Comparison of the Eastern and Western Kentucky coal fields (Pennsylvanian), USA—why are coal distribution patterns and sulfur contents so different in these coal fields?

More than 130 Mt of Pennsylvanian coal is produced annually from two coal fields in Kentucky. The Western Kentucky Coal Field occurs in part of the Illinois Basin, an intercratonic basin, and the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field occurs in the Central Appalachian Basin, a foreland basin. The basins are only separated by 140 km, but mined western Kentucky coal beds exhibit significantly higher sulfur values than eastern Kentucky coals. Higher-sulfur coal beds in western Kentucky have generally been inferred to be caused by more marine influences than for eastern Kentucky coals.Comparison of strata in the two coal fields shows that more strata and more coal beds accumulated in the Eastern than Western Kentucky Coal Field in the Early and Middle Pennsylvanian, inferred to represent greater generation of tectonic accommodation in the foreland basin. Eastern Kentucky coal beds exhibit a greater tendency toward splitting and occurring in zones than time-equivalent western Kentucky coal beds, which is also inferred to represent foreland accommodation influences, overprinted by autogenic sedimentation effects. Western Kentucky coal beds exhibit higher sulfur values than their eastern counterparts, but western Kentucky coals occurring in Langsettian through Bolsovian strata can be low in sulfur content. Eastern Kentucky coal beds may increase in sulfur content beneath marine zones, but generally are still lower in sulfur than mined Western Kentucky coal beds, indicating that controls other than purely marine influences must have influenced coal quality.The bulk of production in the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field is from Duckmantian and Bolsovian coal beds, whereas production in the Western Kentucky Coal Field is from Westphalian D coals. Langsettian through Bolsovian paleoclimates in eastern Kentucky were favorable for peat doming, so numerous low-sulfur coals accumulated. These coals tend to occur in zones and are prone to lateral splitting because of foreland tectonic and sedimentation influences. In contrast, Westphalian D coal beds of western Kentucky accumulated during low differential tectonic accommodation, and therefore tend to be widespread and uniform in characteristics, but exhibit higher sulfur values because they accumulated in seasonally drier paleoclimates that were unfavorable for peat doming. Hence, basin analyses indicate that many differences between the mined coals of Kentucky's two coal fields are related to temporal changes in paleoclimate and tectonic accommodation, rather than solely being a function of marine influences.     

Coal deposits of the United States

The coal fields of the Unites States can be divided into six major provinces. The Appalachian and Interior Provinces contain dominantly bituminous coal in strata of Pennsylvanian age. The coal seams are relatively thin and are mined both by surface and underground methods. Sulfyur content is low to moderate in the Appalachian Province, generally high in the Interior province. The Gulf Coastal Plain Province, in Texas and neighboring states, contains lignite of Eocene age. The seams are 3–25 ft (0.9–7.5 m) thick and are minded in large open pits. The Northern Great Plains Province has lignite and subbituminous coal of Cretaceous, Paleocene and Eocene age. The coal, largely very low in sulfur, occurs in beds up to 100 ft (30 m) thick and is strip-mined. The Rocky Mountain Province contains a great variety of coal deposits in numerous separate intermontane basins. Most of it is low-sulfur subbituminous to bituminous coal iof Creatceous and early Tertiary age. The seams range from a few feet to over 100 ft (30 m) thick. Strip-mining dominates but underground mines are important in Utah and Colorado. The Pacific Coast Province, which includes Alaska, contains enormous cola resources but has seen little mining. The coal is highly diverse in physical character and geologic setting.     

