 28,572 26,118 29,897 28,816 30,403 30,569 35,252 36,441 35,411

Oklahoma 956 1,463 1,648 1,998 1,856 1,792 1,565 1,406 1,714 1,588 1,661 1,661 1,621 1,701 1,876 1,911 1,758 1,741 1,841 1,698 3,048 3,316

Oregon 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Pennsylvania 57,979 65,414 65,048 66,029 67,494 65,996 63,725 68,393 74,146 74,619 76,399 81,036 76,198 67,942 61,576 62,237 59,700 68,981 65,381 70,514 71,648 70,311

Rhode Island 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

South Carolina 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

South Dakota 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Tennessee 1,996 2,333 2,654 2,804 3,217 2,887 2,564 3,166 3,324 2,669 3,037 2,696 3,300 3,651 3,221 2,987 3,047 3,476 4,290 6,193 6,870 7,339

Texas 35,093 39,017 41,948 45,548 45,939 45,863 47,517 45,247 45,042 49,498 53,072 52,583 53,328 55,164 52,684 52,346 54,567 55,071 53,825 55,755 48,590 45,459

Utah 21,718 24,365 24,307 26,018 24,521 21,746 23,069 25,304 26,966 26,656 26,373 26,075 26,683 27,507 25,167 24,399 21,847 21,339 21,945 22,058 14,269 12,776

Vermont 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Virginia 21,019 24,712 25,346 29,740 27,743 31,420 31,596 29,956 32,774 32,834 32,294 33,747 35,837 35,590 34,099 37,129 39,317 43,024 41,954 46,917 41,178 40,531

Washington 0 0 0 2,580 5,266 5,653 6,232 5,827 4,624 4,270 4,101 4,638 4,495 4,565 4,868 4,893 4,739 5,251 5,143 5,001 4,601 4,438

West Virginia 137,127 157,778 153,480 152,374 153,650 147,993 139,711 150,078 162,416 158,257 157,978 171,145 173,743 170,433 162,997 161,776 130,525 162,164 167,352 169,205 129,907 127,125

Wisconsin 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Wyoming 431,107 467,644 453,568 446,742 404,319 396,493 376,270 373,161 368,749 338,900 337,119 314,409 281,881 278,440 263,822 237,092 210,129 190,172 193,854 184,249 136,826 140,711

1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

900

950

1,000

1,050

1,100

1,150

1,200

400

450

500

550

600

650

700

750

800

850

1949

1950

1955

1960

1965

480.6

560.4

490.8

434.3

527

1970 612.7

1971 560.9

1972 602.5

1973 598.6

1974 610

1975 654.6

1976 684.9

1977 697.2

1978 670.2

1979 781.1

1980 829.7

1981 823.8

1982 838.1

1983 782.1

1984 895.9

1985 883.6

1986 890.3

1987 918.8

1988 950.3

1989 980.7

1990 1,029.10

1991 996

1992 997.5

1993 945.4

1994 1,033.50

1995 1,033.00

1996 1,063.90

1997 1,089.90

1998 1,117.50

1999 1,100.40

2000 1,073.60

2001 1,127.70

2002 1,094.30

2003 1,071.80

2004 1,112.10

2005 1,131.50

2006 1,162.70

2007 1,146.60

2008 1,171.80

2009 1,072.80 U.S. Energy Information Administration: Annual Energy Review 2009: Table 7.2 Coal Production, 1949-2009

http://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/annual/txt/ptb0702.html

Year Total

Year

Millions of short tons

Albers Equal-Area projection

Central meridian 96.000° W.

Reference latitude 37.5° N.

Standard parallels: 29.5° N., 45.5° N.

SCALE 1 : 5,000,000

Figure 1. — Map of coal fields of the conterminous United States based on Tully (1996) and Schruben and others (1998) showing areas that were recently assessed using GIS data from basins discussed in USGS Professional Paper 1625–A (Fort Union Coal Assessment Team, 1999), 1625–B (Kirschbaum and others, 2000), 1625–C (Northern and Central Appalachian Basin Coal Regions Assessment Team, 2001), and 1625–D (Hatch and Affolter, 2002), and in AAPG Discovery Series 14/Studies in Geology 62 (Warwick and others, 2011). Map also includes Mesozoic (Triassic) 

basins that were not quantitatively assessed by Benson (1992). Coal regions within provinces are labeled, as are individual coal fields.

