A DEPOSITIONAL MODEL FOR THE TAYLOR COAL BED, MARTIN AND JOHNSON COUNTIES, EASTERN KENTUCKY

This study investigated the Taylor coal bed in Johnson and Martin coun ties, eastern Kentucky, using field and petrographic techniques to dev elop a depositional model of the coal bed. Petrography and chemistry o f the coal bed were examined. Multiple benches of the Taylor coal bed were correlated over a 10 km distance. Three sites were studied in det ail. The coal at the western and eastern sites were relatively thin an d split by thick elastic partings. The coal at the central site was th e thickest and unsplit. Two major elastic partings are included in the coal bed. Each represents a separate and distinct fluvial splay. The Taylor is interpreted to have developed on a coastal plain with period ic flooding from nearby, structurally-controlled fluvial systems. Domi ng is unlikely due to the petrographic and chemical trends, which are inconsistent with modern Indonesian models. The depositional history a nd structural and stratigraphic setting suggest contemporaneous struct ural influence on thickness and quality of the Taylor coal bed in this area.