COAL    RESOURCES    OF    KENOVA    QUADRANGLE.  261 
I" Ferriferous"  limestone,^  with  its  important  associated  fire  clay.  This  group  may  be 
jreadily  recognized,  as  it  rests  on  the  Homewood  sandstone  and  is  capped  by  a  similar 
1  massive  bed  lying  above  coal  No.  9.  It  is  variable  in  thickness.  For  example,  southwest 
jof  Willard  it  thins  from  130  to  90  feet  in  crossing  a  hill.  Near  Coalgrove,  Ohio,  it  is  approxi- 
mately 180  feet  thick. 
A  cut  on  the  Norfolk  and  Western  Railway  near  the  mouth  of  Big  Sandy  River  displays 
some  of  the  most  massive  sandstones  in  the  area.  These  form  the  base  of  the  next  higher 
formation.  The  rocks  of  this  division  are  prevailingly  shaly,  usually  bright  green  or  red, 
with  occasional  beds  of  sandstone,  some  of  which  become  very  massive,  together  with 
beds  of  limestone  and  iron  ore.  This  formation  includes  coals  No.  10  and  No.  11,  and 
smaller  seams  up  to  the  base  of  the  Pittsburg  coal.  It  corresponds  to  the  Conemaugh 
formation  of  Pennsylvania,  and  where  fully  represented  west  of  Centerville,  W.  Va.,  is 
about  300  feet  thick.  Above  the  Pittsburg  coal  occur  100  feet  of  higher  beds  belonging 
to  the  Monongahela  formation. 
GENERAL  DESCRIPTION   OF  COAL  BEDS. 
There  are  workable  beds  of  coal  scattered  through  nearly  the  entire  geological  column 
as  developed  in  this  area,  up  to  and  including  the  celebrated  Pittsburg  coal  at  the  base 
of  the  Monongahela  formation.  These  coals  vary  widely  in  character  and  include  most  of 
the  varieties  of  the  bituminous  class.  The  bulk  belong  to  the  harder  bituminous  variety, 
frequently  assuming  a  splinty  aspect.  They  usually  break  into  blocks  along  charcoal 
layers,  and  hence  may  be  classed  as  semiblock  coals.  They  are  unsuitable,  in  the  main, 
for  coking,  but  give  excellent  results  for  steam  and  domestic  purposes.  Nearly  all  bear 
transportation  and  stocking  well.  Coal  No.  7,  the  Ashland  or  Sheridan  seam,  has  found 
and  still  finds  a  ready  market  for  furnace  work.  For  convenience  in  reference  and  with 
a  commercial  rather  than  a  scientific  point  of  view,  these  coals  will  be  described  by  districts 
|  as  follows: 
1.  Big  Sandy  River. 
2  Louisville  and  Lexington  Railroad. 
3.  State  of  Ohio. 
4.  Little  Sandy  River. 
5.  Eastern  Kentucky  Railroad. 
BIG    SANDY    RIVER    DISTRICT. 
Though  not  the  most  important  commercially,  this  district  will  be  described  first,  since 
it  includes  the  widest  range  of  coals,  comprising  the  horizons  of  all  the  coal  beds  in  the 
area.  It  will  thus  serve  as  a  natural  introduction  to  the  following  descriptions:  From 
the  structure  already  outlined,  it  is  evident  that  the  lower  beds  should  appear  near  the 
edge  of  the  quadrangle,  on  the  north,  west,  and  south.  What  will  probably  prove  on  paleo- 
botanic  evidence  to  be  the  lowest  coals  in  the  area  are  the  four  thin  seams  showing  in  the 
section  along  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Railway  on  Levisa  Fork  south  of  Chapman  post- 
office.  So  far  as  known,  these  are  not  of  workable  thickness,  the  average  of  each  being 
less  than  12  inches.  The  lowest  seam  of  any  importance  in  this  district  occurs  about  80 
feet  above  this  lower  group  and  has  been  designated  the  "little  cannel"  coal  from  the 
presence  in  its  main  bench  of  a  splint  band  containing  sufficient  volatile  matter  to  place 
it  among  the  cannel  coals.  It  has  been  opened  at  Torchlight,  near  the  railroad  track, 
both  above  and  below  the  tipple  of  the  Torchlight  Coal  Company,  where  it  occurs  140 
feet  under  the  Torchlight  or  No.  3  coal.  Just  south  of  the  tipple  a  section  shows  19  inches 
of  coal  with  one-half  inch  of  fire-clay  parting  near  the  base.     To  the  north  of  the  tipple 
2  to  2h  feet  of  bright,  clean  coal  containing  bands  of  splint  were  seen.  The  northerly 
dips  carry  it  almost  immediately  below  drainage.     On  Threemile  Creek  this  coal  is  workable 
a  This  name  was  used  by  Andrews  and  other  geologists  in  the  reports  of  the  Ohio  Geological  Survey, 
and  it  is  accepted  for  use  in  this  paper  in  the  same  sense,  but  in  the  final  report  a  geographic  namy 
for  this  bed  of  limestone  will  be  proposed. 
