Kentucky Coal Resources
 
Western Kentucky Coal Field -- 2004

The Western Kentucky coal field covers 6,400 square miles and contains over 35.67 billion tons of remaining resources.  (Part of this cannot be mined economically using today’s technology.)  The remaining resources and their locations are illustrated below.

There are 35 named coal beds, of which seven principal coal beds contain about 94% of the resources in Western Kentucky.

Over 5.32 billion tons of coal have been mined or lost due to mining, amounting to only about 13% of total Western Kentucky coal resources.

How To Calculate Tons of Coal

Total Tons  =  ______  Acres x ______  Inches x 145 tons per acre - inch
                       (acres of coal) x (height of coal)  x (density of coal)
Eastern Kentucky Coal Field -- 2004

The Eastern Kentucky coal field covers 10,500 square miles and contains approximately 51.90 billion tons of remaining resources.  (Part of this cannot be mined economically using today’s technology.)  The remaining resources and their locations are illustrated below.

There are more than 80 named coal beds in the Eastern Kentucky coal field which covers parts of 37 counties.

Approximately 12.17 billion tons of coal have been mined or lost due to mining, amounting to only about 19% of total Eastern Kentucky coal resources.

Source: Updated from Brant and Other, Coal Resource Series, 1980-1983.

http://www.uky.edu/kgs/

Original resource estimates for Western and Eastern Kentucky were 41 and 64 billion tons respectively.  The resources currently remaining after 200 years of mining are estimated to be 35.7 billion tons in Western Kentucky and 51.9 billion tons in Eastern Kentucky.  As shown in the Demonstrated Reserve Base (DRB) tables, assumptions on the percentage available for development reduce those values even further.
Western Kentucky Coal Resources, 2004
County Original Mined Lost Remaining
Butler
Daviess
Henderson
Hopkins
McLean
Muhlenberg
Ohio
Union
Webster
Other*		 413.69
1,330.32
6,852.78
8,814.80
3,576.41
4,723.84
1,824.55
6,506.98
6,322.95
623.08		 30.20
62.33
76.12
781.80
19.73
749.83
266.72
332.21
317.11
25.44		 30.20
62.33
76.12
781.80
19.73
749.83
266.72
332.21
317.11
25.44		 353.29
1,205.66
6,700.54
7,251.20
3,536.95
3,224.18
1,291.11
5,842.56
5,688.73
572.20
WKY Total 40,989.40 2,661.49 2,661.49 35,666.42

*Note:  "Other" includes Breckenridge, Caldwell, Christian, Crittenden, Edmonson, Grayson, Hancock, and Warren Counties.

**Note:  Kentucky coal resource values are considered by some to be too high of a value, while the Eastern Kentucky “DRB” value is rejected by many others as being too low.  Three-fourths of the remaining coal resources in EKY are not considered to be part of the “DRB”.

Caution: coal reserve estimates affected by static terms like "today's technology" and "economically recoverable" may not apply tomorrow.


Original Coal Resources
Estimate (40.99 Billion Tons)
Eastern Kentucky Coal Resources, 2004
County Original Mined Lost Remaining
Bell
Boyd
Breathitt
Carter
Clay
Elliott
Floyd
Greenup
Harlan
Jackson
Johnson
Knott
Knox
Laurel
Lawrence
Lee
Leslie
Letcher
McCreary
Magoffin
Martin
Morgan
Owsley
Perry
Pike
Whitley
Wolfe
Other***		 3,194.70
630.68
4,112.20
501.96
1,536.11
316.32
4,168.08
204.87
7,881.12
375.87
1,419.44
4,385.10
1,381.93
408.04
2,024.68
363.98
3,554.65
3,692.80
444.97
1,969.10
3,319.97
849.40
574.14
3,596.70
11,391.70
987.44
443.92
334.89		 302.69
19.93
208.47
18.61
61.87
9.87
459.68
10.42
917.66
11.31
97.56
329.90
75.51
35.95
26.81
8.49
259.17
558.17
55.34
55.77
391.28
15.22
10.02
593.36
1,420.07
91.40
7.16
33.18		 302.69
19.93
208.47
18.61
61.87
9.87
459.68
10.42
917.66
11.31
97.56
329.90
75.51
35.95
26.81
8.49
259.17
558.17
55.34
55.77
391.28
15.22
10.02
593.36
1,420.07
91.40
7.16
33.18		 2,589.32
590.82
3,695.26
464.74
1,412.37
296.58
3,248.72
184.03
6,045.80
353.25
1,224.32
3,725.30
1,230.91
336.14
1,971.06
347.00
3,036.31
2,576.46
334.29
1,857.56
2,537.41
818.96
554.10
2,409.98
8,551.56
804.64
429.60
268.53
EKY Total 64,064.76 6,084.87 6,084.87 51,895.02


Original Coal Resources
Estimate (64.06 Billion Tons)

Source for DRB:  U.S. DOE-EIA, U.S. Coal Reserves, 2004.
** NOTE:  Kentucky coal resource values are considered by some to be too high of a value while the Eastern Kentucky "DRB" value was increased but is still rejected by some as being too low, (see U.S. Coal Reserves).

*** NOTE:  "Other" includes Clinton, Estill, Pulaski, Rockcastle, and Wayne Counties.

Sources:  Smith and Brant (1980), Mined and Lost and Remaining Resources updated by the Division of Fossil Fuels from Kentucky Office of Mine Safety and Licensing Annual Reports.

www.eia.doe.gov/fuelcoal.html