Mining Publication: Methane Gas Content of the Mary Lee Group of Coalbeds, Jefferson, Tuscaloosa, and Walker Counties, Ala.

It is estimated that more than 1 trillion cubic feet of methane is contained within the coals of the Mary Lee Group in Jefferson, eastern Tuscaloosa, and southern Walker Counties, Alabama. Most of this methane will be encountered by mining. Coals of the Mary Lee group are presently being mined at depths exceeding 1,000 feet and will in the near future be mined at even greater depths, where the problem of methane gas affecting the mining operations will be acute. It is calculated that approximately 90 pct of the methane is at depths greater than 1,000 feet, and over half of the gas is contained within only 12 pct of the study area which is under more than 1,500 feet of overburden. Degasification in advance of mining will increase mine safety, reduce ventilation expenditures, increase productivity, provide an additional energy source, and make it possible to mine parts of deep coalbeds that probably could not otherwise be mined.