• Conduct thorough pre-shift and on-shift examinations of the roof, face, and ribs. A thorough exam must be conducted before any work or travel is started in an area and thereafter as conditions warrant.
• Support any loose roof or rib material adequately or scale loose material before working or traveling in an area.
• When hazardous roof or rib conditions are detected, areas should be dangered-off until they are made safe.
• Rib bolts, installed on cycle and in a consistent pattern, provide the best protection from rib falls.
• Assure that the Approved Roof Control Plan is followed and is suitable for the geologic conditions encountered. If adverse conditions are encountered, the plan must be revised to provide adequate support for the control of the roof, face, and ribs.

For more visit http://www.msha.gov/fatals/2012/FAB12c04.asp

Jeremy Sigler, 34, of Pool, W. Va., was struck by material from the mine’s side wall during the evening shift March 10. Other members of the section crew administered CPR before transporting him outside. Mr. Sigler was taken by ambulance to Raleigh General Hospital in Beckley, W. Va., where he was later pronounced dead.

The Kingston #2 mine is operated by Kingston Mining, Inc., a subsidiary of Alpha Natural Resources, Inc. (NYSE: ANR) of Bristol, Va. Operations are idled under a closure order while Federal and state officials continue their investigation of the accident with the support of mine personnel. Kingston Mining is fully cooperating with the investigation.

“In this sad time our prayers and heartfelt condolences go to Mr. Sigler’s family,” said Charlie Bearse, president of Kingston Mining. “While the mine is idled we will work closely with the outside investigators to determine how and why the accident occurred. We are administering to his family’s needs and providing counseling to his fellow miners at this time to help them deal with the loss of their coworker.”

Mr. Sigler had approximately 10 years of underground mining experience and had been employed by Kingston Mining since 2004.

About Alpha Natural Resources

With $7.1 billion in total revenue in 2011, Alpha Natural Resources ranks as America’s second-largest coal producer by revenue and third-largest by production. Alpha is the nation’s largest supplier of metallurgical coal used in the steel-making process and is a major supplier of thermal coal to electric utilities and manufacturing industries.  In 2011 the company had more than 200 customers on five continents. More information about Alpha can be found on the company’s Web site at www.alphanr.com.

SOURCE Alpha Natural Resources

CONTACT: Ted Pile, +1-276-623-2920, tpile@alphanr.com

Web Site: http://www.alphanr.com

CHARLESTON, W. Va., March 6, 2012 /Coal geology/ – The Arch Coal Foundation honored 12 outstanding West Virginia classroom teachers today with Arch Coal Teacher Achievement Awards. It is the state’s longest running, privately sponsored teacher recognition program.

CONTACT: Kim Link, +1-314-994-2936 or John Snider, +1-304-357-5717

Web Site: http://www.archcoal.com

4.3 million tons of coal was extracted from the Blacksville No. 2 Mine in 2011 when all 3 continuous miner and one longwall miner remained active. CONSOL is now reducing the monthly production by 400,000 tons.

Blacksville No. 2 Mine has 585 total employees. The reduced shifts however do not involve any lay off.

Location Map of the Mine

View Larger Map

Coal Geology-PRNewswire/ – CONSOL Energy Inc.’s (NYSE: CNX) Fola Surface and Robinson Run mines in West Virginia were recognized for their safety performance in 2011, receiving the top two safety awards given to a surface and an underground mine, respectively, through the West Virginia Mountaineer Guardian Awards program.  Four additional CONSOL Energy mine operations in West Virginia were also recognized for their outstanding safety efforts and were named recipients of Mountaineer Guardian awards during the 39th annual West Virginia Mining Symposium held earlier this month in Charleston, WV.

CONSOL Energy’s Fola Surface Mine #1 in Clay County, W. Va., earned the prestigious Bart  B. Lay Jr.  Milestones of Safety Award and CONSOL Energy’s Robinson Run No. 95 Mine in Marion County, W. Va., earned the Eustace E. Frederick Milestones of Safety Award. The 2011 safety performance awards are awarded based on numbers recorded from October 2010 through September 2011.

