COAL  TN  NORTHWESTERN  Colorado  AND  NORTHEASTERN  UTAH.       295 
Total  thickness  of  workable  coal. — Little  additional  evidence  beyond 
that  contained  in  the  previous  report  has  been  obtained  as  to  the 
probable  total  amount  of  available  coal  in  the  Mesaverde  formation 
in  the  Yampa  field.  Owing-  to  the  lack  of  more  complete  exposures, 
these  figures  must  still  remain  largely  as  estimates.  The  section  ex- 
posed at  the  Greely  prospects  on  Yampa  River,  below  the  mouth  of 
Williams  Fork,  reveals  30  to  50  feet  of  coal  as  a  minimum.  Accord- 
ing to  former  measurements,  the  section  so  well  exposed  at  Lay  shows 
55  feet  of  coal,  within  a  stratigraphic  range  of  only  320  feet,  and  the 
total  amount  of  coal  at  that  place  is  doubtless  still  greater. 
Local  development  of  the  coal. — The  most  extensive  development  is 
at  Lay,  where  the  beds  have  been  well  prospected  by  A.  G.  Wallihan. 
Other  prospects  visited  are  those  of  the  Greely  group,  just  mentioned, 
a  single  entry  in  Horse  Gulch,  and  several  small  prospects  near  Round 
Bottom.  From  none  of  these  has  any  great  amount  of  coal  been 
mined. 
LARAMIE    COAL. 
Distribution  of  Laramie  strata. — As  shown  by  the  map  (PL  XVI), 
the  outcrop  of  the  Laramie  formation  extends  westward  from  the 
main  part  of  the  Yampa  field  in  a  belt  several  miles  wide,  passing  just 
north  of  Craig.  These  beds  are  doubtless  continuous  farther  west, 
beyond  the  limits  of  the  territory  here  described,  but  are  so  largely 
concealed  by  overlapping  " Browns  Park"  beds  that  their  outcrop 
covers  a  relatively  small  area.  The  total  thickness  of  the  formation  is 
roughly  estimated  at  1,200  feet  in  the  vicinity  of  Craig.  There  is  a 
prevailing  light  dip  to  the  north  and  a  very  uniform  westerly  trend 
of  the  outcrop,  except  where  it  is  deflected  from  this  course  by  the 
Round  Bottom  syncline  and  adjacent  folds. 
Coal  beds. — Coal  is  found  at  various  horizons,  apparently  irregu- 
larly distributed  throughout  the  formation.  Near  Craig  and  also  at 
Hayden  some  large  beds  occur  near  the  base  of  the  formation.  Coal 
beds  of  considerable  thickness  are  found  higher  in  this  formation,  and 
are  exposed  in  sees.  6  and  7,  T.  7  N.,  R.  92  W.  Other  probably 
smaller  beds  at  approximately  the  same  horizon  as  the  upper  beds 
just  mentioned  were  observed  near  Lay  Creek,  in  sec.  7,  T.  7  N.,  R.  93  W. 
No  estimate  is  available  of  the  total  amount  of  coal  in  the  Laramie 
section,  as  exposures  are  far  too  scattering  and  incomplete  to  afford 
the  necessary  data.  About  the  best  observed  exposure  is  at  the  Kim- 
berly  bank,  just  east  of  Craig.  Here  an  8-foot  bed  of  solid  coal,  with 
a  dip  of  14°  N.,  has  been  opened  in  a  prospect  entry.  It  does  not, 
however,  seem  to  have  found  favor  with  the  local  residents  of  Craig, 
who  prefer  to  make  a  considerably  longer  haul  to  get  the  Mesaverde 
coal  rather  than  mine  and  use  this  coal.  It  is  of  lighter  weight  than 
the  older  coal  and  is  said  to  slack  more  rapidly. 
