Reserves and resources of surface-minable coal in Illinois

Book · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1978

OSTI ID:5513611

Treworgy, C G; Bengal, L E; Dingwell, A G

Surface mining accounts for nearly 50 percent of recent coal production in Illinois. In previous publications, the Illinois State Geological Survey reported that over 20 billion tons of coal in Illinois were potentially strippable; however, current economic and environmental issues associated with surface mining have created a need for estimates of the amount of strippable coal that can be recovered economically under present conditions. In estimating strippable reserves, the criteria used were (1) reliability of data, (2) overburden and coal thicknesses, (3) the size of the block of coal, and (4) proximity to man-made and natural obstacles. On the basis of the criteria, Illinois was determined to have 6 billion tons of surface-minable coal in the ground. This reserve is made up of 185 blocks of 6 million tons or more. The amounts of strippable reserves are large in western Illinois and especially in southwestern and southern Illinois, which are more attractive for surface mining because land costs are lower, the heating value of the coal is higher, and the tonnage recoverable per acre is greater. The southwestern and southern Illinois deposits are and will continue to be the major sources of surface-mined coal in the state; however, in view of current rates of production, the remaining reserves in this area are relatively small, and opportunities for new acquisitions and long-term development are limited. Only 38 percent of the strippable reserves mapped exceed 4 feet in thickness, and most of those reserves have overburden in excess of 50 feet.

• OSTI ID: 5513611
• Report Number(s): NP-24392
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
011000* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
COAL DEPOSITS
COAL MINING
COAL RESERVES
COAL SEAMS
DATA
DATA FORMS
DEPTH
DIMENSIONS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GREAT LAKES REGION
ILLINOIS
INFORMATION
MAPS
MINING
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
RESERVES
RESOURCES
SURFACE MINING
TABLES
THICKNESS
USA