Exploration for coal is based largely on an understanding of depositional environments
and the structural configuration of basins. Basins are lenticular to oval, wedge- or trough shaped accumulations of thick (to several thousand feet) sedimentary piles that tend to thin or pinch out toward their margins. A geologic cross-section through the Powder River basin of the northern Great Plains of the United States aptly shows the geometry of a basinal wedge of sediments. Basins are, in fact, erosional remnants of once more substantial stratigraphic sequences. Basins connote a certain paleogeographic setting and geologic history, depositional environment(s), tectonic framework and structural geometry, and lithologic and stratigraphic characteristics. In general, a coal basin is affected by many geologic factors during its evolution. These factors include: 1) subsidence history; 2) geologic time period influencing coal formation; 3) temperature and pressure regimes; and 4) the deposition of other sediments. In recent years, exploration programs have been geared toward locating deposits appropriate for surface mining. Geological information (particular stratigraphic character and sequence), seismic surveys, borehole drilling, and structural framework are used to test and evaluate coal prospects. Bouguer gravity maps are important in defining the location and extent of basinal confines. Simply stated, the challenge lies in finding those stratigraphic intervals in basins that were the sites for the prolific accumulation and preservation of organic matter and that now are structurally amenable to mining.