The relationship between Euramerican and Cathaysian tropical floras in the Late Palaeozoic: Palaeobiogeographical and palaeogeographical implications

Wetland plant communities persisted though much of the Pennsylvanian in Euramerica and are the dominant coal forming vegetation in this region. Distribution of these floras show a dramatic decline at the end of the Carboniferous with many of the plant genera and species becoming extinct by the onset of the Permian. This has been correlated with climate change and in particular aridification associated with northwards plate motion and Euramerica moving into the doldrums, but is also associated with the Variscan orogeny and forefront destroying large areas of formerly lowland basinal settings. Other factors may include Pennsylvanian glaciations as evidenced by cyclothem and rhythmical deposition in lowlying wetland settings, and change in eustatic base level. Evidence from Euramerica demonstrates extinction of this kind of wetland biota by the earliest Permian and the development of drier floras including conifer dominated assemblages. However, new data from other parts of the world, most notably North China, confirm this model and highlight the presence of similar coal swamps ranging from the Late Pennsylvanian through the Permian. In this paper we summarise and synthesize recent taxonomic and systematic investigations undertaken on the plant fossils from the Pennsylvanian Benxi Formation – the oldest recognised wetland plant community in China – and the Early Permian Taiyuan Formation – the best preserved wetland plant community from China. Results indicate a remarkable similarity of the Pennsylvanian–Early Permian floras of North China with the older assemblages in the Pennsylvanian of Euramerica, and the presence of typical ‘Euramerican’ coal swamp plant families, genera and in some cases species in China. Conclusions include the presence of the Ameriosinian phytogeographical realm uniting Euramerica and northern Cathaysia at this time, coal swamps in the Permian of North China evolving from a ‘Euramerican’ origin, and the dramatic floral turnover at the end of the Carboniferous representing a regional event rather than a global extinction episode. Patterns of plant distribution through this interval have profound implications on established palaeogeographical models and support continental connection between Euramerica and Cathaysia before the end of the Carboniferous, contradicting ideas of Cathaysian island biogeography and biotic distinction. Continental connection appears to be related to glacial eustatic low-stand and previously shallow marine environments becoming vegetated. Also important is the fact that in both Euramerica and North China the pattern of floristic demise within wetland plant communities are similar to each other, implying the same causal mechanisms, with plants occupying waterlogged positions being the most severely devastated. However, ecosystem demise occurred at the end of the Carboniferous in Euramerica and in the middle Permian in North China, but in both cases the primary cause was climate change.     

中生代主要植物化石的古气候指示意义

中生代植物群以真蕨纲、苏铁纲、银杏纲、松柏纲为主,另有苔藓类、石松纲、楔叶纲及其他种子植物等。从化石的形态和结构、埋藏特点、分布及与现生类型的对比等方面,概要地分析了中生代植物群常见分子的古气候指示意义。其中,反映温暖潮湿气候或生境的主要有苔藓类,石松纲的Lycopodites和Selaginellites属等,楔叶纲,真蕨纲的单缝孢类、早白垩世的蚌壳蕨科、海金砂科的Ruffordia属、紫萁科及可能相关的小羽片大型的Cladophlebis,银杏纲银杏目的主要类型,松柏纲杉科的Athrotaxoites、Cunninghamia、Cephalotaxopsis、Sequoia等,紫杉科的Taxus、Torreya等,苏铁杉科Ferganiella、Podozamites、Swedenborgia等以及形态属Elatocladus;反映温凉气候的主要有松柏纲的松科和银杏纲的茨康目;适应热带、亚热带气候的包括真蕨类的海金沙科、合囊蕨科、马通蕨科、双扇蕨科、桫椤科、里白科以及中国蕨科的Onychiopsis等,苏铁目和本内苏铁目的主要类型;指示偏干旱型气候的主要有石松纲的Pleuromeia和Isoetites, 真蕨纲的Weichiselia, 本内苏铁目的Otozamites、Zamites、Ptilophyllum等,松柏纲掌鳞杉科的Pseudoflenelopsis、Flenelopsis、 Hirmeriella和可能属于掌鳞杉科的Brachyphyllum和Pagiophyllum,柏科的Cupressinocladus以及买麻藤目的Ephedrites等。     

Paleoecology of the Late Pennsylvanian-age Calhoun coal bed and implications for long-term dynamics of wetland ecosystems

