Attachment I-9
A.
The area is part of the Appalachian Plateau Province, which is an elevated tract of nearly horizontal and gently folded strata. Stratigraphically, the area is part of the Middle Pottsville series of the New River Formation.
–
Lithologically, the area consists of sandstone and shale units located in and around the Little Fire
Creek coal seam. Sandstone units are medium gray in color, generally fine grained and micaceous near the main body of coal. Shale units range in color from brown, near the surface, to medium gray to dark gray. Shales are generally interspersed with sandstone laminae and zones.
For a more detailed description of the lithology see the Geologic Cross Section Included in
Attachment 1-7.
The nearest decided structural feature is the Mullens Syncline, which is approximately 2.5 miles
North of the proposed mining area. The Dry Fork Anticline is located approximately 9 miles south of the proposed area. There are no other known geological features which would have a bearing on the extraction of coal and / or the hydrological regime in the mining area. These geological features would be expected to have no impact on the Little Fire Creek Seam. There is no known faulting in the area.
See the attached excerpts from the book “West Virginia Geological Survey, Wyoming and
McDowell Counties,” dated 1915. This text is the most comprehensive written on the local area.
B. The predominant water bearing units is located below the proposed mining. It is the alluvial terrain along the valley floors. The thickness of the alluvial is variable. The water table is likely recharged by precipitation in the area and underflows from the local tributary basin. Due to the presence of numerous shale beds, downward flows are limited and mining should have no effect on the recharging of this aquifer.
C. Structural geologic information is presented on the Geologic Cross Section. There are no major faults, folds, fractures or lineament traces within the confines of the permit area. The regional strike and dip is shown on the Geohydrologic Map.
D. See Attachment I-11 for geochemical analysis of the overburdens encountered in the proposed mining area. See Attachment I-11-A for a summation of the results.
E. Weathering can be defined by coloration of strata units. Sandstone weathers to various shades of brown and yellow. Mudstone generally weathers to gray and brown, with shale appearing brown. As shown, some weathering appears to have occurred in the strata units from 0-20 feet below the hole elevations. Weathering should have no effect upon the mining operation.

F. Fracturing and weathering should have no effect on the extraction of coal. The strata associated with the mining area is predominately shale with interspersed sandstone and mudstone units. The degree of fracturing was not revealed during exploration drilling within, the study area and therefore is inconclusive. Fracturing and weathering is one of the most common means by which infiltration and percolation occurs in the hydrologic cycle. To state the effect of this condition on the hydrologic regime is redundant. From this we conclude that the operation with respect to weathering and fracturing, will have no adverse affect on the hydrologic cycle.
G. There is approximately 435 feet separating the Pocahontas 3 and the Little Fire Creek seams. Based on the formula for predicting fracture zone height taken from Liu, 1981 and discussed in Peng 1992, there is a predicted vertical fracture zone of approximately
42 ± 18 feet. The formula used for this calculated vertical height is shown below. h f
 

0 .
5
30 m m

1 .
1

18 .
4
Where h f
= fracture zone height m= mining height h f

0 .
30 ( 5 )
5 ( 5 )

1 .
1 h f

41 .
7

18 .
4
This predicted vertical fracture zone is small relative to the total separation of the two seams. Mining experience has shown that fracture propagation can be much more extensive. Therefore there is the possibility that interbasin transfer will occur, the water quality of the Little Fire Creek seam commingling with the Pocahontas 3 seam should not have an adverse effect on overall water quality as discussed in the PHC section J. There may be some outcrop barrier discharge, this water discharge would result in no head for discharge. The propagation of water flow down-dip and down through the outcrop and
Pocahontas leads to the expectation that water will not flow through other paths.
H. Based on the above calculations in section I-G of vertical fracturing and the horizontal fracturing within the coal seam associated with mining practices, there is a high probability of outcrop leakage. Therefore, surface mine drainage is not anticipated.
No contingency plan is required based on the probability of the water flow extending down as well as down-dip.
References
Liu, T.Q., ed., 1981, Surface Movements, Overburden Failure and Its Applications , Coal
Industry Publishing Co., China, 369 pp.

Peng, S. S., 1992, Surface Subsidence Engineering , Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and
Exploration, Inc., Colorado USA, 161 pp.