Figure 2. — Generalized map showing the geologic age of coal-bearing rocks, including unassessed Triassic basins, in the conterminous United States. Map based on Tully (1996), Schruben and others (1998), 

Benson (1992), and USGS Geologic Names Committee (2010).

Figure 3. — Map showing distribution of coal-bearing formations in the conterminous United States. Formation outlines are taken from the digital version (Schruben and others, 1998) of the geologic map by 

P.B. King and H.M. Beikman (1974). Unassessed Triassic basins are not shown. The outlines in figure 2 are based on tectonic basins, while the outlines in figure 3 are based on surficial geologic formations

(cropping out at or near the surface). Figure 3 was digitized at a more detailed scale than figure 2, so the outlines may not match. The ages of the formations shown in figure 3 represent surficial geological 

units, whereas ages shown in figure 2 are for coal-bearing units that may be stratigraphically lower.

Figure 4. — Map showing annual coal production by State in the conterminous United States for 2009, in millions of short tons. Map was created based on U.S. 

Energy Information Administration (2010).

Figure 6. — Chart showing the basis for classifying coals by rank in the United States, and the formula used for making approximate determinations of rank. 

This information is based on American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard D388-05 (ASTM International, 2005). Determinations based on this 

chart should not be considered final or even adequate for any but the most general application. For further information, see ASTM International (2005).

Figure 5. — Graph showing annual U.S. coal production from 1949 through 2009 in millions of short tons, based on U.S. Energy Information Administration

Annual Coal Report 2009 (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2010).

Table 1. — Annual coal production by State, for the conterminous United States, in thousands of short tons for the years spanning 1990 through 2009, and for 

1986 and 1985. Data were compiled from individual U.S. Energy Information Administration Annual Coal Reports from 1994 through 2009. 

Introduction

 This map sheet with accompanying Geographic Information System (GIS) project is 

based on the original digital version of Coal fields of the Conterminous United States by 

Tully (1996), and also incorporates updated U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) national coal 

assessment information as well as information on Mesozoic (Triassic) coal basins in the 

eastern United States. Tully (1996) published a digital adaptation of Trumbull’s Coal fields 

of the United States, sheet 1 (1960), but in selected States he included newer information 

from published geologic maps. Due to changing technological and economic constraints 

for coal usage, along with the potential for geologic carbon dioxide sequestration, this map 

sheet and the GIS component of this report do not differentiate between potentially 

minable coal and uneconomic coal, unlike previous versions (Tully, 1996; Trumbull, 1960). 

The map sheet shows aerial extent, rank, province, name (region and field), and age 

information, which are also attributes of the GIS project accompanying this report. The 

shapefiles on which the map sheet is based were modified in ArcView 3.3, ArcInfo 7, and 

ArcGIS 9.3 and were subsequently imported into Adobe Illustrator CS5 using MAPublisher 

8.3. The metadata file, Coal Fields of the United States_Metadata.docx, includes all 

sources and processing steps.

 This report includes areas that were assessed by the USGS as part of the National 

Coal Resource Assessment (NCRA). The USGS, assisted by many of the State geological 

surveys, completed the new assessments of the top producing coal beds and coal zones in 

five major coal provinces — Eastern, Gulf Coast, Interior, Rocky Mountain, and Northern 

Great Plains. The assessments, which focused on both coal quality and quantity, utilized 

GIS technology and large databases. During the timeframe of the coal assessment (1999-

2002), these five regions together produced about 1,082 million short tons (mst) of coal 

annually, constituting 93 percent of the total U.S. coal production (Ruppert and others, 

2002). Over 1,600,000 million short tons of coal remain in more than 60 coal beds and coal 

zones that were assessed (Ruppert and others, 2002). 

 The NCRA project differed in two fundamental ways from past USGS nationwide 

coal resource assessments by (1) utilizing digital databases and GIS and (2) focusing on 

both coal quantity and coal quality. All data and products were geographically referenced 

and stored, were manipulated digitally, and are publicly available for downloading. The 

sources of GIS shapefiles used for this report were USGS Professional Paper 1625–A (Fort 

Union Coal Assessment Team, 1999), –B (Kirschbaum and others, 2000), –C (Northern and 

Central Appalachian Basin Coal Regions Assessment Team, 2001), and –D (Hatch and 

Affolter, 2002); and American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) Discovery Series 

