T212 The Changing Landscape of Energy Geology II

Wednesday, 18 October 2023
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
320

THE DEVELOPMENT OF A STATEWIDE COAL MAPPING DATABASE FOR WEST VIRGINIA, LESSONS AND TRIUMPHS

Paper number: T212-10
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 10:10 AM – 10:30 AM

Authors

  • James Britton Presenting Author
    West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey (WVGES), Morgantown, WV

Abstract

For over twenty years the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey (WVGES) has developed and maintained a Geographic Information System based inventory of mined and remaining coal for 62 minable coals seams and splits known as the Coal Bed Mapping Project (CBMP). This is a cooperative effort entitled the Mineral Lands Mapping Program (MLMP) with the West Virginia Department of Tax and Revenue and the West Virginia University GIS Technical Center. Partnerships and data transfer with other government agencies such as West Virginia Miners Health Safety & Training and United States Department of Interior Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, as well as cooperation from numerous coal companies, proved vital for the development of this project.

Various challenges were encountered throughout development including data acquisition, data density, and accumulation, historical correlation problems, struggles with computer programs and processing, and procurement of reliable mine maps.

Products created include statewide surfaces by seam of outcrop, mined and remaining coal, coal elevation and overburden, geologic discontinuities, coal bed split/merge lines and grids of seam thickness, coal thickness and percent parting. All of these data are publicly available via the WVGES website with a few exceptions.

The original intent of the project was to create a fair and equitable model to be used by the West Virginia Department of Tax and Revenue for mineral tax evaluations, however the CBMP has proved invaluable for other geological research. Derivative products include an Interactive Mapping Service (IMS) for all mining or by seam, a tool to identify potential underground mine subsidence for home owners, exploration of rare earth elements, a coal chemistry database, and studies for identifying potential for pump storage and geothermal HVAC systems as well as evaluating geologic units in West Virginia as a critical minerals resource.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 55, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2023AM-395576

© Copyright 2023 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.