Coal resources of northwest Alaska

Conference · Mon Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1985 · Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6320638

Eakins, G R; Clough, J G; Callahan, J E; Menge, M M; Banet, Jr, A C

Rural areas in Alaska depend almost entirely on expensive imported fuel oil for heat and power generation. Following the drastic price increase in petroleum a few years ago, local governments and state agencies have shown considerable interest in determining the potential for northwest Alaska as an alternative energy source. A compilation of earlier work by the US Geological Survey, Bureau of Mines, and industry located over 50 separate coal occurrences within the 50,000 mi/sup 2/ Cape Beaufort, Kobuk Valley, Seward Peninsula, and Norton Sound areas. The most promising localities were examined in the field by DDGS and BLM geologists, and six of these were selected for drilling and geophysical surveys by contractors. Two of the areas drilled were found to have coal of sufficient quantities and quality to justify additional drilling and feasibility studies. The Cape Beaufort-Kukpowruk River area contains Cretaceous-age coal beds up to 20 ft thick and extends from the coast to about 20 mi inland. Drilling under the DGGS-USGS/MMS/BLM - administered program indicated approximately 20 million tons in the Deadfall syncline alone, where four moderately dipping beds have a 1 to 5 stripping ratio. One 320-acre tract may contain eight million tons of bituminous coal having a 13,000 to over 14,000 Btu value as received. The other site where work continues is the old Chicago Creek coal mine near Candle on the seward Peninsula. The coal bed here has been traced by drilling and geophysics for 3500 ft along strike and found to average 35 ft in thickness. While the deposit is up to 80 ft thick in one drill hole, the coal is lignite and typical of the Tertiary coals in this region, being erratic in character and averaging about 6900 Btu/lb. Three and one-half million tons of lignite are indicated and another million tons inferred.

• Research Organization: US Bureau of Land Management, Anchorage, AK
• OSTI ID: 6320638
• Report Number(s): CONF-8505215-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States) Journal Volume: 69:4
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
011000* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
ALASKA
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
COAL
COAL DEPOSITS
COAL MINES
ENERGY SOURCES
FEDERAL REGION X
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
MATERIALS
MINERAL RESOURCES
MINES
NORTH AMERICA
RESOURCE ASSESSMENT
RESOURCES
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
USA