Spatial Trends in Ash Yield, Sulfur, Selenium, and Other Selected Trace Element Concentrations in Coal Beds of the Appalachian Plateau Region, U.S.A.

Land disturbances sometimes contribute to relative increases in deleterious substances in streams. Acid drainage in response to coal mining in certain regions of the Appalachian Plateau is one well known example. Apparent relative increases in selenium (Se) in some streams where land disturbance has occurred in the coal-producing region of the Appalachian Plateau may also be of concern. As a result of concerns regarding selenium, this report evaluates the spatial variation (both stratigraphic and regional) of selenium in coal beds in the Appalachian coal fields of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. [Summary provided by the USGS.]