COAL  FIELDS  OF  THE  WHITE  MOUNTAIN  REGION,  NEW  MEXICO. 
By  Cassius  A.  Fisher. 
The  coal  fields  of  the  White  Mountain  district  occupy  the  highlands 
lying  east  and  south  of  Sierra  Blanca  Peak,  in  the  west-central  part 
of  Lincoln  County,  N.  Mex.,  on  the  headwaters  of  the  Rio  Hondo. 
The  area  in  which  exposures  are  found  is  from  4  to  5  miles  wide  and 
extends  from  southwest  to  northeast,  toward  El  Capitan  Mountain.  It 
is  in  a  region  of  high,  rocky  hills,  traversed  by  deep,  relatively  narrow, 
flat-bottomed  valleys.  Altitudes  range  from  7,500  to  9,000  feet.  Coal 
occurs  in  somewhat  metamorphosed  deposits,  comprising  alternating 
beds  of  limestone,  sandstone,  and  shale,  traversed  by  innumerable 
dikes  of  dark,  igneous  rocks  6  to  30  feet  in  width.  These  dikes 
extend  in  various  directions,  but  generally  radiate  outward  from  the 
main  uplift.  In  some  localities  the  dikes  are  of  such  frequent  occur- 
rence as  to  form  a  complicated  network.  Throughout  the  entire 
region  the  beds  have  been  considerably  distorted,  and  in  many  places 
there  are  indications  of  faulting.  Further  evidence  of  the  strain  to 
which  the  strata  of  the  region  have  been  subjected  is  seen  in  the 
numerous  shearing  planes  which  have  been  developed  in  the  coal, 
causing  it  to  have  a  loose  texture  and  to  be  easily  broken. 
There  are  at  least  two  coal  horizons,  and  possibly  more,  separated 
by  a  considerable  thickness  of  sandstones  and  shales.  The  lowest 
deposit  occurs  in  a  series  of  dark-green  shales  and  sandstones  of  unde- 
termined thickness  and  is  itself  about  2J  feet  thick.  In  appearance  it 
is  black,  with  bright,  shiny  luster  and  even  texture,  but  the  body  of 
the  coal  is  characterized  by  a  lack  of  firmness.  Another  layer  of  about 
the  same  thickness  occurs  considerably  higher  in  the  series.  No  mate- 
rial difference  was  noted  in  the  quality  of  the  coal  of  these  two 
horizons,  both  being  greatly  shattered  and  offering  slight  resistance 
to  weathering.  The  coal  is  bituminous  and  burns  freely,  but  leaves 
considerable  clinker  in  the  ash. 
The  region  as  a  whole  is  not  promising.  The  coal  is  only  of  medium 
quality,  the  quantity  is  not  great,  and  the  conditions  for  development 
are  extremely  unfavorable.  In  working  either  of  the  above-mentioned 
horizons  dikes  penetrating  the  coal  deposits  would  be  encountered  at 
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