Oil and gas resources of the Cheat Mountain Further Planning Area (RARE II), Randolph County, West Virginia

The Wilderness Act (Public Law 88-577, September 3, 1964) and related acts require the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Bureau of Mines to survey certain areas on Federal lands to determine their mineral resource potential. Results must be made available to the public and be submitted to the President and the Congress. This map presents an analysis of the oil and gas resources of the Cheat Mountain Further Planning Area in the Monongahela National Forest, Randolph County, West Virginia. The area was classified as a further planning area during the Second Roadless Area Review and Evaluation (RARE II) by the U.S. Forest Service, January 1979.

Cheat Mountain Further Planning Area comprises about 7,720 acres in the Monongahela National Forest in east-central West Virginia, southeast of Elkins. The study area lies on a northeast-trending linear ridge bordered on the west by the Right Fork of Tygart River and on the east by Shavers Fork. It averages about 2 mi in length and 1½ mi in width. Altitudes on Cheat Mountain range from about 2,550 to 3,900 ft.