“We are proud that one of our surface and one of our underground operations in West Virginia have been recognized with the top two safety awards given through the Mountaineer Guardian Awards program,” saidJ. Brett Harvey, CONSOL Energy chairman and CEO. “Earning the top recognition in both the surface and the underground category is a distinct honor. These recognitions, in addition to the safety awards received by four of our other operations, are a credit to our employees and a reflection of not only CONSOL Energy’s commitment to safety, but also of the personal commitment to safety held by each of our employees at these operations.”

The Fola Surface Mine won the state’s top award for surface mine safety, recognizing it for the best safety performance among West Virginia surface mines in 2011. Fola has some 272 employees and worked safely for 526,535 hours producing 2,295,266 tons of coal with zero accidents to earn the award.

The Robinson Run mine won the state’s top award for underground mine safety, recognizing it for the best safety performance among West Virginia underground coal mines in 2011. Robinson Run had some 583employees and worked safely for 1,353,025 hours producing 5,499,559 tons of coal with a 1.3 incident rate to earn the award.

In addition to the awards received by Fola Surface Mine # 1 and Robinson Run, three of CONSOL Energy’s Mingo County, W. Va. operations, including the MT-41, Peg Fork Surface Mine and the Southern WV Resources Surface Mine No. 1; and one additional operation in Clay County, the Peach Orchard Preparation Plant, were each recognized for their commitment to safety through the awards given annually to qualifying underground and surface mining operations across the state of West Virginia.

The MT 41 Mine’s 45 employees worked 76,076 hours with zero accidents; Peg Fork Surface Mine’s 46 employees worked 90,222 hours with zero accidents; Southern West Virginia Resources No. 1 Surface Mine’s 19 employees worked 47,669 hours with zero accidents; and Peach Orchard Preparation Plant’s 44 employees worked 122,901 hours with zero accidents.

Commenting on the achievement at all six operations, Mr. Harvey noted, “At CONSOL Energy, safety is a value. Priorities and goals change, but values do not and the fact that six of our operations in three different West Virginia counties achieved these safety recognitions is proof that our employees understand they are empowered to do whatever they need to do to work safely every day. We are proud of them and their achievements.”

The West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training and the West Virginia Coal Association (Mining and Reclamation Association) established the Mountaineer Guardian Safety Awards Program in 1983 as a joint effort to promote safety in the coalfields of West Virginia. The special program gives recognition to mining workplaces where employees have accumulated qualifying amounts of production without experiencing a fatal accident. Mining operations are divided into categories, based on number of employees in order to be considered for the awards.

Inspectors for the West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety & Training nominate companies who they feel have achieved a balance of production and safety. Selection criteria also includes safety program initiatives by the company; the nominated company’s safety record; and its violation history.

CONSOL Energy Inc., the leading diversified fuel producer in the Eastern U.S., is a member of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Equity Index and the Fortune 500. It has 12 bituminous coal mining complexes in four states and reports proven and probable coal reserves of 4.4 billion tons. It is also a leading Eastern U.S. gas producer, with proved reserves of over 3.7 trillion cubic feet. Additional information about CONSOL Energy can be found at its web site: www.consolenergy.com.

SOURCE CONSOL Energy Inc.

CONTACT: CONTACT: Cathy St. Clair, +1-276-498-8239

Web Site: http://www.consolenergy.com

The company will be applying the herbicides in Clay, Braxton, Nicholas and Webster counties beginning in early September.

The work will be performed in accordance with regulations established by the Public Service Commission of West Virginia (PSC) and the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (DOA), with herbicides approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the state DOA.

“The aerial application of herbicides is the safest, most efficient and most economical means of controlling vegetation along our rights-of-way,” said Rex Bartlett, manager, Forestry Services, Mon Power.  “However, in some of the more populated areas, as well as near parks, ponds and other environmentally sensitive locations, the company will use manual clearing methods.”

