Coal Resources of the Kansas City Group, Thayer Bed, in Eastern Kansas

Abstract

The Thayer coal bed of the Chanute formation, Kansas City group, crops out in eastern Kansas, and extends from Kansas City southward to the state line in Montgomery County. Mining activities of the Thayer bed have been centered at Blue Mound, Linn County; in the vicinity of Thayer, Neosho and Wilson counties; and in Montgomery County. It has been estimated that 753,488 tons of coal have been mined from this bed since 1870. The total reserves of Thayer coal are estimated at about 37,000,000 tons underlying an area of 29,000 acres in Wilson, Neosho, Montgomery, and Linn counties. Field investigations indicate that a large percentage of this coal can be mined by stripping methods.

The Chanute shale, the physical and chemical characteristics of the coal, and the mining methods generally used are described in this paper. Analyses of the Thayer coal are similar to analyses of other Kansas coals of commercial grade and indicate that this coal can be used for all general purposes. Included in the report is a list of outcrops of Thayer coal, locations of mines, production statistics, estimates of reserves, and a bibliography of Kansas coal. The trace of the coal outcrop and the location of mines and mining districts are shown on maps.