NEW DATA REFINING A 30 YEAR MAPPING PROJECT AND HUNDRED YEAR PROBLEMS

A recent donation of nearly 50,000 documents comprised of drill hole records, coal chemistry analyses, surface sections, and coal resource maps from an industry partner in late 2020 to the West Virginia Geologic and Economic Survey (WVGES) allowed the Coal Program to refine coal bed mapping in West Virginia (WV). The newly acquired data was manually sorted, scanned, and entered into the WVGES coal database. The physical records that were digitized and entered into the coal database were then stored in the WVGES coal library for archival purposes. Data points consisting of drill hole records, surface sections, and chemistry analyses were georeferenced in ArcMap; these points were then correlated using StratiFact® database and Stratigraphics® program. The addition of this data added an estimated 3,000 new data points, increasing the coal database to over 37,000 individual drill holes statewide. The new data provided insight into the complexities of the splitting and merging of coal seams, especially in the upper Kanawha Formation of the Pottsville Group. To date, several minor issues have been resolved including the elimination of the Stockton Lower Split 2 seam name and the recorrelation of several coal mines in the Stockton-Coalburg coal interval of the upper Kanawha Formation. Current work is focused on correcting correlation issues between the northern and southern coal fields which is necessary for proper mine regulation and accurate taxation.