The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-02-14
GREAT COAL FIELDS OF
SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
Report by Geological Survey
Just Made Ready for
Publication.

The Arkansas coal field comprises tho
east end OF a large area OF coal land which
has its greatest extent In Indian Territory.
The Goals belong to two great geologic
systems. called by biologists the carboni-
ferrous and the tertiary. but only those OF
the older systematic carboniferous-have
been exploited and are known commercial
ly They grade from b~ituminous to semi
antnracite, and recent experiments at the
United States geological survey fuel
testing plant at st. Louis have shown thot
they are of a quality not found elsewhere
in the United States west OF West vir-
Ginia.
The geological survey OF Arl5apsas nm.
der the direction of DR.. John G.. Rranner.
long ago made al Investigation of this
coal field and in 1883 published a prelimi-
nary report entitled Geology Of the Cecil
Regions" by Arthur Winslow. Toposra-
phtc maps Of the field were prepared Joint
ly by the state and the federal surveys to
Mr.. Winslow's final report. bur
this, unfortunately, has never been pub.
lished, and mining operations within the
field have shown that its structure is more
complex and that the areas of
coal are more 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 l to August 1. 1906.
by Arthur j. Collier. geologist. Of the
United States geological survey. and an
abstract OF a report on that work has
just been published by the survey in
bulletin No. 3l6. which forms Part III. of
.Contrfbution 20 Economic Geology. 1906"
All Of the separate papers In this bulletin
relate to mineral fuels.
Ihe coal field described by Mr.. Collier
ad1olns the indian Territory line. from
which 1t extends eastward along the vail
icy OF ahe Arkansas for IS miles. 1t is
about SC miles wide at it's west end. but
she peft containing workable coal con-
airy, and beyond this point its average
width Is not more than 20 miles. The
workable coal areas arc more or less f-
regularly distributed over 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 II.
The biologists Of the national survey
have mapped and studied in detail a part
OF the nothern edge of the field in Arkan-
eas and the portion of the field In indian
Territory. The Coalgate, Atoka and
Tahlequah folios Of the geologic atlas or
the United States. covering PARTS Of this
region. have been published. and two 9TH
er follos-the Sallisaw and Windingstatr-
are in preparation. Reports on the geo.
fosy OF the eastern Choctn-v field and on
the southwestern Goa! field were published
by the survey In the 2lst 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
tertos as Nos. 1. 2. 3, Z, s and 6.
OF 1904.
Mr.. Golfers report In bulletin No. $40
contains an account of the structure and
strat:graphy of the district. a description
of the various Goals. and many analyses
of coal samples