To report a potentially sensitive area, submit a comment, or ask questions regarding the herbicide program, customers can call 1-800-955-0179.  The number is staffed between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.  After hours, a telephone service at the same number provides current information about locations to be sprayed.

Mon Power will give advance notice before spraying a property to persons who submit a written request, which must include the name, mailing address, property location and telephone number of the person asking for notification.

Landowners or tenants also have the option of entering into a right-of-way maintenance agreement with Mon Power, thereby taking individual responsibility for keeping the rights-of-way clear.  Such agreements provide for compensation to the landowner, but also require that rights-of-way be maintained according to specifications outlined by the company.  Those interested in maintenance agreements should contact the local Mon Power office for details:

Gassaway Service Center
c/o Scott Vandall, Distribution Specialist
801 State Street
Gassaway, WV  26624-9303
(304) 364-0249
This office has maps available for inspection showing the location of rights-of-way to be included in the spray program for 2011.

By law, Mon Power is required to report that its contractors will be using the following herbicides: 2,4-D, triclopyr, glyphosate, picloram, fosamine, and Imazapyr.  Any questions about the herbicides should be referred to the state DOA or to the EPA.

FirstEnergy is a diversified energy company dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence.  Its 10 electric distribution companies comprise the nation’s largest investor-owned electric system.  Its diverse generating fleet features non-emitting nuclear, scrubbed baseload coal, natural gas, and pumped-storage hydro and other renewables, and has a total generating capacity of approximately 23,000 megawatts.

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.

CONTACT: Todd Meyers, +1-724-838-6650

Web Site: http://www.firstenergycorp.com

MSHA

May 5, 2011, ARLINGTON, Va. (Coal Geology)  – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) announced that federal inspectors issued 20 withdrawal orders and five citations to Randolph Mine in Boone County, W.Va., during an impact inspection conducted in April. Eleven of the orders were issued for violations of the ventilation plan at the underground coal mine owned by Massey Energy and operated by Inman Energy.

On April 29, six MSHA inspectors arrived at Randolph Mine during the afternoon shift, capturing the phones at both the guard shack and mine office to prohibit mine personnel from notifying miners underground of their presence. The inspectors visited four of the operation’s mechanized mining units during the inspection and observed the following conditions and practices:

Two sets of mining equipment were simultaneously and illegally engaged in cutting, mining and loading coal and rock from working places within the same working section, and neither set of mining equipment was on a separate split of intake air. This condition exposed miners to respirable dust hazards that could result in permanently disabling injuries such as black lung and other respiratory diseases.

Combustible materials in the form of loose coal, coal dust and float coal dust were allowed to accumulate in active workings, which can contribute to a mine explosion.

During the mining process, the continuous miner operator and shuttle car operator were engulfed in visible coal dust from cutting coal and rock while the area was on a reduced dust standard due to excessive quartz.

Ventilation curtains, which are necessary to provide proper ventilation to prevent mine explosions and black lung, were not being used in certain working areas.

Water pressure was insufficient on the continuous miner’s water sprays, which suppress dust, and prevent sparking and methane ignitions.

The violations allege that the mine operator engaged in aggravated conduct, constituting more than ordinary negligence, by not following mandatory safety standards, and allowing unsafe and unhealthful mining practices to continue.

“The conduct and behavior exhibited when we caught the mine operator by surprise is nothing short of outrageous,” said Joseph A. Main, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health. “Despite the tragedy at Upper Big Branch last year, and all our efforts to bring mine operators into compliance, some still aren’t getting it. The conditions observed at Randolph Mine place miners at serious risk to the threat of fire, explosion and black lung. Yet, MSHA inspectors can’t be at every mine every day. Our continuing challenge is counteracting the egregious behavior of certain mine operators.”

