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measures extend up the mountain slopes and approach the granitic
cores they become more and more deformed, faulted, cut by dykes,
and altered. In places they are so altered as to be similar to
the older rocks. The alteration and deformation of the coal
measures are most strikingly illustrated in the Cedar Creek and
Skegunia~Kispiox coal fields near Hazelton and on Hudson bay
and Hunter mountains.

Thus, with the erie variations in the coal seams,
the smallness of the areas of coal formations, and the many other
factors tending to destroy the quality and minability of the coal
the total amount now of commercial value, or likely to be in the
near future, is small compared with most of the important coal
areas in Canada.

In the vicinity of Hazelton, amid large and abundant
intrusive masses, the exposures of coal so far found are highly
altered, deformed, and faulted, and are cut by dykes and,
therefore, do not offer much hope of profitable mining on an
important scale. The extensive Zymoetz River area probably has
good structural conditions, but is 30 miles from the railway.
The Telkwa coal basin indicated by Leach to be about 10 miles
square is the only one so far demonstrated to be of commercial
value. It is the only one known 86 have favourable structural
conditions and good coal seams within 10 miles of the railway »
There are some possibilities of developing an anthracite deposit
in Lake Kathlyn area. In localities where semi-anthracite coal
has been foumd mining conditions are commonly poor and there may
be few areas where they are really good.

In the Morice River section there is one large field
of 40 square miles and two or three smaller ones that seem to
offer hope of containing extensive areas of easily minable good
seams. The most accessible of these, however, which is the least

proved, is 30 miles from the railway.