Total Coal Thickness of the Lower Elkhorn Coal in Eastern Kentucky

This map is one of a series that shows the regional characteristics of the Lower Elkhorn coal. The maps were prepared as part of the U.S. Geological Surveys National Coal Assessment Program, which compiles regional maps and databases that provide a comprehensive assessment of the most important coal beds in the nation. The Lower Elkhorn coal is one of the leading producers in the state of Kentucky and has, in some areas, a reputation as an excellent metallurgical-grade coal. It is known locally as the Pond Creek, Imboden, Path Fork, Blue Gem, Straight Creek, Bruin, or Vires coal bed. This map represents the total coal thickness, minus partings, of the bed for the eastern Kentucky region. It is not a traditional isopach map, because the mineable bed is not composed of the same benches in all areas (Fig. 1). Discontinuities, delineated by facies boundaries on the map, indicate abrupt changes in thickness caused by splitting; discontinuities also occur between areas where entirely different beds in the Lower Elkhorn zone are favored for mining