Coal Seam Exposures in the Powder River Basin

Coal croplines represent exposed coal seams due to erosion and tectonic activity in the Powder River Basin. The dataset was produced by SCIOPS through digitizing photointerpreted features from 1:24,000 scale USGS quadrangles. Data collection and publication concluded in 1994.

Use Cases

• Model groundwater flow by integrating coal cropline locations as spatial input parameters.
• Assess surface water hydrology impacts using the linear features of exposed coal seams.
• Map geological formations by analyzing attributed coal seam names for regional stratigraphy.
• Conduct cumulative impact assessments for mining by overlaying cropline data with other environmental layers.

Strengths

• Features are mapped at a detailed 1:24,000 scale.
• Linear features include attribution with the name of the exposed coal seam.

Limitations

• Data is temporally stale, last updated in 1994.
• Specific row counts, file sizes, and spatial extents are unknown.
• Original data collection method (photointerpretation) may introduce positional inaccuracies.

Provenance

Source

SCIOPS

Collection Method

Digitized from photointerpreted features on 1:24,000 USGS quadrangles.

Geography

Powder River Basin, Wyoming, USA.