Paleochannels through the Fire Clay coal

Numerous paleochannels cut through the Fire Clay coal in parts of Leslie, Letcher, and Perry Counties in the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field. Channels are 100 to 1,500 feet wide and as much as 50 feet thick. Channel fills vary from thick sandstone to mixed shale and sandstone to shale. Several paleoslumps have been noted in channels (Greb and Weisenfluh, 1996). Channels are curvilinear to straight, but follow a general east-west to northwest-southeast primary trend; secondary trends follow a more northeast-southwest orientation. Several oblique intersections in apparent channel trends may define subtle fault blocks (Greb and others, 1999a, c). Known channels can be traced across a distance of at least 24 miles.

Roof geology of the Fire Clay coal in parts of Knott, Leslie, Letcher, and Perry Counties showing rock types within ten feet of the top of the coal. Cutouts are shown as heavy black lines.
Roof geology of the Fire Clay coal in parts of Knott, Leslie, Letcher, and Perry Counties showing rock types within ten feet of the top of the coal. Cutouts are shown as heavy black lines.
Cross section through parts of Knott and Letcher Counties showing roof geology above the Fire Clay coal and sandstone cutouts.
Cross section through parts of Knott and Letcher Counties showing roof geology above the Fire Clay coal and sandstone cutouts. FC=Fire Clay coal, FCr=Fire Clay Rider coal, lHa= Lower Hamlin coal, uWh=Upper Whitesburg coal, lWh=Lower Whitesburg coal (from Greb and others, 1999, Fig. 20).

 

 

 

Last Modified on 2023-01-05
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