Palynology of late Middle Pennsylvanian coal beds in the Appalachian Basin

Fossil spores and pollen have long been recognized as valuable tools for identifying and correlating coal beds. This paper describes the palynology of late Middle Pennsylvanian coal beds in the Appalachian Basin with emphasis on forms that assist both intra- and interbasinal coal bed correlation.Stratigraphically important palynomorphs that originate in late Middle Pennsylvanian strata include Torispora securis, Murospora kosankei, Triquitrites minutus, Cadiospora magna, Mooreisporites inusitatus, and Schopfites dimorphus. Taxa that terminate in the late Middle Pennsylvanian include Radiizonates difformis, Densosporites annulatus, Dictyotriletes bireticulatus, Vestispora magna, and Savitrisporites nux. Species of Lycospora, Cirratriradites, Vestispora, and Thymospora, as well as Granasporites medius, Triquitrites sculptilis, and T. securis end their respective ranges slightly higher, in earliest Late Pennsylvanian age strata.Late Middle Pennsylvanian and earliest Late Pennsylvanian strata in the Appalachian Basin correlate with the Radiizonates difformis (RD), Mooreisporites inusitatus (MI), Schopfites colchesterensis–S. dimorphus (CP), and Lycospora granulata–Granasporites medius (GM) spore assemblage zones of the Eastern Interior, or Illinois Basin. In the Western Interior Basin, these strata correlate with the middle-upper portion of the Torispora securis–Laevigatosporites globosus (SG) and lower half of the Thymospora pseudothiessenii–Schopfites dimorphus (PD) assemblage zones. In western Europe, late Middle Pennsylvanian and earliest Late Pennsylvanian strata correlate with the middle-upper portion of the Torispora securis–T. laevigata (SL) and the middle part of the Thymospora obscura–T. thiessenii (OT) spore assemblage zones. Allegheny Formation coal beds also correlate with the Torispora securis (X) and Thymospora obscura (XI) spore assemblages, which were developed for coal beds in Great Britain.     

Succession,palaeoecology, evolution,and speciation of Pennsylvanian non‐marine bivalves,Northern Appalachian Basin,USA

Seventeen horizons of non‐marine bivalves are described within the Appalachian succession from the base of the Pottsville Group of Westphalian A‐B age to the Uniontown coal of Stephanian C age at the top of the Carboniferous System. A new highly variable fauna of Anthraconaia from the roof shales of the Upper Freeport coal near Kempton, west Maryland, dates from late Westphalian D or very early Cantabrian time, on the evidence of non‐marine shells and megafloras. Below this horizon, the Appalachian sequence reveals zones of Anthraconauta phillipsii and Anthraconauta tenuis in the same order as in Britain, whereas faunas of Anthraconaia of these zones are less common and differ from those of Britain. In all horizons above the Upper Freeport coal all non‐marine bivalve faunas consist of stages in the sequences of two natural species, the groups of Anthraconaia prolifera and Anthraconaia puella‐saravana. The first shows evidence of having lived in well‐oxygenated, probably shallow, fresh water conditions of relatively wide extent. The second group lived preferentially in a plant‐rich environment of relatively stagnant fresh water. Both groups are found in horizons associated with coal seams and may be seen together in the same habitats, but diagrams of variation (pictographs) suggest that there was no interbreeding between the two groups in either the Northern Appalachians or in southern Germany where the species split was first recognized. In the northern Spanish coalfields of Guardo‐Valderrueda and Central Asturia, facies evidence suggests how an initial split may have taken place in the same morphological directions and into the same palaeoenvironments as the later split into two species. Appalachian deposition was generally slow and intermittent with frequent palaeosols. There is also evidence of erosion and of small palaeontological breaks in the sequence, especially near the eastern edge of the Northern Appalachian Basin in western Maryland. The amount of accumulated sediment was less than one‐tenth of that of western Europe when basin centre deposition is compared. We found no evidence of a major palaeontological break representing Westphalian D strata overlain by Stephanian C strata. We figure non‐marine bivalve faunas of Stephanian B age in association with the Pittsburgh and the Little Pittsburgh coals. Two new species of non‐marine bivalves are described: Anthraconaia anthraconautiformis sp. nov. and Anthraconaia extrema sp. nov. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

塔里木盆地西南部早白垩世风成沙丘古风向测量与古风带恢复

本文通过对塔里木盆地西南部早白垩世风成沙丘的前积层产状的测量,恢复了当时的古风向和古风带.研究结果表明:当时盛行东北风,研究区属于东北信风带,正好位于北半球中低纬度沙漠带之中.     

