GEOLOGY AND METHANE CONTENT OF THE UPPER FREEPORT COALBED IN FAYETTE COUNTY, PA.

The Upper Freeport coalbed lies about 650 feet below the Pittsburgh coalbed and contains the largest remaining reserves of any coalbed in the county. Coal and overburden isopachs, structure and joint pattern maps, and a fence diagram were prepared using data from gas and oil exploration logs and coal outcrops. These maps will aid in determining the need and/or feasibility of degasifying the Upper Freeport coalbed. Much of the coalbed is under 600 to 1400 feet of overburden. The gas content at depths of this order is estimated to be between 140 to 300 cf/ton of coal, for a total of 190 to 400 billion cubic feet of methane.