fisher,]  COAL    IN    NORTHWESTERN    WYOMING.  349 
Meeteetse,  and  embraces  a  region  of  about  20  square  miles.  The 
region  is  one  of  considerable  structural  complexit}^.  A  series  of  anti- 
clinal folds  with  intervening-  synclinal  troughs  crosses  the  region  with 
a  south-southeast  trend  from  the  eastern  extension  of  the  Wasatch 
formation,  about  3  miles  below  Meeteetse,  to  the  base  of  the  Shoshone 
Mountains.  This  folding  has  greatly  increased  the  surface  area  of 
the  Laramie  formation,  bringing  the  productive  beds  of  the  basal 
sandy  series  near  the  surface  over  a  considerable  area  in  the  west 
half  of  the  district. 
Beginning  at  the  base  of  the  Shoshone  Range,  the  lirst  fold,  which 
is  small  and  unimportant  in  the  present  consideration,  crosses  Gray 
Bull  River  about  2  miles  above  the  mouth  of  Rock  Creek.  This 
fold  is  exposed  in  the  Benton  shale.  To  the  eastward,  along  Gray 
Bull  River  for  a  distance  of  6  to  8  miles,  the  surface  is  occupied  by 
Pierre  shale.  The  Laramie  formation  is  first  encountered  below  the 
Frank  ranch,  where  a  bold  escarpment  of  the  basal  sandy  series  faces 
the  west.  From  here  the  Laramie  extends  eastward  for  about  3 
miles  in  a  synclinal  trough,  followed  to  the  eastward  by  an  eroded 
anticline  exposing  Pierre  and  Benton  beds.  These  flexures  have  a 
northern  extension  of  4  to  5  miles,  and  to  the  southward  continue  to 
Gooseberry  Creek.  Still  farther  east,  near  the  mouth  of  Rawhide 
Creek,  are  a  low  syncline  and  anticline,  and  to  the  south,  toward  Goose- 
berry Creek,  a  number  of  prominent  folds  occur.  From  the  east  slope 
of  the  low  anticline  at  the  mouth  of  Rawhide  Creek  the  beds  extend 
eastward  with  a  low,  uniform  dip,  passing  beneath  the  Wasatch  beds 
toward  the  center  of  the  Bighorn  Basin.  These  successive  folds,  with 
their  greater  lengths  extending  across  the  Meeteetse  district  at  right 
angles  to  Gray  Bull  River,  cause  the  lower  coal  horizon  of  the  basal 
sandy  series  to  reoccur  at  intervals  along  the  banks  of  this  stream 
from  a  point  about  3  miles  above  Meeteetse  to  the  vicinity  of  the 
Frank  ranch. 
The  Conie  mine,  on  the  Meeteetse  rim,  12  miles  northwest  of 
Meeteetse,  has  recently  been  reopened,  after  lying  idle  for  several  years. 
The  coal  is  in  a  series  of  relatively  thin  beds,  lying  nearly  horizontal. 
Its  stratigraphic  position  is  difficult  to  ascertain,  but  it  is  probably 
near  the  middle  of  the  shaly  division.  The  coal  is  black,  with  an 
unusually  bright  luster,  brown  streak,  and  subconchoidal  fracture. 
The  woody  structure  is  maintained  to  a  marked  degree,  and  its  resist- 
ance to  weathering  is  slight.  Its  occurrence  in  a  soft-clay  formation 
renders  it  difficult  to  mine,  and  the  absence  of  a  solid  roof  necessitates 
elaborate  timbering,  greatly  increasing  the  cost  of  operation.  The 
mine  is  located  in  an  inaccessible  place,  and  will  probably  never  be 
extensively  developed.  The  character  of  this  bed  is  illustrated  in  the 
following  section: 
