What is the biggest coal deposit in the United States?
The biggest coal deposit by volume is the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana, which the USGS estimated to have 1.07 trillion short tons of in-place coal resources, 162 billion short tons of recoverable coal resources, and 25 billion short tons of economic coal resources (also called reserves) in 2013. The coal in the Powder River Basin is subbituminous in rank. Large coal deposits can also be found in the Williston Basin in North Dakota and Montana (lignite in rank), the Appalachian Basin in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, and Alabama (bituminous in rank), and the Illinois Basin in Illinois and Indiana (bituminous in rank).
Learn more: U.S. Coal Resources and Assessment
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Assessment of coal geology, resources, and reserves in the northern Wyoming Powder River Basin
The abundance of new borehole data from recent coal bed natural gas development in the Powder River Basin was utilized by the U.S. Geological Survey for the most comprehensive evaluation to date of coal resources and reserves in the Northern Wyoming Powder River Basin assessment area. It is the second area within the Powder River Basin to be assessed as part of a regional coal assessment...
Authors
David R. Scott, Jon Haacke, Lee M. Osmonson, James A. Luppens, Paul E. Pierce, Timothy J. Rohrbacher
Assessment of Coal Geology, Resources, and Reserves in the Gillette Coalfield, Powder River Basin, Wyoming
The Gillette coalfield, within the Powder River Basin in east-central Wyoming, is the most prolific coalfield in the United States. In 2006, production from the coalfield totaled over 431 million short tons of coal, which represented over 37 percent of the Nation's total yearly production. The Anderson and Canyon coal beds in the Gillette coalfield contain some of the largest deposits of...
Authors
James A. Luppens, David R. Scott, Jon Haacke, Lee M. Osmonson, Timothy J. Rohrbacher, Margaret S. Ellis
Related
Assessment of coal geology, resources, and reserves in the northern Wyoming Powder River Basin
The abundance of new borehole data from recent coal bed natural gas development in the Powder River Basin was utilized by the U.S. Geological Survey for the most comprehensive evaluation to date of coal resources and reserves in the Northern Wyoming Powder River Basin assessment area. It is the second area within the Powder River Basin to be assessed as part of a regional coal assessment...
Authors
David R. Scott, Jon Haacke, Lee M. Osmonson, James A. Luppens, Paul E. Pierce, Timothy J. Rohrbacher
Assessment of Coal Geology, Resources, and Reserves in the Gillette Coalfield, Powder River Basin, Wyoming
The Gillette coalfield, within the Powder River Basin in east-central Wyoming, is the most prolific coalfield in the United States. In 2006, production from the coalfield totaled over 431 million short tons of coal, which represented over 37 percent of the Nation's total yearly production. The Anderson and Canyon coal beds in the Gillette coalfield contain some of the largest deposits of...
Authors
James A. Luppens, David R. Scott, Jon Haacke, Lee M. Osmonson, Timothy J. Rohrbacher, Margaret S. Ellis
Updated Date: February 4, 2022