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Fossil Fuel and Geothermal Energy Sources for Local Use in Alaska Chapter J, Railbelt that coal-bearing strata underlie the entire Kenai Lowland. The grade of coal in the Kenai onshore district ranges from lignite to subbituminous, which is considered to have low to medium heating potential, with an average heating value of 7,700 Btu/lb. The rank decreases in younger, shallower rocks. The coals have moderately high to high ash contents and may require crushing and washing to increase their heating value. The low measured sulfur content of the coal and overburden indicate a relatively low potential for producing acid rain or acidic contamination from mine waste materials. The number and thickness of coal beds decreases northward along the Kenai Peninsula. Although Tertiary strata in the Kenai Lowland are typically flat lying or gently dipping, coal beds in the region are lenticular and locally offset by high-angle faults, making it difficult to extrapolate over lateral distances greater than ~0.5 km. The 1,100 square-mile area south of Tustumena Lake and the Kasilof River contains a total of 57.6 million tons of calculated measured, 347.2 million tons identified, and 41,550 million hypothetical tons of coal (Merritt and others 1987). Bedrock north of Tustumena Lake is obscured by thick Quaternary glacial deposits, but several thousand feet of coal-bearing deposits have been penetrated by wells in the Swanson River field as well as other exploration wells in the region. The main challenge to extraction of coal in the Kenai onshore district is the presence of glacial overburden that can be up to several hundred feet thick, particularly farther north along the peninsula. Because of the thick glacial deposits that cover the underlying coal-bearing bedrock, additional drilling will be required to further delineate the resource potential for much of the Kenai Peninsula. For further information, refer to Barnes and Cobb (1959) and Barnes (1967). The Port Graham district, south of Kachemak Bay includes the site of the earliest coal mine in Alaska. The mine was operated by the Russians between 1855 and 1867, but was closed due to unprofitability (Stone, 1906). Estimates of the volume of coal in the Port Graham district have not been made, but recent field work in the area by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources suggests that coal is present only in thin (less than 20 cm thick), laterally discontinuous lignite seams. An estimated 532 million short tons of coal from the Beluga and Tyonek formations of the Kenai Group are estimated to underlie much of Cook Inlet in the Kenai offshore district in beds more than 20-feet thick (McGee and O’Connor, 1975). Estimates were based on electric log interpretation from 47 exploratory and development wells on the west side of Cook Inlet. However at present, the coal is beyond extraction with current technology. Matanuska Field. The Matanuska field encompasses approximately 195 square miles in the Matanuska Valley, located approximately 50 miles from downtown Anchorage (fig. J3 and sheet 2). The field is located directly adjacent to Alaska Highway 1 (Glenn Highway) at the upper end of the Knik arm of the Cook Inlet. Thus, the Matanuska field is in close proximity to commercial road and rail infrastructure, a tidewater port, and the largest population center in the State of Alaska. The field was mined for coal from 1914 to 1968, with the Premier Mine providing coal for local needs until 1982 (Merritt, 1988). The field is divided into the Chickaloon, Wishbone hill, and Anthracite Ridge mining districts (Merritt and Hawley, 1986). Coal from each of these districts is derived from the Paleocene age Wishbone Formation. Coal grade in the district decreases southwestward from high grade semi-anthracite to anthracite grade at Anthracite Ridge to medium-grade bituminous coal in the Chickaloon district. Coal extracted from the Matanuska field has heating values that range from approximately 10,400 to 14,400 Btu/lb (Merritt, 1985a, Merritt and Hawley, 1986) and has relatively high ash and low sulfur contents (Merritt, 1986; Merritt and Hawley, 1986). Coal overburden analyses yield low concentrations of pyritic sulfur, indicating low potential for acid mine drainage (Merritt, 1986). Resources for the entire field are estimated at 48.5 million short tons measured, 165 million short-tons identified, and hypothetical resources estimated up to 551 million short tons as of 1990 (Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, 1990). Most of the mineable coal is concentrated in the Wishbone Hill and Chickaloon districts. Potential challenges to sustained coal extraction noted by Merritt (1986a) include significant faulting, sometimes with large magnitude offsets, coal beds that are laterally discontinuous, steeply-dipping coal beds that make strip mining difficult, and pinching and swelling of coal beds. Other potential complications include local degradation of coal quality from nearby igneous activity, the presence of locally abundant coal-bed methane that can add cost to underground mining operations, and the presence of impurities within the coal that would require crushing and washing to increase the energy value of the coal. Merritt (1988) also notes that the Matanuska field is unlikely to support large-scale mines with annual productions greater than one million tons per year. For a more thorough examination of the Matanuska field, refer to Merritt (1985). Susitna Field. The Susitna field is bisected by the Castle Mountain fault (sheet 2), a significant structure that generally separates the field into two districts: the Susitna Flats to the north and the Little Susitna to the south (fig. J3). The Susitna Flats district lies within the Susitna basin between Mount Susitna and the Talkeetna Mountains. Coals in this district are part of the lower to middle Kenai Group (likely Tyonek Formation), and are known primarily through data from oil and gas exploration wells in the area (Conwell and others, 1982). The coal grade and resource potential for this area are uncertain. Merritt and Hawley (1986) assume mineable seams of sub-bituminous grade occur throughout much of the Susitna Flats district, although this may be in part due to their inclusion of locally exposed coal beds in the Houston Page 101 RailbeltPDF Image | FOSSIL FUEL AND GEOTHERMAL ENERGY SOURCES FOR LOCAL USE
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