Boulder of cherty dolomite from the
Boone Chert of Mississippian age--the host rock for the ores.
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Substantial amounts of concrete
structures remain in the area, the concrete being made with chat.
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Drainageway from chat piles to nearby
wetland.
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Concrete ore-separation tank near
Commerce.
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Wetlands draining mined areas south of
Picher. The water table is within a few feet of land surface in much
of the District.
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Pond in chat may be a shallow
depression or may be underlain by an open mineshaft. Subsidence is
common in the area.
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Chat commonly consists of boulders or
fine particles ranging in size from small gravel to silt.
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Chat has been used as aggregate for
paved and unpaved roads in the area and perhaps on roads as far away
as St. Louis and Oklahoma City.
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Although this may appear to be a small
pile of chat overlying a thin layer of chat, this 40-acre area near
Picher is covered by a layer of chat 10-15 ft thick.
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Surficial portions of chat piles are
generally friable, but internal portions of the piles commonly
become lithified.
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Aside from scattered grasses and
stunted trees, many parts of the area resemble a moonscape.
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Nestled amongst these chat piles is a
baseball field.
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Another view of baseball field near
Picher.
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An old picnic site at the foot of a
large chat pile.
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The Picher mining district was known
as "The Hay Capital of the World" prior to mining.
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