ashley]  CUMBERLAND    GAP    COAL    FIELD,   KY.-TENN.  261 
that  it  represents  only  the  lower  portion  of  the  Pottsville.  The  Lee 
contains  some  coal  beds,  of  which  at  least  two  reach  workable  thick- 
ness in  parts  of  this  area,  but  as  they  are  exposed  only  in  the  enflank- 
ing  mountains,  where  they  are  upturned  at  high  angles  and  usually 
more  or  less  crushed,  their  present  value  is  considered  small.  Future 
drilling  may  reveal  their  presence  in  workable  thickness  under  the 
center  of  the  basin,  where,  though  lying  well  below  drainage,  they 
could  readily  be  worked. 
The  upper  part  of  the  series  of  rocks  shows  an  irregular  succession 
of  shales,  sandstones,  and  coals,  the  shales  and  sandstones  being  in 
about  equal  proportions  and  showing  little  tendency  toward  segrega- 
tion in  particular  parts  of  the  section. 
In  studying  the  stratigraphy  and  coal  content  of  the  upper  part  of 
this  series  of  rocks  it  will  be  convenient  here  to  consider  separately 
the  Log  Mountain  area  west  of  the  fault  belt  from  Cumberland  Gap 
to  Pineville,  and  the  Harlan  region  east  of  that  belt. 
Over  2,300  feet  of  strata  occur  above  the  Lee  in  Log  Mountains, 
which  contain  at  least  40  coal  beds,  of  which  13  are  of  workable  thick- 
ness. No  doubt  many  of  these  are  not  persistent  over  the  entire  area, 
but  many  have  a  wide  distribution  and  8  are  being  worked  on  a  com- 
mercial scale.  Nearly  all  of  the  coals  are  more  or  less  broken  up  by 
partings,  which  in  some  cases  increase  so  as  to  make  the  coal  worked 
in  one  district  unworkable  in  neighboring  districts.  As  a  rule  the 
upper  coals  are  the  best,  but  they  lie  so  high  in  the  mountain  as  to 
have  rather  limited  areas. 
The  principal  coals  are  as  follows: 
Red  Spring  coal. — This  coal  lies  immediately  above  a  hea/y  sand- 
stone that  makes  prominent  cliffs  around  much  of  the  crests  of  Log 
Mountains,  coming  about  200  feet  below  the  highest  points  and  above 
or  level  with  many  of  the  gaps.  It  has  an  altitude  of  2,600  to  3,000 
feet  above  sea  level.  Three  coals  have  been  found  above  it,  one  3  feet 
3  inches  thick,  and  one  4  feet  thick,  the  latter  badly  broken  up  with 
partings.     Two  sections  of  the  Red  Spring  coal  are  as  follows: 
Section  of  Red,  Spring  coal  in  Log  Mountains. 
Ft.    In. 
Coal 5    3 
Section  of  Red  Spring  coal  in  Bryson  Mountain. 
Shale  roof.  Ft.  In. 
Coal 3  8J 
Clay 0  10£ 
Coal 1  6 
Clay 0  2| 
Coal 0  3 
Total 6      6£ 
