Albuquerque weekly citizen. (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1891-19??, 1905-11-18
LARGE COAL FIELDS
IN ROUTT COUNTY


IN remote geologic aae thick
sheets ~ lava we're lntfdded into
coalboarinE formation m hotit
county, Colo Tho result was that
beds ~ conl within 3D. or % feet Of
such sheets become anthracite or
aeml.aulhraclle IN character. Just
how great = the area over which this
change occuFFcd ia not yet known.
bui che ae0iowisis Of the United States
Geological Survey. who studied this
coal Held durlne the past summer win
doubtless have many intercatlpE
things 20 tpll about e IN the report
that they VIII hiring ont early IN 1908.
The members of this survey party
who studied the coal fields IN me
basin on TIE Yampa river. Colorado.
we're Messrs. ~ M. Frnncman anc
a0yt 3. Gale. BIOLOGISTS. and r. G.
I Aieen. topu1ruphof. gho was engaged
/ lE the preparation 81 a Typographical
man ~ tha region. The area covered
By this reconnaissance extends from
I the Elh River on the east SO Layton
on the ives distance Of fifty mica
I aud from California rark so the north
/ TO william Fork on the south, q dis.
lance ~ thirty miles. From 900 "a
30o squara miles were examined and
viii hN represented on the maps which
viii accompany the report.
II was determined tina. ne Cfeia'
seOHs coAis examined were % Pierre
Fox Hills age. These are distributed
l ihroagh q vertical thicknrHa of from
.000 10 1000 feet Of strata. chiefly
sandsloues and sandy Ehale. 80
Goals fali naturally into three groups
~hlch wih be- distinguished on thl
map a. Lover. Middle. rrd Upper o.
the uesf and north aldes 81 the field
the cfetaceaus is 0yeriasn By ahiat
formation which Hayden mapped n
tertiary. This also contains mach
coal. but only small areas o. 4 are IN
clnded In tho field examined
u is IN The northeastern part Of ~
field thai thick sbec's Of lava hevl
been ihtfuded into the coal bearing
formation Tho extent Of ihe aroi
over which such change has occarre,
n NOT known. because much ot the 10
called Anthracite Range Is denaell
wooded and outcrops ~ rock and Goa
are few. There A.. however. one Law
sheet which lies near an lmporlan
coal horizon. and forms q ledge %
rim rock for several miles. TIL
} cOntinuOus exposure gives rise to IN
/ hope thai the sheet may underllc
large area and that other sess exposes
4 sheets may be extensive also. An
thrcito coal occurs, al least IN patches
over On area Of az least fifty seuar
miles. bus the size 81 the severn
, patches has not yet hecn determined
, for between the anthracite ana Oh
J. unaltorea hitumlnous All tranaltlona
g phases are found
Owing % the naiura OF the work,
Was not possible for The survey part
10 determine BY extensive excavetlu
the number and thickness Of the COS
beds, Since, In large areas, the coal
are not worked. and have not eve
been extensively pruapected, Il
quite impossible 20 give i fair est
mate OF the amount ol coal within %
{ area a single bed " coal ten ie'
e thick extending over 500 square mile
r or one.half the area studied. woul
r contain about one cubic miles OF cOa
a OF nearly ak thousand millions
tons. Probably more than 500 sQuai
miles, afsording more than ten feet
workable coal, cot.ld b. selected ffOl
the AREA examined Ia places th
? thickness of the coal Is more Than fly
n times a. great.
p The Goal resources " this rcgio
Ir has thus far been little Develops
n Few tunnels have been driven moi
u than 100 feei. The coal has been r
4 qulred for domestic use only. and
4 The population ~ the county II enal
that demand has easily been me
y With the coming of tho hoped I,
70 Denver 4 Northwestern railroad, u
- importance 81 the Goals Of Rontt cou
II " viii AZ once be recognized
N The official report o. the survey =
IN connalsanco OF the Yampa basin wi
contain topographic ana gcolog
naps ~ the area, L will inelnde ali
number of chemical analyses mat
y In the government laboratory AZ
y Loals from a representative sahip
n 81 this coal
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