ABSTRACT: Resources and Geology of the Davis, Dekoven, and Seelyville Coal Members in the Illinois Basin-A Progress Report

JACOBSON, RUSSELL J., Illinois State Geological Survey, Champaign, IL

The Davis and Dekoven Coals of southeastern Illinois and western Kentucky have recently been correlated with the Seelyville Coal on the eastern shelf of the Illinois basin. The Seelyville Coal ranges from less than 3.5 to more than 9 ft in thickness. Partings of shale from a few inches to more than several feet thick are common in the Seelyville Coal. To the south and west, off the eastern shelf area, one of these clastic partings expands and coarsens, producing two distinct coal seams, known as the Davis and Dekoven Coals. The Davis, the lower one, ranges from less than 2 to more than 6 ft thick and the Dekoven ranges from less than 1 to more than 5 ft thick. Locally another parting in the Dekoven thickens, forming a lower split that is typically only 1-2 ft thick, but locally exceed 3 ft. Estimated resources for these coals in the two states total about 30 billion tons.

Studies to map the Davis and Dekoven Coals in an area of southeastern Illinois covering seven counties were begun two years ago. So far, two counties have been mapped and more than 4 billion tons of resources have been identified in them. The remaining five counties may contain an additional 8 to 10 billion tons. These coals thin westward in the basin.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91013©1992 AAPG Eastern Section Meeting, Champaign, Illinois, September 20-22, 1992 (2009)