准噶尔盆地南缘褶皱-冲断带变形特征及成因机制模拟

准噶尔盆地南缘褶皱-冲断带发育于北天山和博格达山北侧的准噶尔盆地南部的山前地区,构造变形具有明显的横向分带、纵向分段、垂向分层特征,其主控因素在于挤压应力的作用方式和滑脱层的空间分布规律。西段受北天山斜向挤压应力作用影响,发育北西西向四排雁列式褶皱-冲断带,构造变形样式为基底卷入式厚皮构造和盖层滑脱式薄皮构造,变形过程受侏罗系煤层和白垩系、古近系高塑性泥岩层等多滑脱层控制。滑脱层及其上覆岩层厚度决定变形的强度和应力向前传递的远近程度,厚度越大,褶皱变形强度越大。东段受博格达山正向楔冲挤压应力作用影响,发育近东西向向北凸出的弧形基底卷入式褶皱-冲断带,滑脱构造不发育。根据构造变形特征和相似理论,利用沙箱模拟实验分别对正向挤压和15°、30°、45°等斜向挤压平面变形进行了模拟,结果表明正向挤压和15°斜向挤压是形成东段和西段变形特征的主控应力条件,并设计了斜向和正向挤压组合边界平面模拟实验进行了验证,合理地解释了东、西段构造变形的差异。利用双滑脱层剖面模型实验对西段四排褶皱-冲断带的演化过程进行了模拟再现。     

Detrital zircon provenance evidence for an early Permian longitudinal river flowing into the Midland Basin of west Texas

ABSTRACT

Collision of Gondwana and Laurentia in the late Palaeozoic created new topography, drainages, and foreland basin systems that controlled sediment dispersal patterns on southern Laurentia. We utilize sedimentological and detrital zircon data from early Permian (Cisuralian/Leonardian) submarine-fan deposits in the Midland Basin of west Texas to reconstruct sediment dispersal pathways and palaeogeography. New sedimentological data and wire-line log correlation suggest a portion of the early Permian deposits have a southern entry point. A total of 3259 detrital zircon U-Pb and 357 εHf data from 12 samples show prominent groups of zircon grains derived from the Appalachian (500–270 Ma) and Grenville (1250–950 Ma) provinces in eastern Laurentia and the peri-Gondwana terranes (800–500 Ma) incorporated in the Alleghanian-Ouachita-Marathon orogen. Other common zircon groups of Mesoproterozoic-Archaean age are also present in the samples. The detrital zircon data suggest throughout the early Permian, Appalachia and Gondwana detritus was delivered by a longitudinal river system that flowed along the Appalachian-Ouachita-Marathon foreland into the Midland Basin. Tributary channels draining the uplifted Ouachita-Marathon hinterland brought Gondwana detritus into the longitudinal river with headwaters in the Appalachians or farther northeast. This drainage extended downstream westward and delivered sediments into the Permian Basin near the west terminus of the Laurentia-Gondwana suture. Estimated rates of deposition and proportions of zircons from more local (Grenville) versus more distal (Pan-African) sources indicate that river strength decreased throughout early Permian time. Primary sediment delivery pathway was augmented by minor input from the Ancestral Rocky Mountains and wind deflation of fluvial sediments north and east of the basin. Slope failure associated with early Permian deposition in the southeastern margin of the Midland Basin triggered gravity flows leading to submarine fan deposition.     

