A geologic and geochemical investigation and a survey of existing mines and prospects have been conducted to determine the mineral resource potential of the Troublesome Roadless Area, McCreary County, Ky. The study area comprises six tracts totaling about 2,943 acres in the Daniel Boone National Forest. It is in the Cumberland Plateau section of the Appalachian Plateaus Province. All surface and mineral rights are federally owned. Limestone and shale units of Mississippian age and overlying sandstone, shale, and coal beds of Pennsylvanian age comprise the bedrock exposed in the Troublesome Roadless Area. Coal, sandstone, and shale are the principal mineral resources in the study area. Coal has been mined near the roadless area from at least two coal beds. Available data indicate that coal reserves do not underlie the area. Coal resources totalling 7 4 7,000 short tons in the Stearns No. 1112 (?) coal bed and 166,000 short tons in the Barren Fork(?) coal bed are contained in the Troublesome Roadless Area. Possible uses for sandstone units include silica sand, construction sand, and dimension stone. Shale may be suitable for structural clay products. Commercial quantities of oil and gas may be present at shallow depth in rocks of Mississippian age. A stream-sediment geochemical survey failed to recognize anomalies that would suggest mineralization, and the metallic mineral potential of the study area appears limited.

Kentucky↗

USGS1981

Geologic map of the Cheat Mountain Further Planning Area, Randolph County, West Virginia

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Miscellaneous Field Studies Map↗

USGS1981

Geologic map of the Troublesome Roadless Area, McCreary County, Kentucky

The Troublesome Roadless Area is composed of six tracts of land and contains 2,943 acres (fig. 1). The largest tract of the study area, located 13 mi southwest of Stearns, Ky., is accessible from that town via State Route 92 to Hill Top, and . then southwestwatd along country roads. Unimproved Forest Service roads, abandoned logging roads, and primitive trails provide access by foot or horseback into the interior of each tract of the study area. Physiographically, the Troublesome Roadless Area is in the Cumberland Plateau section of the Appalachian Plateaus Province and is near the western edge of the Appalachian coal region. The topography is typical of the Cumberland Plateau section, characterized by irregular, narrow-crested ridges, deep narrow canyons, and a dendritic drainage pattern. Troublesome Creek, a small tributary of the South Fork of the Cumberland River, is the source of the area name (fig. 2). Altitudes range from about 1,600 ft on Laurel Ridge in the largest tract to approximately 800 ft along the South Fork of the Cumberland River. Field investigations by personnel of the U.S. Geological Survey consisted of reconnaissance geologic studies and data collecting, including the measurement of stratigraphic sections and the mapping of poorly exposed coal beds and resistant sandstone units. Additional subsurface information was obtained by studying and interpreting the logs of several coreholes drilled near the study area.

Kentucky↗