In March 2010, MSHA received an anonymous complaint about hazardous conditions at Randolph Mine just days after a small fire occurred there. The agency’s inspectors found that the mine operator was not providing adequate ventilation to reduce the risk of explosions and exposure to coal mine dust. Nine 104(d)(2) withdrawal orders were issued for the operator’s failure to provide adequate ventilation, not following the approved ventilation plan by mining depths in excess of the maximum 20 feet, inadequate on-shift examinations and extensive accumulation of loose coal. Inspectors found some sections without air movement caused by line curtains (used to control air flow) being rolled up. These same types of conditions were found again during the April 2011 impact inspection. Section 104(d)(2) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 refers to unwarrantable failure withdrawal orders and requires that an inspection with no similar violations be conducted before the order is terminated.

Impact inspections, which began in force in April 2010 following the explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine, targets mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement due to their poor compliance history or particular compliance concerns, including high numbers of violations or closure orders; indications of operator tactics, such as advance notification of inspections that prevent inspectors from observing violations; frequent hazard complaints or hotline calls; plan compliance issues; inadequate workplace examinations; a high number of accidents, injuries or illnesses; fatalities; and adverse conditions such as increased methane liberation, faulty roof conditions and inadequate ventilation.

NASA used Boone County to show the extensive devastation of land in Appalachian coal fields in their “earth observatory webpage“. NASA presented high quality Landsat 5 satellite images for Boone County, WV ranging between 1984 – 2010 in a time series fashion. The fast and vast expansion of surface mines removing dark green trees in the mountaintop areas could be easily identified on the satellite images. The mining operation was limited to a relatively small area west of the Coal River in 1984. In February 2010, a team of scientists concluded that the impacts on stream and groundwater quality, biodiversity, and forest productivity were “pervasive and irreversible” due to the extensive surface mining activities in Boone County.

Coal mining on a commercial scale in Boone County began in 1846, along Coal River at Peytona, where the cannel coal was mined and floated down the river in flat boats. The mining operations were discontinued in 1861, during the Civil War, and at the close of the war several attempts were made to continue the mining operations, but without much success. The real mining operations in Boone County began after the completion of the Coal River Railroad to Clothier, in 1909, and to Peytona in 1910, and the extension of the Cabin Creek Branch Railroad from Kayford to Colcord, in 1909. (From West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey, Charles E. Krebs, D. D. Teets (Sir.), D. D. Teets (jr.), William Armstrong Price, W. J. Latimer).

There are still multiple active mining operation in the Boone County, West Virginia as of 2011.

Coal Heritage Foundation of Boone County.
THE BITUMINOUS COAL HERITAGE FOUNDATION INC. COAL MUSEUM was established in 1999. The coal museum is truly preserving the heritage of the Southern WV coal fields through Miner’s tools, photographs, oral history tapes, company records and other pieces of the state’s mining history.

• Open Monday through Friday 12PM-4PM
• 347 Main Street, Boone County, Madison, WV 25130
• Contact: Larry V. Lodato, Phone: 304-369-5180 or 9118,Fax: 304-369-9130,Email: boonedevcorp@yahoo.com
• Website: http://www.wvcoalmuseum.org
• Located in downtown Madison. US Rt. 119 (Corridor G) Take the Danville-Madison Exit, go two miles to Madison.

Watch Boone County satellite images on NASA http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/hobet.php?src=eorss-ann

Some major coal companies and related offices in and near the Boone County:

A T Massey Coal Co
407 Wash Branch Rd , Julian, WV (304) 369-2007

Briar Mountain Coal & Coke
184 Summers St Ste 201, Charleston, WV (304) 342-2179

Carter Roag Coal Co
696 Helvetia-Adolph Rd # P, Mill Creek, WV (304) 335-2160

Cascades Coal Sales Inc
1620 Kanawha Blvd E Apt 1b, Charleston, WV 25311
(304) 343-0500