柴达木盆地北缘第四纪左旋斜冲推覆构造运动

柴达木盆地北缘第四纪发育比较强烈的左旋斜冲构造运动,形成长达百余公里、宽度超过30km的大型推覆构造,由斜冲断层、逆冲岩席和褶皱构造等组成。根据野外观测相关资料,柴达木盆地北缘第四纪发生两期构造变形： 早更新世不同规模的逆冲岩席如中新元古代中深变质岩、古生代浅变质岩与中生代沉积地层沿北西西－北西向断层发生左旋斜冲构造运动,导致下伏中新统和上新统湖相沉积地层强烈褶皱变形,上覆不同规模的逆冲岩席; 晚更新世中晚期构造运动导致中晚更新世砾石层发生宽缓褶皱变形。估算柴达木盆地北缘第四纪斜冲推覆构造运动产生的最小缩短量约为 17～18km,平均缩短速率约为 6.6～6.9mm/a。柴达木盆地北缘第四纪斜冲推覆构造运动是青藏高原北部新生代逆冲推覆构造运动自南向北扩展迁移的重要表现形式。     

Last Glacial Maximum equilibrium-line altitude trends and precipitation patterns in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, southern Colorado, USA

Precipitation patterns during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in the Rocky Mountains varied due to the influence of the continental ice sheets and pluvial lakes. However, no constraints have been placed on potential changes of southeasterly Gulf of Mexico-derived moisture that today contributes considerable precipitation to the easternmost ranges of the southern and middle Rocky Mountains. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains of southern Colorado are ideally situated to assess the relative importance of westerly and southeasterly-derived moisture during the LGM. Based on reconstructions of 30 palaeoglaciers in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, we find that LGM equilibrium-line altitudes (ELAs) on the east side of the range were systematically 100–200 m lower than ELAs on the west side. The observed ELA pattern is strikingly similar to modern precipitation patterns in the study area, suggesting that southeasterly-derived precipitation had a significant influence on the mass balances of LGM glaciers.     

伊宁盆地的“红层”与找煤方向

伊宁盆地是新疆主要聚煤盆地之一,预测煤炭资源总量2178.8亿t。通过对含煤盆地岩石地层分析,发现研究区发育三套红层,即三叠系小泉沟群（T2-3xq）红层,侏罗系水西沟群（J1-2sh）红层及古近系红层,三套红层分属于两个构造层。根据红层与煤系地层的关系分析,认为古近系红层覆盖区最有可能发现隐伏的整装大煤田。查清红层的层序,对指导找煤及加速进行煤田地质勘查有着重要意义。     

海拉尔盆地煤层气资源评价及潜力分析

利用钻井和地震资料,评价和预测了海拉尔盆地煤层的发育和分布,结合煤层含气量参数,预测了盆地内的煤层气资源前景。结果表明,海拉尔盆地的煤层气资源量约为10.79×10 11m3,其中呼和湖凹陷约为7.4 3×10 11m3,这远远超过了前人对整个东北区煤层气资源的评价。这表明,如果考虑煤层有一定埋深的含油气盆地,东北区的煤层气资源潜力还有相当大的增长空间。与美国已进行过成功煤层气勘探开发的含煤盆地对比表明,海拉尔盆地,尤其是呼和湖凹陷的煤层气潜力值得重视。      

Estimates of large magnitude Late Cambrian earthquakes from seismogenic soft‐sediment deformation structures: Central Rocky Mountains