14/Studies in Geology 62 (Warwick and others, 2011). The NCRA publications include (1) 

stratigraphic and geochemical databases for the fully assessed coal in each coal region; (2) 

maps showing coal extent, mined area, thickness and elevation of coal beds and zones, 

and overburden thickness; and (3) geochemical maps showing ash yield, sulfur content, 

calculated sulfur dioxide content per million British thermal units (SO2

/MBtu), calorific 

value, and selected trace elements. Each report discusses the geology, geochemistry, 

mining history, coalbed methane potential, and resources for each individual assessed coal 

bed and (or) coal zone, and also contains resource and geochemical tables. In addition to 

the data and text summaries, the NCRA final assessment reports include interactive GIS 

files that allow users to query data layers and view assessment results. The USGS coal 

resource assessments are designed to provide geoscientists, policymakers, planners, and 

the general public with concise geologic information on the distribution, quantity, and 

quality of remaining coal resources in the United States. The resource estimates provide a 

means of comparing one assessment unit with another, and are useful for estimating the 

potential volumes of gas in the coal. The total resource tonnage number is large and is only 

a starting point for understanding how much coal is actually minable because of the many 

geologic, geochemical, economic, and technical restrictions that can be limiting factors to 

the ultimate recovery of coal from the ground (Ruppert and others, 2002).

Discussion

 Figure 1 is a 1 : 5,000,000-scale map showing the conterminous United States 

divided into six coal provinces: Eastern, Interior, Gulf Coast, Northern Great Plains, Rocky 

Mountain, and Pacific Coast. Within each province, coal regions and individual coal fields 

are labeled. Coal regions are color coded to indicate the rank of the coal, which is 

explained in more detail in figure 6. Areas that were assessed by the NCRA are identified 

by red hachured polygons, and the assessment information was used to update certain 

region boundaries. Not all individual NCRA areas of assessment are shown in figure 1, but 

they are included in the GIS portion of this report. The Western Region of the Interior 

Province incorporated geologic outlines from Schruben and others (1998). In order to show 

all areas possibly having coal potential, the unassessed Triassic-age synrift basins on the 

East Coast are included in figure 1. The synrift basins are depicted as light blue-, green-, 

and purple-hachured polygons and were digitized from a Delaware Geological Survey 

publication (Benson, 1992). These basins have limited data and have not been assessed to 

the standards of the NCRA. They are included only to show the location of potential coal 

resources and are qualitatively estimated as to their viability as future targets for exploration, which may lead to actual assessments.

 Figure 2 is a 1 : 14,000,000-scale generalized map showing the geologic age of 

coal-bearing rocks in the conterminous United States. The map was created by incorporating data from Tully (1996), Schruben and others (1998), Benson (1992), and U.S. Geological 

Survey Geologic Names Committee (2010).

 Figure 3 is a 1 : 14,000,000-scale map showing distribution of coal-bearing formations in the conterminous United States. They were extracted from the King-Beikman 

geologic map GIS (Schruben and others, 1998) by Laura R.H. Biewick (USGS), who selected 

formations shown by assessments to contain coal. Information on specific group names 

or depositional environment is given where available (Biewick, written commun. 2002). The 

outlines in figure 2 are based on tectonic basins, while the outlines in figure 3 are based 

on surficial geologic formations (cropping out at or near the surface). Figure 3 was 

digitized at a more detailed scale than figure 2, so the outlines may not match. The ages 

of the formations shown in figure 3 represent surficial geological units, whereas ages 

shown in figure 2 are for coal-bearing units that may be stratigraphically lower. 

 Figure 4 is a 1 : 18,000,000-scale map showing annual coal production by State in 

the conterminous United States for 2009, in millions of short tons. This figure is based on 

U.S. Energy Information Administration (2010); 2009 was the most recent year for which 

statistics were available at the time of publication. 

 Figure 5 displays annual coal production for the conterminous United States from 

1949 through 2009, and shows the overall upward trend in coal production since 1960. 

 Table 1 lists annual coal production by State for the conterminous United States 

for 1985, 1986, and 1990 through 2009. 

 Figure 6 is a chart showing the basis for classifying coal by rank in the United 

States. Approximate rank is based on American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) 

standard D388-05 (ASTM International, 2005).

 The GIS component of this report contains polygon, line, and point shapefiles of 

the data used to create figures 1, 2, and 4. The ArcGIS project contains (1) shapefiles of the 

coal fields with their rank, province, name (region or area), and age; (2) shapefiles of the 

Triassic basin outlines and their coal potential; (3) shapefiles of the coal provinces of the 

conterminous United States; and (4) point files for labeling the individual fields. From the 

NCRA assessment, only shapefiles for outlines of individual assessment units, with 

isopachs of coal thickness and overburden, are included in the GIS project of this report. 

