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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Deep-minable coal resources of Illinois

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6141898
Deep-minable coal resources lie more than 150 feet below the surface and are generally mined by underground methods. Of the 181 billion tons of identified coal resources in Illinois, 161 billion tons (89%) are classified as deep-minable. About 44 billion tons (27%) of these have thickness and depth similar to coals currently being mined in Illinois, and thus are considered to have a high potential for development. In Illinois, deep-minable coal resources are distributed over 67 counties. Resources with a high potential for development are concentrated in the west-central, southwestern, and southern parts of the coal field, and resources with a moderate or low potential are concentrated in the central, eastern, and north-central parts of the coal field. Deep-minable resources comprise 13 different seams; however, of the resources with a high potential, 32 billion tons (72%) are from the Herrin (No. 6) Coal Member and 9 billion tons (20%) are from the Springfield (No. 5) Coal Member. These two seams will continue to be the major sources for underground coal production in the state.
Research Organization:
Illinois Inst. of Natural Resources, Champaign (USA). State Geological Survey Div.
OSTI ID:
6141898
Report Number(s):
PB-83-168807
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English