Catenary Coal
42 Rensford Star Rte, Charleston, WV 25306
(304) 925-1760

Coal Fork
Gap View Dr, Charleston, WV

Coal Fillers Inc
4099 Tams Hwy , Sophia, WV (304) 683-5775

Coal Fillers
1572 Hampton Rd, Charleston, WV (304) 343-6669

Coal River Energy
700 Virginia St E Ste 240, Charleston, WV 25301
(304) 414-4300

Coal River Energy LLC
123 Long Shoals Bch, Alum Creek, WV 25003
(304) 756-2901

Coastal Coal Co
4615 Yorks Run Rd, Newburg, WV (304) 892-3352

Consolidation Coal Co
1027 Little Indian Creek Rd, Morgantown, WV (304) 983-3200

Clover International Coal Corp
8508 Virginia Meadows Dr, Manassas, VA (703) 330-1200

Elk Run Coal Co Inc
31754 Coal River Rd, Sylvester, WV 25193
(304) 854-1890

Endurance Coal
180 Randy Hager Ln, Madison, WV 25130-9373 (304) 792-0040 ?

Green Valley Coal Co
5363 Leivasy Rd, Leivasy, WV (304) 846-6600

Independence Coal Co Inc
Uneeda, WV 25205 (304) 369-4494 ?

Island Creek Coal Co
Rte 90 Alpine Pumo No 1 , Thomas, WV (304) 463-4004

Jupiter Coal Co
98 Bob White, Van, WV 25206 (304) 245-8411 ?

Laurel Coal Corp
347 Madison Ave, Madison, WV (304) 369-1399

Logan & Kanawha Coal Co
96 Maccorkle Ave SW, S Charleston, WV (304) 746-4011

Marfork Coal Co Inc
Marfork Rd & Route 3, Whitesville, WV 25209
(304) 854-1852

Mercer Fuel & Coal Co
517 E Main St, Berryville, VA (540) 955-1927

Pocahontas Coal Co
3884 Odd Rd, Josephine, WV 25857
(304) 683-9304

Pocahontas Coal Co
6001 Coal City Rd, Rhodell, WV 25915
(304) 683-9480

Pinson Coal Co Inc
701 Ridgewood Rd, Huntington, WV 25701
(304) 697-4701

Preston County Coal-Coke Corp
8477 Veterans Memorial Hwy, Masontown, WV (304) 864-5411

