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Location: 2 km SE from Oaktown, Indiana, United States
12261 North Agricare RoadOaktownIndiana, United States47561
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The Oaktown Mining Complex is situated in the Carbondale Group (Formation) of the Pennsylvania System. Near-surface geology of this area primarily consists of the overlying Quarternary System. Coal seams mined in this region are generally classified as medium- to high-sulfur content and moderate ash thermal coal products.The Indiana V Seam is the only coal seam of economic interest on the property. Structurally, the Indiana V Seam consists of a singular and relatively consistent horizon averaging between 4 ft to 8 ft thick containing little in-seam parting. The Indiana V globally dips in the general westerly direction and experiences localized areas where the seam elevations vary. Pronounced gradients can occur periodically in the form of rolls in the seam. Depths for the Indiana V Seam range from approximately 300 ft to 450 ft below ground surface within the Oaktown Mining Complex area.The Indiana V Seam coal bed is characterized as high sulfur and moderate ash coal that is used for steam purposes.Pennsylvanian sedimentary strata comprise the uppermost stratigraphic units of bedrock in and around the Oaktown Mining Complex. These units primarily include bedrock of, in descending stratigraphic order, the McLeansboro, Carbondale and Racoon Creek Group. The strata of the Pennsylvanian system are predominantly clastic and contain subordinate amounts of coal and limestone. The Indiana V (Springfield) coal seam resides within the Carbondale Group, specifically the Petersburg formation.Coal Seam GeologyThe Indiana V Seam is the only coal seam of economic interest within the Oaktown Mining Complex. The Indiana V Seam is fairly uniform in depositional nature (typically 4 ft to 8 ft thickness) and continuity throughout much of the project’s surrounding area.LithologyThe Indiana V Seam coal bed is relatively consistent containing a singular interval of coal within minimal in-seam partings. Mining methods employed at the Oaktown Mining Complex generally extract the entirety of the coal seam with minimal out-of-seam (OSD) dilution. The coal thickness across the Oaktown Mining Complex area is generally between the 4.0 ft to 8.0 ft range, averaging 4.8 ft over the extents of mine plan areas. Isolated pockets of both thinner and thicker coal do exist, and extreme but generally isolated occurrences may range from less than a foot to above 12 ft thick. The locations of thinner coal occurrences are generally well-defined by the extensive exploration performed in and around the study area, and mine plans have been developed to avoid these low coal occurrences.The immediate roof overlying the Indiana V Seam coal bed generally consists of interbedded shales and sandy shales. Occasional instances of sandstone roof can occur within the project area, where paleochannel sandstone fill has scoured and replaced part or all the normal roof strata. The most prominent existence of paleochannel sandstone fill resides within the sandstone channel that divides the Oaktown Fuels No. 1 and No. 2 Mines mineable reserves. Other, less prominent, localized paleochannelization eroding of the typical roof strata and possibly portions of the Indiana V Seam are likely to be found within the Oaktown Mining Complex mineable reserves. Areas of the deposit with sandstone channels in close proximity to the Indiana V Seam commonly exhibit discontinuities and rolls in the coal bed. Poor roof conditions are also common along margins of the channels, where the roof type transitions between the sandstone roof and normal shale roof. Sunrise has implemented various programs to identify and mitigate, where possible, problems associated with poor roof conditions.The immediate floor beneath the Indiana V Seam coal bed consists of an interval of underclay. The underclay provides a generally competent floor, however poor floor conditions can develop when the underclay is exposed to water.StructureThe Indiana V Seam coal bed is located at depths ranging from approximately 150 ft to over 600 ft below ground surface, averaging 350 ft within the Oaktown Mining Complex area. Seam structure shows a general seam dip of less than 2 degrees in a westerly direction. There are not any major structural faulting or tectonic features known to occur in the deposit. Small-displacement faults and compaction-related faults may be present, but are not expected to materially affect mine plans.The structural setting for the deposit is generally considered to be simple in terms of geological complexity. Some areas exhibit evidence of localized channelization; as such, isolated areas of the deposit may be considered moderate in geological complexity. Having been widely studied and extensively mined, the Indiana V Seam is well-known and widely-accepted to be a uniform deposit.
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