40 51' 30 N
75 12' 26 W

The coal that exists in the mountains above Jim Thorpe is anthracite coal. Anthracite is nearly pure carbon (about 86 percent) and is the result of a process called coalification. The high carbon content of anthracite makes it difficult to ignite. However, when it catches fire it burns with a short, very hot, colorless, smokeless flame.

Coalification occurred in Eastern Pennsylvania as a result of the folding and faulting in the formation of the Appalachian Mountains. These actions caused intense pressures that produced the high carbon content found in anthracite.

The anthracite deposits in Eastern Pennsylvania are divided into four fields: north, south, east, and west. The coal fields above Jim Thorpe are part of the southern field, the largest of the fields in northeastern PA. The southern field extends 56 miles from Jim Thorpe to Lykens. Coal is found in 141 square miles of this field.

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