THE  WARRIOR   COAL  BASIN  IN  THE  BIRMINGHAM  QUAD- 
RANGLE, ALABAMA. 
By  Charles  Butts. 
INTRODUCTION. 
The  present  paper  is  a  preliminary  and  provisional  report  on  a  comparatively  well- 
developed  and  well-known  area.  It  is  based  on  work  done  in  the  past  field  season,  con- 
tinuing the  geologic  survey  of  the  Birmingham  district.  The  region  has  been  described  by 
Mr.  Henry  McCalley,  assistant  State  geologist,  in  the  reports  of  the  Alabama  Geological 
Survey  entitled  "On  the  Warrior  Coal  Field"  (1886)  and  "Report  on  the  Warrior  Coal 
Basin,"  with  map  (1900).  Much  help  has  been  derived  from  these  reports.  The  writer  also 
acknowledges  the  receipt  of  valuable  information  from  many  individuals  and  mining  com- 
panies operating  in  the  region. 
LOCATION. 
The  Birmingham  quadrangle  lies  mainly  to  the  north  of  Birmingham,  Ala.,  and  includes 
most  of  the  city.  It  is  a  rectangular  area  of  nearly  1,000  square  miles,  included  within 
the  parallels  33°  30'  and  34°  and  the  meridians  86°  30'  and  87°.  The  northern  boundary 
runs  just  north  of  Bremen  and  Cleveland,  the  eastern  is  a  short  distance  east  of  Chepultepec 
and  Ilenryellen,  the  southern  passes  through  the  southern  part  of  Birmingham,  and  the 
western  lies  just  west  of  Littleton  and  Bremen.  The  part  of  the  area  containing  the  coal 
beds  described  below  is  shown  in  the  sketch  map  (PI.  V).  On  this  map  the  areas  underlain 
by  workable  coal  beds  are  inclosed  by  the  line  representing  the  outcrop  of  the  Black  Creek 
seam.  These  are  two  principal  areas — one  in  the  southwestern  part,  wedge-shaped,  broad- 
est to  the  southwest,  and  extending  northeastward  to  beyond  the  center  of  the  quadrangle, 
and  one  in  the  northwest  corner  in  the  region  of  Arkadelphia  Mountain.  These  will  be 
designated  as  the  southern  and  northern  fields  of  the  quadrangle.  A  few  small  outliers  of 
coal  occur  near  Arkadelphia  Mountain  and  a  considerable  area  in  the  vicinity  of  Creel. 
The  combined  areas  equal  about  250  square  miles. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 
The  surface  of  the  coal-bearing  territory  is  rough.  Altitudes  vary  from  300  feet  along 
the  forks  of  Black  Warrior  River  to  800  feet  in  the  highest  hills.  Between  the  large  si  reams 
are  generally  flat  ridges,  from  which  run  off  long,  narrow  spurs,  separated  by  deep  ravines. 
The  larger  valleys  are  narrow  and  crooked  along  a  large  part  of  their  length,  and  bordered 
by  bluffs  or  cliffs  in  many  places. 
Locust  Fork  of  Black  Warrior  River  drains  the  southern  coal  field  and  Mulberry  Fork 
the  northern.  The  minor  drainage  of  the  southern  field  is  northwestward;  that  of  the 
northern  is  southeastward.  In  the  southern  field,  Village,  Fivemile,  Crooked,  Cunning- 
ham, Turkey,  and  Gurley  creeks  are  the  most  important  streams;  in  the  northern  field 
Dorsey  Creek  is  the  only  large  stream. 
Notwithstanding  the  roughness  of  the  country  it  has  been  possible  without  greal  expense 
to  reach  by  railroad  many  points  at  which  the  several  seams  of  coal  can  be  mined  to  advan- 
tage. There  seem  to  be  no  serious  obstacles  to  reaching  all  other  points  also  at  which 
mines  can  be  advantageously  located. 
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