Riverton Coal Production Inc
400 Patterson Ln, Charleston, WV (304) 345-0934

Sharon Coal Co
RR 1, Masontown, WV (304) 864-6514

Tri Star Coal Sales Co
105 Newcomer Rd, Charleston, WV (304) 744-9825

Sharples Coal Corp
PO Box 305, Madison, WV (304) 369-1578

West Virginia Coals Inc
100 Route 98 W St, Clarksburg, WV (304) 624-5461

Willies Coal Yard
Location is approximateGrafton, WV (304) 265-3652

List of Coal Companies in Boone County from http://www.wvgenweb.org

BOONE
ACTMAN (Boone)
Pinnacle Block Coal Co.
ALTMAN (Boone)
Peak Coal Co.
BRUSH CREEK  (Boone)
Brush Creek Coal Co.
CAMEO  (Boone)
Cameo Splint Coal Co.
COALBLOOM  (Boone)
Halcon Coal Co.
DARTMONT  (Boone)
Orlandi Coal Co.
R.B. Jones Coal Co.
DOBRA CAMP  (Boone)
Boone County Coal
Corporation
GARRISON  (Boone)
Webb Coal Mining Co.
GORDON  (Boone)
Detroit Mining Co.
GREENVIEW  (Boone)
Valco Coal Co.
HIGHCOAL  (Boone)
Anchor Coal Co.
JARROLDS VALLEY  (Boone)
Leevale Coal Co.
JAVINS  (Boone)
Bull Creek Mining Co.
Javins Coal Co.
JEFFREY  (Boone)
Spruce River Coal Co.
KEITH  (Boone)
Columbus-Darby Coal Co.
Hopkins Fork Coal Co.
Keith Coal Mining Co.
LAVILLE  (Boone)
Warner Block Coal Co.
MADISON  (Boone)
Madison Mining Co.
Murphy Coal Co.
MORDUE  (Boone)
Mordue Collieries Co.
MORRISVALE  (Boone)
Horse Creek Block Coal Co.
NELLIS  (Boone)
American Rolling Mill Co.
ORGAS  (Boone)
Vermillion Coal Co.
OTTAWA  (Boone)
Coal River Co.
PRENTER  (Boone)
Big Mountain Coals
Coal River Collieries
The Collieries Co.
Red Parrot Coal Co.
Sharlow Gas Coal Co.
RAMAGE  (Boone)
Spruce River Coal Co.
RIDGEVIEW  (Boone)
Ridgeview Coal Co.
ROCK BOTTOM  (Boone)
Dell Coal Co.
RUMBLE  (Boone)
Coal River Collieries Co.
SECOAL  (Boone)
Standard Eagle Coal Co.
SETH  (Boone)
Coal River Collieries Co.
Laurel Creek Fuel Co.
SHAMROCK  (Boone)
Eagle Mines, Inc.
R.R. Smith Coal Co.
SHARLOW  (Boone)
Sharlow Gas Coal Co.
SILUSH  (Boone)
Scott Coal Co.
Siler Coal Corp.
West Virginia Southern Coal Co.
VAN  (Boone)
Youghiogheny & Ohio Coal Co.
WHITESVILLE  (Boone)
S. & G. Coal Co.
Seng Creek Coal Co.
West Virginia Southern Coal Co.

Boone County Coal Mining: 1986 to 2008 (Source: West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey)

The ceremony will begin at 11:00 a.m. and will be conducted on the project site at Wharncliffe, West Virginia. The public is invited to attend.

The Adams Fork Energy plant will convert regional coal into premium grade, ultra clean gasoline, and will produce 18,000 barrels (756,000 gallons) per day.  Following a four year construction period, this plant will create nearly 300 full-time, direct jobs, and is expected to triple the tax base in Mingo County. The facility was permitted by the State of West Virginia’s DEP based on PRENFLO PDQ gasification technology provided by Uhde, a wholly owned company of the ThyssenKrupp Group. Uhde is the world leader in coal gasification and has decades of experience in coal gasification.

“With this plant, we rekindle a rebirth of America’s self-confidence and competence.  It will produce and displace over 2% of all imported gasoline.  It will create 3,000 construction jobs.  It will demonstrate to all American’s and to the world that we are serious about our energy independence and national security.  It will do all of this without a nickel of taxpayers’ money.  On this occasion, let us allow ourselves a moment of congratulation to all those who made this project a reality,” said Adam Victor, president of TransGas Development Systems.

“This plant will be the first of its kind in the United States,” said Mike Whitt, executive director of the MCRA, “and to think that it will be located in Mingo County is almost unimaginable.  This project is the perfect example of what we’re doing to diversify our economy by creating good paying jobs and increasing the county’s tax base.  We’re so grateful for Adam Victor’s commitment to this project and to the economic benefits it promises to offer Mingo County.”

The MCRA and TransGas encourage everyone to join them at this ceremony, to witness the beginning of this coal-based, alternative energy project; one that will create a new marketplace for coal-derived fuels, and one that could jump start the entire country’s need for energy independence.

SOURCE TransGas Development Systems, LLC

CONTACT: Adam Victor, +1-917-816-3700, adamvictor@transgasdevelopment.com

Web Site: http://www.mcra-wv.org

Natural gas and oil wells provide a modest amount of employment at Barbour County. Wholesale lumber production (wood and wood products) is also present. (The county is a member of the West Virginia Hardwood Alliance Zone.) There is notable production of eggs and horse raising, but the major agricultural products are livestock, forage, dairy foods and orchard fruits.

