Seward daily gateway., 1924-12-13
GOVERNMENT BY.
 OPENS COALLAND

The Matanuska coal field, which contains one of the most valuable coal reserves in Alaska, extends from an area near tidewater at the head of Knik Arm, an inland extension of Cook Inlet, eastward to the upper valley of the Matanuska River, reach ing point within eight miles of the Matanuska glacier. The Matanuska road taps this coal field and draws from it much of the fuel used on that railroad.
 Although the coal bearing formation is of the same age throughout the field, the coal shows a wide range lin character. At the west end of the field, where the beds are only a little deformed, the coal is a Ignite. Farther east, at Moose and Eska Creeks, where the beds are somewhat folded and faulted, they contain bi- luminous coal of good grade, which
 
 extent justified by the market de- mand. Here several mines are now producing about 1000 tons a month. Still farther east, in the vicinity of Chickaloon, the terminus of the Mat anuska branch of the railroad, the coal is a bituminous coking coal of the first rank, but the structure of the beds is more complex than al Moose Creek. The coals of the highest grade, which are found or Anthracite Ridge, 12 miles east ot Chickaloon, include anthracite of su perior qulaity, but the beds are high ly complex in structure No at tempt has yet been made to mine this anthracite
 Surveys Made in Matanuska Valley The part of the Matanuska Valley that includes the area near Chicka loon and hte area immediately east o1 it form what is generally known as the upper Matanuska Valley. A sur vey of the Upper Matanuska Valley an area which is about ten miles wide and extends eighteen miles eastward from Chickaloon, was completed ir 1924 by s. R. Capps of the Geological Survey, Department of the Interior whose work supplemented a survey of part of this area made in 191: by G. c. Martin and associates. The lower part of the Matanuska coal field has already been surveyed. 4 report showing the result of the work done in 1924, is now in preparation
 Little Mining Done
 No mines are now regularly operat ed in the upper Matanuska Valley Mines opened from 1920 to 1922 by the Alaska Coal Commission at Chick loon and on Coal creek produced coal of high grade, but the beds were so much broken up or altered by faults and bodies of intrusive rock as to make the cost of mining very high so that work was stopped Develop ment work at mine on the west bank of Coal Creek, however, is be- ing continued by private company. The field work of 1924 indicates that the coal bearing area east of Chickaloon is somewhat smaller than had been supposed. The dominant structure of the basis is synclinal. and considerable areas of it that lie south of the axis of the syncline are now thought to be stratigraphically below the coalbearing horizons at Chickaloon and to contain no work able coal. The coal beds at Coal creek and at O'Brien creek are be- lieved to lie in faulted synclinal flods, most of the coal having been remov- ed from the corresponding anticlinal folds by erosion The reserves of minable coal at each of these places are believed to be limited to q few hundred thousand tons.
 Beds of Anthracite Thick but Much
 Broken
 l The coal-bearing area on the south