Show COAL NEAR DEVILS SLIDE coal was found in northeastern utah on lost creek near devils slide many years ago but it has been mined only because fuel is scare in that region reports received from different sources have indicated that the beds discovered may be a part of a good coal field so the united states geological survey department of the interior sent one of its members to examine the region the examination proved that the coal along lost creek are separated into several benches by bone and shale partings and that it is and can not compete with the coal of higher highe r rank which is found in vast deposits in other parts of utah and in wyoming although it is of considerable value to the residents of small towns and ranches near by the lost creek coal field is in morgan county utah twelve miles northeast of devils slide on the main line of the union pacific railroad for many years small qualities of coal have been minde and hauled by wagon to croydon a small town nine miles southwest of the field and to ranches on lost creek the coal burns well in stoves and open fireplaces but contains a high percentage of ash and slate it carries so much moisture that it rapidly falls to pieces on exposure to the air and is soon reduced to slack when stored geologists describe the coal bearing rocks as belonging to the wasatch formation a tertiary deposit laid down on the upturned and eroded edges of much old jurassic beds the wasatch is composed of three parts an upper and a lower conglomerate and an intervening series of beds of sandstone and shale the coal was deposited on the surface of the lower conglomerate A copy of bulletin L geology of the lost creek coal field morgan county utah by frank R clark describing the rocks and coal resources of this region may be had on application to the director U S geological survey washington D C |