Quantitative plant assemblage data from coal balls, miospores, megaspores, and compression floras from the Calhoun coal bed (Missourian) of the Illinois Basin (USA) are used to interpret spatial and temporal changes in plant communities in the paleo-peat swamp. Coal-ball and miospore floras from the Calhoun coal bed are dominated strongly by tree ferns, and pteridosperms and sigillarian lycopsids are subdominant, depending on geographic location within the coal bed. Although the overall composition of Calhoun peat-swamp assemblages is consistent both temporally and spatially, site-to-site differences and short-term shifts in species dominance indicate local topographic and hydrologic control on species composition within the broader context of the swamp. Statistical comparison of the Calhoun miospore assemblages with those from other Late Pennsylvanian coal beds suggests that the same basic species pool was represented in each peat-swamp landscape and that the relative patterns of dominance and diversity were persistent from site to site. Therefore, it appears that the relative patterns of proportional dominance stayed roughly the same from one coal bed to the next during Late Pennsylvanian glacially-driven climatic oscillations.     

Changing patterns of Pennsylvanian coal-swamp vegetation and implications of climatic control on coal occurrence

Improved regional and interregional stratigraphic correlations of Pennsylvanian strata permit comparisons of vegetational changes in Euramerican coal swamps. The coal-swamp vegetation is known directly from in situ coal-ball peat deposits from more than 65 coals in the United States and Europe. Interpretations of coal-swamp floras on the basis of coal-ball peat studies are extended to broader regional and stratigraphic patterns by use of coal palynology. Objectives of the quantitative analyses of the vegetation in relation to coal are to determine the botanical constituents at the peat stage and their environmental implications for plant growth and peat accumulation. Morphological and paleoecological analyses provide a basis for deducing freshwater regimes of coal swamps.Changes in composition of Pennsylvanian coal-swamp vegetation are quire similar from one paralic coal region to another and show synchrony that is attributable to climate. Paleobotany and paleogeography of the Euramerican province indicate a moist tropical paleoclimate. Rainfall, runoff and evapotranspiration were the variable climatic controls in the distribution of coal-swamp vegetation, peat accumulation and coal resources. In relative terms of climatic wetness the Pennsylvanian Period is divisible into five intervals, which include two relatively drier intervals that developed during the Lower-Middle and Middle-Upper Pennsylvanian transitions. The climate during Early Pennsylvanian time was moderately wet and the median in moisture availability. Early Middle Pennsylvanian was drier, probably seasonally dry-wet; late Middle Pennsylvanian was the wettest in the Midcontinent; early Late Pennsylvanian was the driest; and late Late Pennsylvanian was probably the wettest in the Dunkard Basin. The five climatic intervals represent a general means of dividing coal resources within each region into groups with similar botanical constituents and environments of peat accumulation. Regional differences in basinal geology and climate were significant variables, but the synchronous control of paleoclimate was of primary importance.     

The geology and palynology of Lower and Middle Pennsylvanian strata in the Western Kentucky Coal Field

The Western Kentucky Coal Field is the southern tip of the Eastern Interior, or Illinois Basin. Pennsylvanian rocks in this area, which include conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone, shale, limestone and coal, were deposited primarily in coastal-deltaic settings at a time when western Kentucky was located close to the equator. This paper discusses temporal changes in regional sedimentation patterns and coal-forming floras of Lower and Middle Pennsylvanian strata in the Western Kentucky Coal Field.Lower Pennsylvanian strata of the Caseyville Formation are characterized by paleovalley-filling sedimentation patterns and extabasinal quartz pebbles. Caseyville Formation coals are characteristically thin and discontinuous and were strongly influenced by subsidence within underlying paleovalleys, and the dissected lower Pennsylvanian paleotopography. Caseyville coals are commonly dominated by Lycospora, but can also have variable palynofloras, which probably reflects variable edaphic conditions and edge effects within small, patchy paleomires. Tradewater Formation strata show increased marine influences and tidal-estuarine sedimentation, especially in the middle and upper parts. Coal beds in the lower part of the Tradewater typically are thin and discontinuous, although some economically important beds are present. Coals become thicker, more abundant and more laterally persistent towards the top of the formation. Palynologically, lower and middle Tradewater Formation coals are dominated by Lycospora, but begin to show increased amounts of tree fern spores. Middle and upper Tradewater coals are thicker and more continuous, and contain high percentages of tree fern spores. In addition, cordaite pollen is locally abundant in this interval.Carbondale and Shelburn (Desmoinesian) strata are much more laterally continuous, and occur within classic cyclothems that can be traced across the coal field. Cyclothems have long been interpreted as being eustatically driven, and glacio-eustacy controlled not only sedimentation but also the formation of Desmoinesian paleomires. Palynologically, Carbondale and Shelburn coals are either dominated by Lycospora or have heterogeneous palynofloras. Palynologic and coal-quality data suggest that hydrologic base level may have been the primary control on Desmoinesian paleomires, rather than paleoclimate, as the coals display rheotrophic, rather than ombrotrophic characteristics.     

