Coal Reserves of the United States 



'33 



MONTANA 

 47. 200sc|.m 



TEXAS 



■+1 ,300 sq.i 



ILLINOIS 



35,600 sq. 



N.DAKOTA 



35.S00 sq. 



MISSOURI 

 £3.000 s<].r 



IOWA 

 20.000 sq. 



KANSAS 

 20.000 sq.i 



WYOMING 

 19,900. sq.i 



W.VIRGINIA 

 17. coo sq.m 



KENTUCKY 

 ie.fe70 sq.n 



IND.TERR. 

 14.850 sq- 



PENNSYLVANIA 

 K,680 sq.mv. 



NEW MEXICO 

 \3 500 sq.mi. 



OHIO 



12.660 sq.i 



COLORADO 

 11.600 sq. mi 



MICHIGAN 

 11.300 sq.mi 



ALABAMA . 

 8,A3o sq.mi 



■TENNESSEE 

 ""oosq-m,. 



S.DAKOTA 



ARKANSAS 

 1,730 sq, mi 



N, CAROLINA 

 800 sq.mi - 



MARYLAND 

 siosq.mi- 



OREGON 

 Z30 sq.i 



GEORGIA 

 170 sq.n 



IDAHO 

 14.0 sq.m 



Diagram Showing the Coal Areas of the Various States 



Colorado stands at the head, with a pro- 

 duction of nearly 9,000,000 tons an- 

 nually; Wyoming stands second, with a 

 production of 5,600,000 tons; Washing- 

 ton third, with a production of 2,800,000 

 tons; New Mexico fourth, with 1,600,000 

 tons; Montana fifth, with 1,600,000 tons, 

 and Utah sixth, with 1,300,000 tons. 



The areas of the coal fields that lie 

 within the various states differ greatly, 

 even more than the production. The rel- 

 ative size of these areas is given in the 

 following diagram : 



To many readers it will be a surprise 

 to learn that the coal fields of Montana 

 are more extensive than those of any 

 other state, and that Texas is a close sec- 

 ond. In this connection it must be un- 

 derstood that each of these states in- 

 cludes an enormous territory, equal to 

 two or three of the smaller eastern states. 

 It is true, however, that most of the 

 coal territory of these states is underlain 



by low-grade lignite, and hence the fields 

 are not so important as their areas would 

 seem to indicate. The same is true of 

 North Dakota, which includes an ex- 

 tremely large area of coal territory, but 

 unfortunately the fuel is wholly lignite 

 and of comparatively little value. 



The extent of some of the coal fields is 

 largely hypothetical. This is particularly 

 the case with Washington, where the 

 present estimate is probably far below 

 the real extent of the fields. It might 

 be supposed that Washington had been 

 explored thoroughly enough to deter- 

 mine approximately the extent of its coal 

 fields, but the peculiar conditions which 

 prevail on the west slope of the Cascade 

 Range make it practically impossible to 

 settle the question at the present time. 

 The surface is deeply covered by glacial 

 drift and vegetation, and it is only where 

 the great streams rushing down off the 

 mountain slopes have cut through this 