References Cited

ASTM International, 2005, Standard classification of coals by rank (Designation D388-05), 

in 2005 annual book of ASTM standards: ASTM International, v. 5.05, p. 168–171.

Benson, R.N., 1992, Map of exposed and buried Early Mesozoic rift basins/synrift rocks of 

the U.S. Middle Atlantic continental margin: Delaware Geological Survey Miscellaneous 

Map Series no. 5, one sheet, scale 1:1,000,000.

Fort Union Coal Assessment Team, 1999, 1999 resource assessment of selected Tertiary 

coal beds and zones in the northern Rocky Mountains and Great Plains region: U.S. 

Geological Survey Professional Paper 1625–A, version 1.1, 2 CD-ROMS. (Also available at 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/p1625a/pp1625A.html)

Hatch, J.R., and Affolter, R.H., eds., 2002, Resource assessment of the Springfield, Herrin, 

Danville, and Baker coals in the Illinois basin: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 

1625–D, version 1.0, 2 CD-ROMS. (Also available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/p1625d/)

King, P.B., and Beikman, H.M., 1974, Geologic map of the United States (exclusive of 

Alaska and Hawaii): U.S. Geological Survey Special Map, 3 sheets, scale 1:2,500,000. 

Kirschbaum, M.A., Roberts, L.N.R, and Biewick, L.R.H., eds., 2000, Geologic assessment of 

coal in the Colorado Plateau: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah: U.S. Geological 

Survey Professional Paper 1625–B, version 1.0, 2 CD-ROMS. (Also available at 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/p1625b/)

Northern and Central Appalachian Basin Coal Regions Assessment Team, 2001, 2000 

resource assessment of selected coal beds and zones in the northern and central Appalachian basin coal regions: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1625–C, version 1.01, 

2 CD-ROMS. (Also available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/p1625c/)

Ruppert, L.F., Kirschbaum, M.A., Warwick, P.D., Flores, R.M., Affolter, R.H., and Hatch, J.R., 

2002, The U.S. Geological Survey’s national coal resource assessment; the results: International Journal of Coal Geology, v. 50, no. 1–4, p. 247–274.

Schruben, P.G., Arndt, R.E., and Bawiec, W.J., 1998, Geology of the conterminous United 

States at 1:2,500,000 scale – a digital representation of the 1974 P.B. King and H.M. 

Beikman map: U.S. Geological Survey Digital Data Series 11, Release 2. (Also available at 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/dds/dds11/)

Trumbull, James V.A., 1960, Coal fields of the United States (sheet 1): U.S. Geological 

Survey map, scale 1:5,000,000.

Tully, John, comp., 1996, Coal fields of the conterminous United States: U.S. Geological 

Survey Open-File Report 96–92, one sheet, scale 1:5,000,000, available only at 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1996/of96-092/index.htm.

U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2010, Annual Coal Report 2009: U.S. Energy 

Information Administration [report] DOE/EIA-0584 (2010), 58 p., available at 

http://www.eia.gov/coal/annual/.

U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Names Committee, 2010, Divisions of geologic time — 

major chronostratigraphic and geochronologic units: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 

2010–3059, 2 p. (Also available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2010/3059/)

Warwick, P.D., Karlsen, A.K., Merrill, Matthew, and Valentine, B.J., eds., 2011, Geologic 

assessment of coal in the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain, USA: American Association of 

Petroleum Geologists Discovery Series 14/ Studies in Geology 62, 403 p. (Also available at 

http://www.datapages.com/AssociatedWebsites/GISOpenFiles/GulfCoastCoalAssessment

.aspx)

1–888–ASK–USGS

Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement

by the U.S. Government.

This map was printed on an electronic plotter directly from digital files. Dimensional calibration may vary

 

between electronic plotters and between X and Y directions on the same plotter, and paper may change size

 

due to atmospheric conditions; therefore, scale and proportions may not be true on plots of this map.

 

For sale by U.S. Geological Survey Information Services, Box 25286, Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225,

Digital files available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1205/

Suggested citation: East, J.A., 2013, Coal fields of the conterminous United States—National Coal Resource

Assessment updated version: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2012–1205, one sheet, 

scale 1:5,000,000 [http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1205/].