Coalification of organic matter in coal balls of the Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous) of the Illinois Basin, United States

An evaluation was made of the degree of coalification of two coal balls from the Illinois Basin of the Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous) of the United States. Previous interpretations are mainly misleading and contradictory, primarily because of the assumption that the brown color and exceptional cellular and subcellular preservation typical of American coal balls imply chemical preservation of cellulose and lignin, the primary components of peat. Xylem tissue from a medullosan seed fern contained in a coal ball and the coal attached to the coal ball from the Calhoun coal bed, Mattoon Formation, Illinois, was analyzed by elemental, petrographic, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques to determine the degree of coalification. The NMR and elemental data indicate the lack of cellulose and lignin and a probable rank of high-volatile C bituminous coal. These data corroborate data for a coal ball from the Herrin (No. 6) coal bed (Carbondale Formation, Middle Pennsylvanian) and support our hypothesis that the organic matter in coal balls of the Pennsylvanian strata of the United States is coalified to about the same degree as the surrounding coal. Data presented show a range of lower reflectances for xylem tissue and vitrinite in the analyzed coal balls compared with vitrinite in the attached coal.The data reported indicate that physical preservation of organic matter in coal balls does not imply chemical preservation. Also our study supports the hypothesis that compactional (static load) pressure is not a prerequisite for coalification up to a rank of high-volatile C bituminous coal.A whole-rock analysis of the Calhoun coal ball indicates a similarity to other carbonate coal balls from the United States. It consists primarily of calcium carbonate and 1–2% organic matter; silica and alumina together make up less than 0.5%, indicating the lack of minerals such as quartz and clays.     

Conodonts of the Mississippian/Pennsylvanian boundary interval in Central Iran

The record of conodonts related to the Mississippian/Pennsylvanian boundary interval was investigated in four sections in Central Iran from two different structural units. Two sections from the Sanandaj–Sirjan trend zone (Asad-abad, and Darchaleh sections) and two from the East-Central Iran Microplate (Shesh-angosht and Kale-Sardar sections) exhibit a nearly complete record previously described across the Mississippian/Pennsylvanian boundary in Iran. The investigated sections can be subdivided in three formations (Ghaleh-, Absheni-, and Zaluda Formation) which belong to the Sardar Group. The mid-Carboniferous boundary was defined by the occurrence of Declinognathus noduliferus s.l.. Bio-event characteristics of the Carboniferous conodont fauna (Mississippian genera Gnathodus and Lochriea have been replaced by Pennsylvanian genera Declinognathus and Idiognathodus) as well as sedimentological changes within overall shallow water deposits were located approximately 33° S of the paleoequator and suggest sea-level changes within the framework of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age (LPIA). Furthermore, a widespread crinoid marker horizon previously described from two localities in Iran can be subdivided into three units of different ages.     

Depositional environments of Lower Pennsylvanian coal-bearing siliciclastics of southeastern Tennessee, northwestern Georgia, and northeastern Alabama, U.S.A.

In the Cumberland Plateaus of southeastern Tennessee, northwestern Georgia, and northeast Alabama, Pennsylvanian strata are siliciclastics containing discontinuous coal seams. Above some of these coal seams, the shale deposits contain fossils of marine or brackish fauna. The entire sequence was deposited in an asymmetric foreland basin and is thickest in the southeast. Within this general trend there are locally thick deposits of lowermost Pennsylvanian Gizzard Group sequences that mark subbasins. Conglomeratic sandstone members of the Gizzard Group are discontinuous and tend to be thicker in the subbasins. In contrast, conglomeratic to sandy units are more laterally continuous in the overlying Crab Orchard Mountains Group. The Pennsylvanian sequence overlies paleosols with subjacent freshwater-neomorphosed shallow marine carbonates, or siliciclastics of the uppermost Mississippian Pennington Formation.A provenance discrimination diagram indicates that Pennsylvanian siliciclastics were derived from an orogenic source. Profile analysis of thick quartzose sandstone sequences indicates facies, architectural elements and bounding surfaces characteristic of braided stream deposits. A dominant southwest paleoflow direction is inferred from paleocurrent indicators in sandy braided and meandering stream deposits.     

