Issue 2001, No. 1

The Middle Kittanning coal bed, known commercially in Ohio as the No. 6, is one of the most extensively mined coals in the state, both historically and spatially. Surface and deep mining during 1999 produced over 2.3 million short tons of Middle Kittanning coal, ranking it 4th of the 17 coals reported mined. Moreover, cumulative production from 1946 to 1998 totaled more than 360 million tons, ranking it second behind the Pittsburgh coal in overall statewide production. However, despite the importance of this coal, the most recent comprehensive resource assessment for the Middle Kittanning was performed almost 50 years ago.
 
Recently, the Division of Geological Survey entered into a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey to evaluate, on a statewide basis, the coal resources for the Middle Kittanning coal as part of the federal Coal Availability program. This investigation focused on calculating how much Middle Kittanning coal remains for future development. Numerous variables were considered, including thickness and spatial distribution of the Middle Kittanning coal, current mining practices and constraints, the extent of previous mining, types of cultural land use, and technological restrictions that affect coal recovery. Extensive core drilling by the Division of Geological Survey over the past 25 years has greatly expanded the subsurface database on deep coal beds in Ohio. These and other newly acquired data permitted a more accurate resource assessment for the Middle Kittanning, particularly in areas where previous investigations lacked data.
 
The Middle Kittanning coal-resource investigation used ArcView, a Geographic Information System (GIS) designed by ESRI (Environmental System Research Institute) for personal-computer systems. This technology permitted efficient management of data and rapid completion of the various maps and data queries necessary to complete a coal-resource investigation of this magnitude. The Middle Kittanning investigation is the first coal-resource assessment to use ArcView and only the second GIS-based coal resource investigation conducted by the Division.
 
Results of this new assessment indicate Ohio had an original coal-resources base of 21.2 billion short tons of Middle Kittanning coal. This figure is 119 percent greater than the previous resource estimate conducted by the Division of Geological Survey. Surface and deep mining through the years has removed approximately 8 percent of the original resource base, leaving slightly more than 19.6 billion short tons of coal. Land-use and technological restrictions, such as major federal and state highways, population centers, railroads, parks, and coal considered too deep for mining, further reduced the remaining resource base by approximately 29 percent. Thus, on the basis of the established parameters of this resource assessment, Ohio has slightly more that 13.9 billion short tons of Middle Kittanning coal remaining for future development.
 
Of the 13.9 billion short tons of remaining coal, only 3.2 billion short tons, or about 23 percent, are within 200 feet of the surface. Future exploitation of the Middle Kittanning coal has the greatest potential where the coal is 200 to 1,000 feet below the surface; approximately 10.7 billion short tons of coal remain statewide in these regions.
 
Summaries of the resource calculations as well as structure-contour and isopach maps of the Middle Kittanning coal produced for this assessment are on open file at the Division of Geological Survey. These items may be purchased by contacting the Division's Geologic Records Center at 614-265-6576. For more information on the Coal Availability project, contact Ernie Slucher at 614-265-6627, e mail: ernie.slucher@ dnr.state.oh.us.

--E. R. Slucher

Brant, R. A., 1956, Coal resources of the upper part of the Allegheny Formation in Ohio: Ohio Division of Geological Survey Report of Investigations 29, 68 p.
 
Crowell, D. L., 2000, Coal geology of Ohio, in Keystone coal industry manual: Chicago, Illinois, Intertec Publishing Corporation, p. 631-633.
 
Wolfe, M. E., 2000, 1999 Report on Ohio mineral industries: Ohio Division of Geological Survey, 130 p.