From introduction: The detailed information concerning the coal deposits of the Ashland field set forth in this report has been obtained in the course of an investigation that has been conducted both as a part of the United States Geological Survey's general systematic study of western coal lands and as an aid in the administration of the public lands. With the information obtained on the location of outcrops, the number, distribution, and thickness of coal beds, the accessibility of the coal, and the thickness of the overburden, the public lands of the region are classified as to their coal value; coal-bearing lands are differentiated from noncoal-bearing lands; and the administration of the coal-land leasing law is facilitated.