A variety of unusual early post‐depositional deformation structures exist in grainstone and flat‐pebble conglomerate beds of Upper Cambrian strata, western Colorado, including slide scarps, thrusted beds, irregular blocks and internally deformed beds. Thrusted beds up to tens of centimetres thick record thrust movement of a part of a bed onto itself along a moderate to steeply inclined (15° to 40°) ramp, locally producing hanging wall lenses with fault‐bend geometries. Thrust plane orientations are widely distributed, and in some cases nearly oppositely oriented in close proximity, indicating that they did not form as failures acted upon by gravity forces. Irregular bedded to internally deformed blocks are isolated on generally flat upper bedding surfaces. These features represent parts of beds that detached, moved up onto and some distances across, the laterally adjacent undisturbed bed surfaces. Deformation of thin intervals of mud on the ocean floor by moving blocks rules out the possibility of storm‐induced deformation, because the mud was not eroded by high shear stresses that would accompany the extremely large forces required to produce and move the blocks. Finally, internally deformed beds are characterized by large blocks, fitted fabrics of highly irregular fragments and contorted lamination, which represent heterogeneous deformation, such as brecciation and liquefaction. The deformation structures were produced by earthquakes linked to the reactivation of Mesoproterozoic, crustal‐scale shear zones in the central Rockies during the Late Cambrian. Analysis of the deformation structures indicates very large body forces and calculated earthquake‐generated ground motion velocities of ca 1·6 m sec^?1. These correspond to moment magnitudes of ca 7·0 or more and a Mercalli Intensity of X+. These are the only known magnitude estimates of Phanerozoic (other than Quaternary) large‐intensity earthquakes for the Rocky Mountain region, and they are as large as, or larger than, previous estimates of Proterozoic earthquakes along these major shear zones of the central Rockies.     

鄯善县阿其克库都克盆地成煤条件及焦煤远景预测

对阿其克库都克盆地下二叠统成煤地质条件、古气候、古环境及含煤性、煤质特征和远景预测,进行了实地调查和分析研究.经孢粉鉴定和煤质分析,该区煤系地层时代为早二叠世,煤的变质程度已达焦煤阶段.下二叠统煤系地层的发现,在天山地区尚属首次,可作为一个新的成煤时期引起重视.     

Research achievements of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau based on 60 years of aeromagnetic surveys

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (also referred to as the Plateau) has long received much attention from the community of geoscience due to its unique geographical location and rich mineral resources. This paper reviews the aeromagnetic surveys in the Plateau in the past 60 years and summarizes relevant research achievements, which mainly include the followings. (1) The boundaries between the Plateau and its surrounding regions have been clarified. In detail, its western boundary is restricted by West Kunlun-Altyn Tagh arc-shaped magnetic anomaly zone forming due to the arc-shaped connection of the Altyn Tagh and Kangxiwa faults and its eastern boundary consists of the boundaries among different magnetic fields along the Longnan (Wudu)-Kangding Fault. Meanwhile, the fault on the northern margin of the Northern Qilian Mountains serves as its northern boundary. (2) The Plateau is mainly composed of four orogens that were stitched together, namely East Kunlun-Qilian, Hoh-Xil-Songpan, Chamdo-Southwestern Sanjiang (Nujiang, Lancang, and Jinsha rivers in southeastern China), and Gangdese-Himalaya orogens. (3) The basement of the Plateau is dominated by weakly magnetic Proterozoic metamorphic rocks and lacks strongly magnetic Archean crystalline basement of stable continents such as the Tarim and Sichuan blocks. Therefore, it exhibits the characteristics of unstable orogenic basement. (4) The Yarlung-Zangbo suture zone forming due to continent-continent collisions since the Cenozoic shows double aeromagnetic anomaly zones. Therefore, it can be inferred that the Yarlung-Zangbo suture zone formed from the Indian Plate subducting towards and colliding with the Eurasian Plate twice. (5) A huge negative aeromagnetic anomaly in nearly SN trending has been discovered in the middle part of the Plateau, indicating a giant deep thermal-tectonic zone. (6) A dual-layer magnetic structure has been revealed in the Plateau. It consists of shallow magnetic anomaly zones in nearly EW and NW trending and deep magnetic anomaly zones in nearly SN trending. They overlap vertically and cross horizontally, showing the flyover-type geological structure of the Plateau. (7) A group of NW-trending faults occur in eastern Tibet, which is intersected rather than connected by the nearly EW trending that develop in middle-west Tibet. (8) As for the central uplift zone that occurs through the Qiangtang Basin, its metamorphic basement tends to gradually descend from west to east, showing the form of steps. The Qiangtang Basin is divided into the northern and southern part by the central uplift zone in it. The basement in the Qiangtang Basin is deep in the north and west and shallow in the south and west. The basement in the northern Qiangtang Basin is deep and relatively stable and thus is more favorable for the generation and preservation of oil and gas. Up to now, 19 favorable tectonic regions of oil and gas have been determined in the Qiangtang Basin. (9) A total of 21 prospecting areas of mineral resources have been delineated and thousands of ore-bearing (or mineralization) anomalies have been discovered. Additionally, the formation and uplift mechanism of the Plateau are briefly discussed in this paper.©2021 China Geology Editorial Office.     