History: The county was formed in 1843 when the region was still part of the state of Virginia. Philippi, the county seat, was chartered in 1844. Both county and city were named for Philip Pendleton Barbour (1783–1841), a U.S. Congressman from Virginia and Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Barbour County is situated on the Allegheny Plateau at the western edge of the Allegheny Mountains. Barbour County is part of the Tygart River watershed area. Tygart Valley River traverses from south to north through the cities of Philippi, Belington, and Junior. Tributaries of the Tygart River in the County include Teter Creek, Laurel Creek, Hacker’s Creek, the Buckhannon River and the West Fork River. A portion of the County in the west drains into the Middle Fork River, principally through Elk Creek.

Coals in various Geologic units in Barbour county, West Virginia:

• Chemung Group (Devonian): Lithology: siltstone; sandstone; shale; conglomerate
• Hampshire Formation (Devonian): Lithology: shale; sandstone; siltstone; conglomerate
• Greenbrier Group (Mississippian): Lithology: limestone; shale; sandstone
• Mauch Chunk Group (Mississippian): Mauch Chunk Group – red, green, and medium-gray shale and sandstone, with a few thin limestones.
• Pocono Group (Mississippian): hard gray massive sandstones, with some shale.
• Allegheny Formation (Pennsylvanian): cyclic sequences of sandstone, siltstone, shale, limestone, and coal. Includes the Freeport, Kittanning and Clarion coals, also, the Princess coals of Kentucky . Extends from the top of the Upper Freeport coal to the top of the Homewood Sandstone.
• Conemaugh Group (Pennsylvanian): cyclic sequences of red and gray shale, siltstone, and sandstone, with thin limestones and coals. Extends from the base of the Pittsburgh coal to the top of the Upper Freeport coal. Includes the Elk Lick, Bakerstown, and Mahoning coals, and the Ames and Brush Creek Limestones.
• Kanawha Formation (Pennsylvanian): Sandstone (approx 50%), shale, siltstone, and coal. Contains several marine zones. Becomes more shaly westward in the subsurface. Extends from the top of the Homewood Sandstone to the top of the Upper Nuttall Sandstone. Includes the Stockton (Mercer), Coalburg, Winifrede, Chilton, Williamson, Cedar Grove, Alma, Peerless, Campbell Creek, Powellton, Eagle, Gilbert, and Douglas coals.
• Monongahela Group (Pennsylvanian): non-marine cyclic sequences of sandstone, siltstone, red and gray shale, limestone, and coal. Contains the Uniontown and Pittsburgh Formations. Extends from the top of the Waynesburg coal to the base of the Pittsburgh coal. Includes the Waynesburg, Uniontown, Sewickley, Redstone and Pittsburgh coals.
• New River Formation (Pennsylvanian): predominantly sandstone, with some shale, siltstone, and coal. Extends from the top of the Upper Nuttall Sandstone to the top of the Flattop Mountain Sandstone. Includes the Iaeger, Sewell, Welch, Raleigh, Beckley, Fire Creek, and Pocahontas Nos. 8 and 9 coals.
• Pottsville Group (Pennsylvanian): includes the Kanawha, New River, and Pocahontas Formations. Predominantly sandstones, some of which are conglomeratic, with thin shales and coals. Undivided in northern West Virginia.
• Dunkard Group (Permian/Pennsylvanian): non-marine cyclic sequences of sandstone, siltstone, red and gray shale, limestone, and coal. Contains the Greene, Washington and Waynesburg Formations. Extends from the top of the exposed bed rock section to the top of the Waynesburg coal. Includes the Washington coals and limestones.

Source and detailed stratigraphy of Barbour County, West Virginia

Some Coal related Companies:

Coal & Coke-wholesale:
Mc Coy Brothers Inc
5 South Main Street, Philippi, WV 26416-1330
(304) 457-2290 ?

