National Coal Resources Data System--Components, Capabilities and Applications

Antoinette L. Medlin, Kathleen K. Krohn, Judy F. Hunter

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) developed the National Coal Resources Data System to store coal-related geologic information on a national basis and to provide the capability to manipulate and analyze those data interactively. The system has a modular design to accommodate future data and software requirements.

The current configuration includes eight data bases containing information ranging from stratigraphy to geochemistry to coal resource estimates. Point-located data are obtained from USGS research activities and cooperative agreements with approximately 20 state geologic agencies. Stratigraphic data for more than 150,000 drill holes, and observations and geochemical data for more than 10,000 samples, all located by latitude and longitude, are available to system users. Summary coal-resource tonnage estimates and average chemical analyses are available by coal bed and county. These areal data bases are derived from published reports or from U.S. Bureau of Mines data tapes.

Software capabilities include stratigraphic correlation diagrams, three-dimensional block, fence, and mesh perspective representations, strip-log plots, contouring by various techniques, geostatistical analysis (kriging), and coal-resource tonnage estimates based on USGS methodology or user-defined criteria.

Applications of the system to problems in coal resources and coal geology include assessing the coal resources of the San Juan basin in New Mexico; isopaching and calculating coal resources at map scales from 1:24,000 to 1:100,000; estimating the quantity of coal in Campbell County, Wyoming, that is unavailable because of land use restrictions and the resultant impact on future coal prices and development; and the effect on coal supply of changes in the definition of "compliance" coal.

Future plans include converting the data bases to a modern, relational data-base management system and developing a Geographic Information System capability.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91041©1987 AAPG Eastern Section Meeting, Columbus, Ohio, October 7-10, 1987.