184

American Society of Testing Materials (See Stansfield, 1937, p. 6). The
marked variations in the carbon ratio may be attributed in part to weather-
ing of coal samples, although there is a tendency to higher carbon ratios in
the lower seams and in the more closely folded areas. With one exception,
all samples were found to be of non-caking coal. Some of the seams have
been crushed and would produce only friable coal or slack, but many of the
seams are of relatively strong coal which would withstand a considerable
amount of handling.

“Experience of householders in the Peace River district indicates that
the similar coals from the Hasler Creek and Hudson Hope areas produce
an extremely hot fire in ordinary stoves and heaters. If Peace River coals
were to be marketed on the Pacific Coast for domestic use, provision should
be made for special adjustments and fire-brick walls for stoves and furnaces,
or for blending the Peace River coal with some other coal having a higher
content of volatile combustible matter. As steam-coal for use in larger
installations, the cleaner Peace River coals are probably unexcelled.”

FISHER CREEK-PINE RIVER COAL AREA

The Fisher Creek-Pine River coal area lies southeast of the Carbon
Creek area on the same synclinal belt. Non-marine coal-bearing beds of
the Bullhead group outcrop adjacent to Pine River for more than 33 miles
downstream from the mouth of Fisher Creek and 2 miles upstream. Fora
few miles up Fisher Creek the favourable upper beds of the Bullhead group
are concealed by the Moosebar formation as a result of the synclinal struc-
ture, and the latter formation also extends southeasterly up Falling Creek.
An anticlinal fold, known as Pine River anticline, trends northwesterly
across Pine River 3 miles downstream from the mouth of Fisher Creek, and
Crassier Creek, which flows southeasterly to enter the Pine a mile farther
down, follows very closely the contact of the Bullhead group and overlying
Moosebar formation. Coal seams of mineable thickness may well occur in
the eastern limb of the Pine River anticline near Crassier Creek, but bed-
rock is almost entirely drift covered there, so that no mineable seams have
been discovered. The known seams of mineable thickness all occur on the
southwest limb of the Fisher Creek syncline.

According to Mathews (1947), seven seams in the area are known to be
more than 8 feet thick. The following description of these seams is from his
report:

“One seam 3 feet 2 inches thick occurs 0-5 mile northeast of Bickford
lake only about 300 feet from the base of the coal-measures (Analysis 1,
Table 3 [VI]). A second seam 4 feet thick is exposed 0-3 mile farther east
and about 1,000 feet higher in the succession (Analysis 2, Table 3 [VI]).

“Five exposures of coal were found on Beaudette Creek, but may
represent only three seams. Two of the seams are exposed on the eastern
limb, and three on the western limb of a closely folded minor anticline in
the uppermost part of the coal measures. Although no faulting is apparent
the successions on opposite limbs of this fold do not correspond closely and
the correlation of seams remains uncertain. ‘The coal in all but one of the
exposures is badly crushed and the seams lenticular. The first seam
encountered on ascending Beaudette Creek is 2 miles from its mouth and a
few hundred feet southwest of the fault separating the Moosebar formation