Coal Analytical Lab in Barbour County:
Standard Laboratories, Inc.
(Currently Operates Twenty Nine Laboratories in the U.S. Specializing in Coal Sampling and Analysis, with Additional Analytical Capability in Soil, Water, Environmental and Geochemical Matrices.)
RR 2 Box 88C, Belington, WV 26250-9501
(304) 457-4749 ?
standardlabs.com

Philippi Development Inc: COAL LAB
RR 3 Box 146, Philippi, WV 26416-9554
(304) 457-2559 ?

Coal Mine
Roblee Coal Co Mine
Peel Tree Road, WV 26238
(304) 457-3721 ?

Jeran Mining Inc
South Kanawha & Lincoln St, Buckhannon, WV 26201
(304) 472-5666 ?

General Geography (from History of West Virginia by Hu Maxwell)
Barbour County is less rugged than the counties south and east of it. The mountains are not so high, nor the valleys so deep as those of Tucker and Randolph. While there are cliffs of some boldness along the water courses, there are few of the pinnacles and peaks so common east of Laurel Hill and along the spurs of the Alleghanies. The mountains of the region further east sink into hills with rounded tops in Barbour. Still, Barbour has no wide valley, like the magnificent one lying in Randolph between Rich Mountain and Cheat Mountain; nor has it a valley to compare with some of the bottom lands along Cheat River in Tucker; but in Barbour the level or nearly level lands lie, for the most part, on the ridges and uplands. Taken all in all, the geography differs widely from that of the region between Laurel Hill and the Alleghanies, and this difference is due to certain facts in geology which it is necessary to understand in order to make plain the reason why Barbour’s mountains are not high nor its valleys deep and wide.
The period of disturbance succeeding the Carboniferous epoch, which compressed the rock formations of the Alleghany region into vast folds, expended its strength in uplifting the rocks which have since been excavated into mountains, range beyond range, in parallel ridges, beginning with the Shenandoah Mountain, North Fork Mountain, Alleghany Mountain, Backbone Mountain, Cheat and Rich Mountains. In looking at a map it will be seen that the last large mountain of the Alleghany system on the west is Rich Mountain in Randolph, and its continuation through Barbour and Tucker, known as Laurel Hill. East of that ridge the mountains roll, fold beyond fold, until they reach the Valley of Virginia. But west of Laurel Hill and Rich Mountain the rocks are not much folded, and no high mountains are found. East of Laurel Hill the strata are crumpled, broken, set on edge, turned this way and that at all angles; but west of the great ridge the rocks lie more nearly horizontal, layer upon layer, extending toward the Ohio River, in almost unbroken regularity. To this fact is due Barbour County’s lack of deep valleys and high and rugged hills. No vast rocks have been tilted on edge to form pinnacles. No steep inclines have assisted erosion to cut deep valleys.

Incorporated Communities

• Town of Belington
• Town of Junior
• City of Philippi

Unincorporated Communities

• Adaland
• Arden
• Audra
• Bear Mountain
• Berryburg
• Berryburg Junction
• Boulder
• Brownton
• Calhoun
• Carrollton
• Century
• Century Junction
• Claude
• Clemtown
• Corder Crossing
• Corley
• Cove Run
• Dartmoor
• Dent
• Elk City
• Finegan Ford
• Gage
• Galloway
• Hall
• Hiram
• Hopewell
• Independence
• Jones
• Kalamazoo
• Kasson
• Kirt
• Lantz
• Longview
• Mansfield
• Meadowville
• Meriden
• Middle Fork
• Moatsville
• Mount Liberty
• Murphy
• Nestorville
• Overfield
• Peeltree
• Pepper
• Pleasure Valley
• Stringtown
• Tacy
• Talbott
• Tygart Junction
• Union
• Valley Bend
• Valley Furnace
• Vannoys Mill
• Volga
• Weaver Community
• Wellington Heights
• Werner
• West Junior

Barbour County, West Virginia Coal Production Data 1986 – 2008*

* Source of data: West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey