The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-05-01
NORTH DAKOTA
COAL SUPPLY
IS LIMITLESS
Ignite Here Inexhaustible,
Leonard Says in Speech
at Science Meeting
EDS COVER STATE
Billions of Tons Available
For Industries; Fields
Number More Than 100
NV The Associated Press)

10y Inc AbSOCldleu k-TcoCJ d,
Grand Forks, N. D., May IA.
G. Leonard, professor Of geology at
the state university here and state
geologist, today told the North Da-
kota academy Of Science that the
quantity of Ignite in North Dakota
is so great "that the supply may be
considered as practically inexhaust-
ible."
The deposits are confined to the
western half Of the state where the
workable beds are included within
an area of approximately $4,000
square miles. he said.
The address, which was illustrated
with maps and slides, follows:
No less than 100 coal beds over
four feet thick are known to be pres
ent in western North Dakota. Twen-
ty two of these are in Slope, Bill
ings, and Golden Valley counties.
They range in thickness from TO
35 feet, and the aggregate thickness
of these 22 coal beds is 1872 feet.
In Mckenzie county there are Is to
20 coal beds over feet thick, and
in Dunn county ID are known to be
present. From three to five work
in each Of the other coal producing
counties.
The Ignite beds vary in thickness
from a fraction of an inch to 35 feet
| and over. Beds six, eight and ten
| feet thick are common, half a dozen
are known which have a thickness
Of 20 feet and there are at least two
with thickness of 35 feet.
Many of the individual beds cover
large areas. One which is we'll ex
posed in the Badlands of Billings
and Mckenzie counties has been
traced q distance of as miles and
doubtless has an area Of 1900 to
l 800 square miles. Another Ignite
bed is known to extend no lei than
SO miles along the Missouri s.-d Lit
! tie Missouri rivers, and its area is
probably not less than 1000 square
; miles. Many of the coal beds, par
ticularly the thinner ones, are less
persistent and the area covered by
them is comparatively small. There
is thus great variation in the ex-
tent Of the Ignite beds as we'll as in
their thickness.
| North Dakota is fortunate in con-
tanning such vast deposits of Ignite
coal. Single beds whose extent and
thickness have been determined are
known to contain billions of tons. 1t
is possible to estimate approximate
ly the quantity of Ignite in the
state. Assuming the aggregate
thickness Of workable coal beds
within 800 or 400 feet of the surface
is 16 feet, and this is very conser-
vative estimate, and that this thick
ness underlies the entire area of
$4,000 square miles, the quantity of
Ignite in North Dakota is 516,O0O,-
100000 tons.
| Among all the different astron-
omical phenomena, the one which IS
of most interest to the ordinary per-
son and has the most influence on
his daily life is the rising and set
ting of the sun, E. F. Chandler, of
the state university, told scientists
at the state academy of science.
Provided with certain tables, a
nautical almanac or astronomical
table showing declination of the sun,
and a knowledge of latitude, a per:
son "by simple problem in trigon-
ometry" can compute the hour of
sunrise and sunset, the scientist
said.
But "few are provided with such
tables" and hardly one Of the col
lege graduates who studied spherical
trigonometry has sufficient use for
the knowledge to be able to figure
this time Independently, Or. Chand-
Ter said.
Patent medicine almanacs with
their schedules Of times for sunrise
and sunset in eastern, northern,
and southern" divisions, bring "ab-
surd results in North Dakota he
said.
Mr.. Chandler said that a table had
been prepared by his department,
from which sunrise and sunset time
could be figured by the layman.
These tables, show the time of the
rise and set Of the sun at the north
ern and southern edges Of the state
where the latitudes are three degrees
different. He explained to the scien.
lists how these CALCULATIONS could be
made in simple manner from the
charts obtainable at the university.