海南岛长昌盆地始新世孢粉植物区系

海南岛长昌盆地始新世孢粉植物区系共计种子植物32科40属,蕨类植物8科11属。分析其中的种子植物区系成分并与海南岛现代植物区系进行对比,结果显示：（1）在科级水平,长昌盆地始新世孢粉植物区系以泛热带科占优势,为37.5%;热带-亚热带科占6.25%;而亚热带-温带科所占比例相对较高,达到31.25%。海南岛现代植物区系泛热带科高达48.07%,热带-亚热带科的比例也达到18.88%,而亚热带-温带科仅占15.88%。显然,长昌盆地始新世植物区系的组成亚热带性质较强。（2）在属级水平,长昌盆地始新世孢粉植物区系泛热带属占7.5%;热带-亚热带属占17.5%;而亚热带-温带属多达67.5%。海南岛现代植物区系泛热带属高达23.9%,热带-亚热带属更是高达57.5%,而亚热带-温带属仅占13.7%。对比表明,长昌盆地始新世植物区系明显以亚热带-温带性质为主,甚至出现了很多现今生活在较高海拔的山地植物,如冷杉（Abies）和铁杉（Tsuga）等。科属组成的分析表明,海南岛长昌盆地始新世的气温比现代要低,其周缘地带很可能分布有较高的山地。     

The Brymbo Fossil Forest

Sites yielding Pennsylvanian (late Carboniferous) coal floras are well known across Europe and North America, but they usually only yield drifted remains of the plants. To understand the ecology of these ancient tropical wetlands properly it is essential that we study in situ remains of the plants. During recent re‐development work of a disused steelworks in the Denbigh Coalfield (north Wales) the remains of a stand of mainly arborescent club mosses and horsetails have been discovered, which is providing new insights into how these unusual plants grew.     

Palynology, petrography and geochemistry of the Sewickley coal bed (Monongahela Group, Late Pennsylvanian), Northern Appalachian Basin, USA

Forty-two bench samples of the Sewickley coal bed were collected from seven localities in the northern Appalachian Basin and analyzed palynologically, petrographically, and geochemically. The Sewickley coal bed occurs in the middle of the Pittsburgh Formation (Monongahela Group) and is of Late Pennsylvanian age. Palynologically, it is dominated by spores of tree ferns. Tree fern spore taxa in the Sewickley include Punctatisporites minutus, Punctatosporites minutus, Laevigatosporites minimus, Spinosporites exiguus, Apiculatasporites saetiger, and Thymospora spp. In fact, Punctatisporites minutus was so abundant that it had to be removed from the standard counts and recorded separately (average 73.2%). Even when Punctatisporites minutus is removed from the counts, tree fern spores still dominate a majority of the assemblages, averaging 64.4%. Among the tree fern spores identified in the Sewickley coal, Thymospora exhibits temporal and spatial abundance variation. Thymospora usually increases in abundance from the base to the top of the bed. Thymospora is also more abundant in columns that are thick (>100 cm) and low in ash yield (<12.0%, dry basis). Calamite spores (e.g. Calamospora spp., Laevigatosporites minor, and L. vulgaris) are the next most abundant plant group represented in the Sewickley coal, averaging 20%. Contributions from all other plant groups are minor in comparison.Petrographically, the Sewickley coal contains high percentages of vitrinite (average 82.3%, mineral matter-free (mmf)), with structured forms being more common than unstructured forms. In contrast, liptinite and inertinite macerals both occur in low percentages (average 7.7% and 10.0%, respectively). Geochemically, the Sewickley coal has a moderate ash yield (average 12.4%) and high total sulfur content (average 3.4%).Four localities contained a high ash or carbonaceous shale bench. These benches, which may be coeval, are strongly dominated by tree fern spores. Unlike the lower ash benches, they contain low percentages of vitrinite, which mainly occurs as unstructured vitrinite, and higher liptinite and inertinite contents.The accumulated data suggest that the Sewickley paleomire was probably a rheotrophic, planar mire that had a consistent water cover. This is supported by the high vitrinite contents, moderate ash yields, and high total sulfur contents. The high ash and carbonaceous shale benches probably represent either periods of dryness and substrate exposure, or flooding of the mire surface, the duration of which is unknown.     

