South Fork Engineering, LLC is a mining engineering firm based in Rainelle, West Virginia. Founded in 2021, we serve attorneys and landowners throughout the Central Appalachian region.
We focus on the questions that matter most when mineral property is bought, sold, leased, taxed, or disputed: what is there, what it is worth, and how it has been or could be mined. Our role is to provide careful, independent analysis and to explain it clearly.
Leadership
Christopher R. Vass, Ph.D., P.E. is Principal Engineer of South Fork Engineering. He is a Professional Engineer in West Virginia and Kentucky, a Registered Member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration, and an Associate Member of the International Institute of Mineral Appraisers.
Dr. Vass holds a Ph.D. and an M.S. in Mining Engineering, an M.B.A., and a B.S. in Mining Engineering, all from West Virginia University. His career spans more than twenty years in mining engineering, including mine planning and operations roles with Alpha Natural Resources, CONSOL Energy, Arch Coal, and North American Coal, as well as research and facility management at the West Virginia Water Research Institute focused on acid mine drainage and rare earth element recovery.
Through South Fork Engineering, he provides reserve estimation, mineral appraisals, mine design, geologic modeling, and litigation support for attorneys and mineral owners, including work related to eminent domain and coal properties across Central Appalachia.