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CONTACT
Chris Potter,
Central Team Chief Scientist
303.236.1647
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Rocky Mountains and Great Plains
The Rocky Mountain region contains several sedimentary provinces
with extensive coal deposits and significant accumulations of coal-bed gas. (See "Coal-Bed Gas Resources of the Rocky Mountain Region" FS-158-02) |
The Rocky Mountains and Great Plains region is a large province
encompassing the geologically-stable grasslands of the upper, central and
southern plains States and the tectonically active and majestic peaks of
the Grand Tetons and Rocky Mountains. It ranges from Canada to Texas and
Nebraska to Idaho with a wide-range of climates, vegetation, landscapes,
and economies. The plains are typically low-relief rolling hills that have
been occasionally inundated by ancient interior seaways. These areas are
relatively unaffected by the mountain-building episodes and deformation of
the Laramide orogeny to the west. |
The mountainous areas are not continuous,
but form a series of interconnected mountain chains with distinct
geological origins related to episodic tectonic events. Sediments eroded
from the highlands are typically deposited in basins as transgressive and
regressive wedges of clastics and organic muds. These deposition
environments and stratigraphic sequences have created prime environments
for oil and gas formation, establishing the region as prolific oil, gas,
and coal producer and a primary component to Energy Program research and
assessments. Major energy resource areas in the region include the
Williston, Powder River, Green River, Big Horn, and Anadarko Basins to name
a few. This web site provides access to the Energy Resources Program
research activities and products within the Rocky Mountain and Great Plains
Region.
In 1999, 1,100 million short tons of coal were produced in the United States, 38 percent from the Northern Rocky Mountains and Great Plains region. This coal has low ash content, and sulfur content is in compliance with Clean Air Act standards (See "A Summary of the U.S. Geological Survey 1999 Resource Assessment of Selected Coal Zones in the Northern Rocky Mountains and Great Plains Region, Wyoming, Montana, and North Dakota" Bulletin 2189).
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 ROCKY MOUNTAINS AND GREAT PLAINS SPOTLIGHT |
Coal Quality and Major, Minor, and Trace Elements in the Powder River, Green River, and Williston Basins, Wyoming and North Dakota
Open File Report 2007-1116
Petroleum Systems and Assessment of Uniscovered Oil and Gas in the Raton Basin - Sierra Grande Uplift Province, Colorado and New Mexico - USGS Province 41
DDS-69-N
Piceance Creek Basin, Colorado, Oil Shale Geodatabase, version 1.0
Data Series 181
1999 Resource Assessment of Selected Tertiary Coal Beds and Zones in the Northern Rocky Mountains and Great Plains Region
Professional Paper 1625A
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U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
