The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-02-24
THE Ignite COAL FIELDS
OF THE STATE OF N DAKOTA

the Fort Union formation, or the 9TH
er hand, one rarely finds an outcrop
where several hundred feet of strata
are exposed hat does not contain at
least or more coal beds. These
range from top to bottom of the for
nation, and do not appear to be con-
fined to any particular horizon or
horizons,
1t was formerly supposed that the
Ignite beds were not of great ex-
tent and covered but comparatively
small areas, n seam thinning out
and being replaced by othrs at a diff
ferent horizon. But the detailed work
Of the past few years has shown that
some Of the individual coal beds cover
large areas. One, with a thickness
varying from five to sixteen feet, has
a known extent of twenty miles in one
direction and twenty-five in another,
with an area of at least 500 square
miles, and probably much greater.
Another bed Of coal was traced thir-
ty-six miles north and south and
twenty-four miles east and west, and
while it's known area as shown by out
crops is nearly 800 square miles, 1t
undoubtedly has an extent of 1000 to
1890 square miles. This coalbed.
which has a thickness ranging from
nine to fifteen feet and over, has been
largely burned out or removed by ero-
sion. but still underlies q number OF
townships.
The Ignite coal beds of the state
vary in thickness from less thar an
inch to thirty-five feet, a bed of the
latter thickness occurring on Sand
creek in southern Billings county.
Several beds twenty feet thick are
feet thick are common.
During the Dast six or eight wears
the North Dakota Geological survey
much of the time in cooperation with
the United States Geological survey,
has studied in more or less detail the
coal fields of Billings. Morton and
Mckenzie counties and has gathered
much valuable information regarding
them. In Morton county, with the ex-
ception of a 5 foot coal bed in the
Lance formation, the Ignite seams
are in the lower 400 to 500 feet of the
Fort Union. In the northern part OF
the county there are at least six coal
beds, namely, two at Sims, two al
New Salem, three about Glen UlIin
but two of them probably the same as
those at New Salem, and at least one
] the vicinity of Hebron; The Ignite
seam now being mined at Sims is the
lowest of the six coal beds, and the
one near Hebron is the highest.
The number of workable coal beds
in Billings county is known to be al
least tWenty-one, not all of them be-
ing present at any one point, but some
occurring in one locality and some IN
another. They are distributed through
from 1000 to 1900 feet OF strata and
range from 4 to IS feet in thickness
The aggregate thickness Of the coal In
these 81 beds is 157 feet.
In Mckenzie county there are al
least eight coal beds. ranging in thick
ness from az to 10 feet ana several OF
them covering many townships. They
are distributed through a thickness oil
700 feet OF strata, or from the level OF
the Little Missouri river to the tops Of
the high buttes. Some Of the upper
ones have burned out extensively oil
have been eroded over large areas.
The coal OF North Dakota Is mostly
"a brown Ignite with a decidedly
woody structure, exhibiting clearly
the grain OF the wood and having the
toughness Of that material. 1t breaks
or splits readily along the grain but il
rection. Portions of fiattened trunks
or branches are often found in The
beds, bearing a close resemblance to
the original wood except for the
brown color. The same bed Is FREE
quently more woody in some portions
than others, being made up OF alter
mating layers Of tough brown ignite
and black lustrous, brittle material
On exposure TO the air the Ignite
loses part of It's moisture, which il
frequently as high as 35 or 40 pei
cent, begins to crack, and finally
breaks up into small pieces.
Many OF the coal beds have burned
out over large areas and there are few
800