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 Bulletin No. 55 September 25, 1922. 
 M. M. LEIGHTON 
 
 2 ) 
 39.65 /9: COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA 
 Gyr $5 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS 
 James F, Woodward, Secretary 
 
 BUREAU OF TOPOGRAPHIC AND GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 
 George H. Ashley, State Geologist 
 
 et 
 
 COAL BEDS IN LAWRENCE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANT.. 
 By 
 Devoe naLroLer 
 
 Introduction. 
 
 Although Lawrence County contains thirteen coal beds that are 
 locally workable, their areas are small, and their quality is so 
 variable that the county does not figure as an important coal pro- 
 ducer. In 1918 the production was 107,086’tons, valued at $287,302. 
 Of this amount 93,253 tons, valued at $252,561 were loaded at the 
 mines for shipment; 1,882 tons were sold'to local trade and used by 
 employees; 11,951 tons were used at the mines for steam and heat. 
 None of the coal was coked at the mines. 
 
 lawrence County is on the west boundary of the State between 
 Merecr and Beaver counties... The county's greatest width from north 
 to scuth is 20 miles; from east to west is 23 miles. Its area is 
 570 square miles. Its population in 1920 was 85,545. 
 
 Lawrence. County. has good railroad facilities... The Pennsylvania 
 Railroad follows the valley of Beaver River to Lawrence Junction, 
 where one branch gces northwest to Youngstown, Ohio, ane the other to 
 New Castle, Sharon, and north. another branch runs northeast from 
 New Castle along the valley -of Neshannock Creek to the northern edge 
 of the county. The Pittsburgh and Lake Eric and the Baltimore and 
 Ohio railroads follow Beaver Valley across the county; the Erie 
 Railroad-runs from Sharon to New Castle. The Western Allegheny’ 
 Railroad, entering the eastern side of the county at Grant City, 
 extends west to Beaver River below New Castle Boro. The New Castle 
 and Butler Railroad has several short branches northcast from New 
 ‘Castle. 
 
 Lawrence County has many miles of improved roads as well as food 
 dirt roads. The highways are not used much for the transportation of 
 coal, : 
 
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The northern part of Lawrence County shows plainly the effect of 
 glacial action. The surface is rolling; there are no hills or knobs 
 with steep slopes; there are no deeply intrenched streams, and the 
 valleys and flats are covered with many fect of glacial drift. The 
 southern part of the county, below the terminal morraine, is 
 decidedly hilly. The streams have deeply intrenched themsclves in 
 valleys with stcep slopes, having massive sandstone outcrops. Steep 
 hills are numerous, Three terraces are well developed along the 
 larger drainage basins. 
 
 The rocks in the county lie nearly flat; locally they dip 
 gently northward, 
 
 COAL BEDS. 
 
 Sharon Coal; The Sharon coal, which has been an important bed 
 in Mercer County, is very thin in Lawrence County, and is rarely 
 mMineable. The coal is dirty and has none of the characteristics it 
 displays a few miles to the north. 
 
 Quakertown Coal. This bed is thin, averaging less than le 
 inches but is persistent. At a few points it is mineable, In the 
 vicinity of Quakertown Run the coal has a maximum thickness of 3 feet 
 and has been mined for domestic fuel. The coal tends to be of the 
 blocky variety; it is high in ash, sulphur and volatile matter. The 
 fixed carbon is low, 
 
 Lower Mercor Coat. This bed is thin and is rarely minecable. 
 It is very persistent, but is very shaly and pyritous. The coal is 
 thickest, 3 fect, in the Neshannock Valley and in the vicinity of New 
 Wilmineton, The average is much less. In places a few inches at the 
 bottom is canncloid coal, 
 
 Upper Mercer Coal. This coal is not of commercial importance ° 
 in the county. Its horizon is marked by a few inches of clean coal, 
 or many fect of coal so dirty that it cannot be mined profitably. 
 
 4 thin and impure coal appears locally a few fect below the 
 Homewood sandstone, It has becn mined for domestic use in the 
 absence of better coal, 
 
 Brookville ("A") Coal. This bed, lying directly upon, or a few 
 fect above the Homewood sandstone , is rarely mineable and in places 
 is éntirely absent. It has been mined in the northern part-of the 
 county, where it is locally 3 feet 6 inches to 4 fect thick, with one 
 bone or pyrite parting a few inches from the top. The coal is clean 
 and of good quality, although its thickness does not warrant produc-~ 
 tion in many places, 
 
 Greco (PAI) Col. This bed is rarely mineable in the county. 
 {It is locally 18 inches thick, but averages about 6 inches. 
 
 Kittanning Coals. The correlation of the Kittanning group of 
 coals in lawrence County is uncertain. Two of these coals are very 
 thin and unimportant. A third, locally known as the Darlington coal, 
 
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is probably the Midéle or Upper Kittanning. It is the most important 
 bed in the county. 
 
 The Darlineton coal ranges from 2 fect 6 inches to 4 feet thick, 
 One charactcristic thin band of bone is always presont in some part 
 of the bed. The bed varies much in quality in different parts of the 
 county, Along Big Beaver Valley the coal is excellent, especially in 
 the vicinity of New Castle and Wampum,‘and is highly valued as a gas 
 coal, It is also a good smithing coal, the ash and sulphur being 
 low, In the Slippery Rock Valley the coal is the same thickness, but 
 the sulphur content increascs, so that it cannot be used as a smithing 
 coal, although the ash is low. In the southwestern part of Plain 
 Grove tovmship the-cdal is over 4 fect thick, half of which is a 
 genuine block coal, resombling very much the Sharon blo¢k coal of 
 Mercer County. 
 
 There are largo arcas of the Darlington coal in the county, but 
 with the cxecption of the localitics named, it is thin and dirty. 
 However, it is used extcnsively as domestic fuel in many places 
 
 Lower Frecport ("D")-Coal, This coal, lying about 70 fect 
 above the Darlington coal, is persistent in the county, but is very 
 
 jonticular and variable in quality. The coal is less than 2 fect 
 thick, and is vory dirty and high in sulphur. Locally, as in Perry 
 township, the bod is over 5 fcet thick, but is very dirty. In Little 
 Beaver township it has a local thickness of 6 fect and is excclient. 
 
 Upper Ereoport {"E") Coal. This coal lies from 130 to 140 feet 
 above the Darlineton’coal, The principal outcrops are in Perry and 
 Big Beaver townships, where it reaches a local maximum thickness of 6 
 fect. The average thickness is less than 2 feet. The coal is dirty, 
 high in sulphur and ash, friable, and breaks up when mined, It is 
 used only for domestic fucl, 
 
 Brush Crock Coal. This bed, lying from 200 to 220 fect above 
 the Darlington coadi, is geologically the highest coal in the county. 
 Its outcrop is limitcd and only small isolated arcas in Perry and 
 Wayne townships are thick cnough for profitable mining. Three fcet 
 is the maximum thickness. The coal is of the "block" varicty, with 
 low ash and sulphur. 
 
I. 
 
 3 0112 077640685