FIA trends along the Precambrian Rocky Mountains: a new approach to timing continental docking

A similar succession of Foliation Inflection/Intersection Axis (FIAs) trends preserved within porphyroblasts is present in two areas separated by 200 km along the Rocky Mountains. The Precambrian rocks in Central Colorado and Northern New Mexico were affected by deformation and metamorphism from ～1506 to 1366 Ma. A succession of five FIAs trending W–E, SSW–NNE, NNW–SSE, NW–SE and WSW–ENE is distinguished in Central Colorado and dated at 1506 ± 15 Ma, 1467 ± 23 Ma, 1425 ± 18 Ma, not dated and 1366 ± 20 Ma respectively. To the south in Northern New Mexico, a succession of five FIAs trending SSW–NNE, WNW–ESE, NNW–SSE, NW–SE and WSW–ENE is distinguished and dated at 1482 ± 48 Ma, 1448 ± 12 Ma, 1422 ± 35 Ma, not dated and 1394 ± 22 Ma. The excellent correlation of the sequence of FIA trends and their ages between regions reveals a sixfold‐FIA succession across the region with the first developed FIA set in Central Colorado not present in Northern New Mexico and the third FIA set in the region not present in Central Colorado. Preferential partitioning of W–E trending deformation into the Central Colorado region ～1506 ± 15 Ma was followed by SSW–NNE trending deformation that affected both regions at 1470 ± 20 Ma. However, preferential partitioning of WNW–ESE trending deformation into Northern New Mexico at 1448 ± 12 Ma left Central Colorado unaffected. Both regions were then affected by the three remaining periods of orogenesis, the first trending NNW–SSE at 1424 ± 15 Ma followed by one trending NW–SE that has not yet been dated, and then one trending WSW–ENE at 1390 ± 19 Ma. This suggests that the Yavapai terrane was tectonized at ～1506 Ma, prior to amalgamation with the Mazatzal terrane ～1470 Ma. Subsequent orogenesis was initially partitioned preferentially into the Mazatzal terrane, but the following three periods of tectonism affected both terranes in a similar manner.     

四川盆地上三叠统须家河组的双壳类动物群

本文通过四川盆地上三叠统须家河组中丰富的双壳类化石新资料的研究,划分出了两个双壳类化石组合带,并对其组合特征、地区分布和沉积环境进行了讨论,还描述５个新种,刊出了主要化石图版     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S167498711200031X

Upper Paleozoic coal measures in the Ordos Basin consist of dark mudstone and coal beds and are important source rocks for gas generation.Gas accumulations include coal-bed methane（CBM）, tight gas and conventional gas in different structural areas.CBM accumulations are mainly distributed in the marginal area of the Ordos Basin,and are estimated at 3.5×10¹² m³.Tight gas accumulations exist in the middle part of the Yishan Slope area,previously regarded as the basin-centered gas system and now considered as stratigraphic lithologic gas reservoirs.This paper reviews the characteristics of tight gas accumulations:poor physical properties(porosity < 8%,permeability < 0.85×10^-3μm²),abnormal pressure and the absence of well-defined gas water contacts.CBM is a self-generation and selfreservoir, while gas derived from coal measures migrates only for a short distance to accumulate in a tight reservoir and is termed near-generation and near-reservoir.Both CBM and tight gas systems require source rocks with a strong gas generation ability that extends together over wide area.However,the producing area of the two systems may be significantly different.     

