Coal availability in the Hilight Quadrangle, Powder River Basin, Wyoming; a prototype study in a western coal field

1 Acknowledgments 1 Background and Purpose of Study 1 Geologic Setting and Coal Mining 2 Factors Affecting Availability of Coal Resources 4 Unsuitability Criteria Determinations for the Hilight Quadrangle 4 (a) Unsuitability Criteria that are Restrictions to Mining 6 (b) Unsuitability Criteria that are Considerations in Mining and Mine Planning 6 Other Considerations to Mining (in addition to those in the Unsuitability Criteria) 7 (a) Multiple-Use Issues 7 (b) Technologic Factors 9 Grouping of Constraints to Mining in the Hilight Quadrangle 10 Major Coal Zones Studied 12 Computer Techniques 14 Results 16 Coal Availability Calculation Using Category 1 Restrictions (Likely restrictions to mining) 16 Coal Availability Calculation Including Category 2 Restrictions (Considerations that probably will be mitigated) 17 Comparison to Other Coal Availability Studies 17 Comparison to Other Coal Resource Calculations for the Quadrangle 19 References 20