The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-02-13
GREAT COAL FIELDS OF
SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
Report by Geological Survey
DUST Made Ready for
Publication.

The Arkansas coal field comprises the
east end 0f q large area Of coal land which
has its greatest extent in Indian Territory.
The Goals belong to two great geologic
systhnss called by biologists the carboni-
ferrous and the tertiary, but only those Of
the older systematic carboniferous-have
been exploited and are known commercial
lE They grade from bltuminous to semi
anthracite. and recent experiments at the
United States geological survey fuel
testing plant at ST. Louis have shown that
they are OF a quality not found elsewhere
I'm the United States west Of West vir-
gjRia.
The geological survey OF Arkansas, un-
der the direction OF DIR. John G. Branner,
.lonE aEo made an investigation OF this
coal hel6 and in 1883 published a prelimi-
nary report entitled Geology OF the Coal
Reg.IEs." by Arthur Wfnslow. Topogra-
phic maps Of h field were prepared Joint
ly by the state and the federal surveys to
accompany Mr.. Winslow's final report, but
this. unfortunately, has never been pub
iished. and mining operations within the
field have shown that Its structure IS more
complex and that the areas OF workable
coal are mora limited than the results Of
previous surveys Indicated. For these rea-
sons a detailed Reconnaissance OF the field,
In which the maps referred to were used,
was made from March / to August 1, 1906,
by Arthur j. Collier, geoIogist, OF the
United States geological survey, and an
abstract of a report on that work has
just been published By the survey I'm
bnlietin No. SIC. which forms Part III. of
''Contrlbutions 20 Economic Geology, 1906
All or the separate papers in this bulletin
relate to mineral fuels.
The coal held described by Mr.. Collier
adtoins the Indian Territory line, from
which It extends eastward along the val
ley OF the Arkansas for rs miles. IL IL
about 50 miles wide at its west end, but
the belt containing workable coal con-
tracts abruptly u miles from the bound
ary, and beyond this point its average
width Is not more than 20 miles. The
workable coal areas are more or less ir-
regularly distributed owe this district,
and many OF them are IN detached basins
not known to be connected with one an
other. The productive areas of the east
end Of the field are north OF the Arkansas
river; those OF the west are south of It.
b biologists OF the national survey
have mapped and studied in detail a part
Of the nothern edge of the field in Arkan-
sas and the portion of the field In Indian
Territory. The Coalgate, Atoka and
Tahlequah folios OF the geologic atlas OF
the United States. covering parts OF this
region, have been published, and two 9TH
er folios-t1e Sallisaw and windiugstair-
are in preparation. Reports on the geo.
logy OF the eastern Choctew field and on
the southwestern coal field were published
by b survey IN the list and END annual
reports of the director. and maps OF the
segregated coal lands In Indian Territory
were issued by the department Of the in
terror as circulars Nos. 1, 2, :, 4, 8 and 6,
OF 1904.
Mr.. Golfers report in bulletin No. 31e
contains an account OF the structure and
st~ratigraphy OF the district, a description
of the various Goals, and many analyses
Of coal samples. a..