As a result of a Latin American Coal Assessment, the USGS published the first Coal Map of South America (Weaver and Wood, 1994) and developed a cooperative inter-American exchange of geologic information which lead to a better understanding of the potential for coal resource utilization in the western hemisphere. This coal study was started by the late Gordon H. Wood, Jr. The original compilation, completed before his death, was a result of library research and it did not include updated information from scientists and others in the coal-bearing countries of South America. During the Fall of 1991, Jean N. Weaver visited Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, and Bolivia. The purpose of the nine-country visit was twofold: (1) to discuss with geologists and other authorities in each country the quantity, quality, and distribution of known coal resources and the status of coal recovery and utilization and (2) to inform them of the current role of coal research in the U.S. Geological Survey. Paraguay was not visited because of time constraints. Guyana and Suriname were visited in the spring of 1993.