COAL. 
The first paper presented below is a reprint, in slightly condensed 
form, of the introduction to the series of special reports on the coal 
fields of the United States, published in 1902/* It is republished 
here to serve as a summary of the subject for this volume. Fol- 
lowing it will be found two reports, hitherto unpublished, on the 
results of field work b}^ the Survey during 1002 in the coal fields of 
Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Illinois, and of Alaska. Field work was 
also carried on by the Survey in other coal districts, but the results 
are not now in shape for publication. 
The series of reports on United States coal fields above mentioned 
covered the entire coal industry of the country. Owing to the length 
and importance of these reports, it is impossible to present satisfac- 
tory abstracts of them in this bulletin. For detailed information in 
regard to the various fields it will be necessary, therefore, for the 
reader to consult the reports themselves. 
COAL FIELDS OF THE UNITED STATES. 
By C. W. Hayes. 
DISTRIBUTION OF COAL IN THE UNITED STATES. 
Coal occurs in commercial quantities in 27 of the 47 States and Ter- 
ritories of the United States and in Alaska. The following table 
shows the areas of coal-bearing formations in the several States and 
the rank of the coal-producing States in area and production: 
Rank of coalfields and coal-producing States hi area and production. 
Area of 
coal- 
bearing 
forma- 
tions. 
Per 
cent 
prob- 
ably 
pro- 
duc- 
tive. 
Rank 
of 
field 
and 
State 
in area. 
1900. 
Coal field, and State or Territory. 
Produc- 
tion. 
Aver- 
age 
price 
per 
ton at 
mine. 
Per 
cent of 
total 
pro- 
duc- 
tion. 
Rank 
in 
pro- 
duc- 
tion. 
Anthracite field: 
Sq. miles. 
rows. 
98,404 
57,367,915 
$1.40 
0.04 
21.25 
Pennsylvania 
484 
26 
1 
X 
Atlantic coast Triassic: 
Virginia 
270 
800 
50 
(?) 
30 
24 
J 57,912 
North Carolina 
1.79 
Total 
1,070 
VIII 
57.912 

"Twenty-second Ann. Rept., Pt. III. For a list of Survey's publication on coal, see p. 294. 
Bull. 213—03 17 257 