Abrupt shifts in the Indian monsoon during the Pliocene marked by high-resolution terrestrial records from the Yuanmou Basin in southwest China

A 650-m-thick sequence of fluvio-lacustrine sediments from the Yuanmou Basin in southwest China was analyzed at 20-cm intervals for grain-size distribution to provide a high-resolution terrestrial record of Indian summer monsoon variations during the Pliocene. The concentrations of the clay and clay-plus-fine-silt fractions are inferred to reflect the water-level status of the lake basin related to the intensity of the Indian summer monsoon and high concentrations reflect high lake levels resulting from the intensified summer monsoon. The frequency of individual lacustrine mud beds is considered to reveal the frequency of the lakes developed in the basin associated with the variability of the Indian summer monsoon and an increased frequency of the lakes reveals an increased variability of the summer monsoon. The proxy data indicate that the Indian summer monsoon experienced two major shifts at 3.57 and 2.78 Ma and two secondary shifts at 3.09 and 2.39 Ma during the Pliocene. The summer monsoon displayed a general trend of gradual intensification during the period of 3.57–2.78 Ma, coeval with an accelerated uplift of the Tibetan Plateau, implying a close link between the monsoon intensification and the plateau uplift. At 2.78 Ma, the summer monsoon was markedly weakened, synchronous with the formation of extensive Northern Hemisphere ice sheets, denoting a quick response of the monsoon regime to the Northern Hemisphere glaciation. The variability of the summer monsoon decreased at 3.09 Ma and increased at 2.39 Ma, presumably suggesting that variations of the Indian monsoon would be modulated by the initiation and periodic fluctuations of ice-sheet covers in Northern Hemisphere high latitudes.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987111000879

Multiple sets of thick coal beds characterized by simple structure and shallow burial depth were developed in the Early and Middle Jurassic strata of the Ordos Basin,northwestern China.The huge reserves of this high quality coal have a high commercial value.We studied the coal’s petrologic characteristics and its maceral distribution to determine the maceral’s contribution to generation of oil and gas.The results show that the Jurassic coals in the Ordos Basin have special penological features because of the Basin’s unique depositional environment which was mainly a series of high-stand swamps in the upper fluvial system.These petrographic features are a result of the development of typical inland lakes where some sand bodies were formed by migrating rivers.After burial,the peat continued to undergo oxidizing conditions,this process generated extensive higher inertinile contents in the coals and the vitrinite components were altered to semi-vitrinite.The macroscopic petrographic types of these Jurassic coals are mainly semi-dull coal,dull coal,semilustrous and lustrous coal.The proportions of semi-dull coal and dull coal are higher in the basin margins,especially in the area near the northern margin.The numbers of semilustrous and lustrous coals increase southwards and towards the central basin.This situation indicates that different coal-forming swamp environments have major controlling effects on the coal components.Another observation is that in the Ordos" coal sequences,especially in the lower part,some sandstone beds are thick,up to 20 m with a coarse grain size.The higher fusinite content in the macerals accompanies a higher semi-vitrinite content with more complete and regular plant cell structure.The fusinite structure is clear and well preserved.After burial,the lithology of the roof and floor rocks can continue to affect the evolution of coal petrology.The sand bodies in the roof and floor exhibit good physical conditions so that pore water can maintain a long-term state of oxidation,circulation and connection to the coal.So coal components remain in an oxidation environment for a long time.Conversely,in the basin center,lacustrine facies developed and peat was rapidly covered by mudstone after burial and subsequent coal beds rapidly entered a reducing environment.As a result,abundant gelatification occurred and the vitrinite content increased.Exinite often accumulated in a specific position in the coal bed.Although the average exinite content is not high on the whole,it does significantly contribute to the total hydrocarbon generation. The exinite content has been underestimated,especially the amorphous bituminous fluid and its importance is emphasized here.The reason is that the fluid flows easily into fusinite which has strong rigidity,or flows into some fissures,where it is commonly neglected.