Abstract
This report considers the manner by which land use and land ownership patterns may reduce the availability of coal reserves. The applicability of various information sources for such a study is examined, and a methodology is outlined in which land use, surface ownership, and mineral ownership data may be collected and interpreted at the county level. A variable scale grid mapping system was devised to display the interrelationships between surface land use, ownership, and the distribution of coal deposits. This methodology was then used to analyze potential coal availability wihin Monongalia County, West Virginia. a major coal-producing county, which still has sizable coal reserves.
