The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1908-10-16
COAL BEDS IN NORTH DAKOTA.
North Dakota Geological Survey Discovers Ignite in
Some New Localities.

During the past summer work was
carried on by the North Dakota Geo.
logical survey both in the eastern and
western portions of the state. The
investigation Of the coal fields of Bill
hngs county was continued and to.
gether with the information gathered
In previous years, sufficient material
has now been secured for the prepare.
ton Of detailed report on the coal
deposits of this part of North Dakota.
This region was selected for detailed
study because of the excellent oppor.
tunity afforded in the Little Missouri
bad lands for the examination of the
coal beds where these are so well ex.
posed In numerous outcrops.
The working party in Billings coun.
-ty was in charge of State Geologist
DIR. A. G. Leonard, aud with him were
two state university students, Edgar
H. Wells and Harry A. Hanson. It
was found that no less than twenty
one working coal beds are present in
that county alone, not all of them
occurring at any one point, but some
being found in one locality and some
in another. These twenty.one beds
range from to IS feet in thickness
and are distributed through 1000 to
1000 feet of strata. The total thick
ness of the coal in these 21 seams is
100 feet.
Cover Large Area.
Some of the individual coal beds
cover large areas. One with a thick.
ness varying from S to 16 feet, has a
known extent of 20 miles in one d.
rection and rs miles in another, with
an area of at least 500 square miles
and probably much greater. Another
seam Of coal was traced sc miles
north and south, and "a miles east
and west, and while it's known area
as shown from outcrops is nearly 900
square miles it undoubtedly has an
extent of 1000 to 1900 square miles.
This coal bed with a thickness rang.
ing from 9 to Is feet and over, has
been largely burned out or removed
by erosion, but it still underlies
number of townships.
At least half dozen coal beds were
discovered which were not before
known to occur. The lowest seams in
the geological column, and therefore
the Oldest, are those found in the
vicinity of Yule, in southern Billings
county. The highest and youngest are
those which appear in Sentinel Butte
and in the northeastern part of the
county.
It is interesting to know that &C.
cording to the estimates of the United
States Geological survey, North Da-
kota has 50O,OO0,OO0,O 900 tons of COAL
or more than any other state in the
union. 1t is the function of the state
geological survey to make these coal
resources known as widely as pos
sible, in order that they may be de.
veloped, and this the survey is doing
in its reports, which deal with the
coal and clays of the region.
Bones Of Large Reptiles.
The discovery of the large fossil
bones OF enormous land reptiles
(Dinosaurs) was another important
result of the summers field work.
They were found in the bad lands a
few miles from the new town of Mar
math and several large boxes of them
were shipped to the university to add
to its collection. Many of these huge
bones were buried in the clays of the
region, and some had been washed out
and were lying on the surface. This
discovery is of increased interest ow-
ing to the fact that0hese fossil bones