Dispersed angiosperm cuticles: Their history, preparation, and application to the rise of angiosperms in Cretaceous and Paleocene coals, southern western interior of North America

Cuticle — the decay-resistant outer layer of leaves and young stems — provides a reliable means of identifying fossil plant remains and reflects the vegetative adaptations of plants to climate and other environmental parameters. The study of dispersed angiosperm cuticles originated prior to World War II and has focused on the origin and paleoecology of coal. Activity in dispersed cuticles reached a high point during the 1950s and 1960s with the study of Tertiary lignites in central Europe, then subsided in central Europe as workers from other regions expanded the technique to other time-periods and geographic regions. Data from dispersed cuticles augment data from palynomorphs because dispersed cuticles originate from a different generation of the vascular plant life cycle and have different taphonomic histories. Because the analysis of dispersed angiosperm cuticles is unfamiliar to many geologists, methods for the analysis and preparation of dispersed angiosperm cuticles are detailed in an appendix.Dispersed cuticle assemblages from coals in the upper Albian Longford Member of the Kiowa Formation and the Maastrichtian-Paleocene Raton Formation of the Southern Western Interior provide new constraints on the times that angiosperms entered coal swamps and rose to dominance. The Kiowa assemblages indicate that angiosperms first entered coal swamp environments by the late Albian, while the Raton assemblages indicate that angiosperms dominated primary productivity in some subtropical coal swamps by the late Maastrichtian. Angiosperms in Kiowa coals probably comprised pioneer species in conifer-dominated vegetation; the most common family of angiosperms was Chloranthaceae. Angiosperms in upper Maastrichtian Raton coals comprised the dominant seed plants to the exclusion of conifers; magnoliid dicots and monocots were the dominant taxa and comprised diverse genera and families. Evidence from palynology and types of preserved cuticle indicates that ferns were subordinate to seed plants in biomass in Raton coals, in contrast to some described assemblages from the Northern Western Interior. Paleocene coals from the Raton Basin show the loss of many Cretaceous angiosperm taxa as well as the appearance of new taxa, including conifers belonging to Taxodiaceae. However, these Taxodiaceae were evergreen and subordinate in abundance to angiosperms. Vegetational patterns shown by Cretaceous-Paleocene coals of the Southern Western Interior contrast with those of more northerly regions and indicate a poleward gradient in the timing of angiosperm dominance in coal swamps.     

The Albian fern flora of Alexander Island,Antarctica

The Albian Alexander Island macrofossil flora from the Antarctic Peninsula preserves a diverse community of liverworts (Marchantiophyta), ferns (Polypodiopsida), Lycopodiales, Equisetales, Cycadales, Ginkgoales, seed-ferns (Bennettitales and Pentoxylales), Coniferales, and the first representatives of angiospermous leaves in Antarctica. Despite the presence of angiosperms in this assemblage, ferns are the most diverse element of the flora and are also ecologically dominant, while angiosperms contribute a smaller component to floristic diversity and have low abundance. Here we describe 11 fern taxa from this assemblage. The fossils are assigned to Cladophlebis, Sphenopteris and two newly created genera. The new genera and species are described under Adiantitophyllum serratum gen. et. sp. nov. and Nunatakia alexanderensis gen. et. sp. nov., and the new species are recognized as Cladophlebis dissecta sp. nov., Cladophlebis drinnanii sp. nov., Cladophlebis macloughlinii sp. nov. and Sphenopteris sinuosa sp. nov. In total, there are 24 fern species known from Alexander Island. In comparison to older floras (Jurassic) there is a greater diversity of ferns, while latest Cretaceous floras preserve significantly fewer fern species and more angiosperms. Possible factors that might account for such high fern diversity are high rainfall or generally humid conditions, regular disturbances by flooding and occasionally fire, and the preservation of a diverse range of fern communities that represent several palaeoenvironments.     

Early Permian coal-forming floras preserved as compressions from the Wuda District (Inner Mongolia,China)

Four different compression/impression floras are preserved in only 4.32 m of the geologic section in the Early Permian Shanxi Formation of the Wuda District of Inner Mongolia, northwestern China. These floras represent four different plant communities and landscapes that followed each other in time. The oldest flora was rooted in sandy clay and initiated peat accumulation that lead to the formation of the lower coal seam. This seam is 230-cm thick and overlain by a 66-cm thick volcanic tuff that preserves a second different flora that grew on the peat at the time of the ash-fall. Standing stems and large plant parts are present. The upper part of the tuff is rooted by a single species of lycopsid (the third flora) again initiating peat accumulation. On top of this second seam of 120 cm thickness rests a roof-shale, deposited as mud in a shallow lake, the formation of which was responsible for the cessation of peat deposition. This fourth flora represents the plants growing around the lake on clastic substrate. Four different environments followed each other in this locality over a geologically short time span and each time conditions prevailed to preserve plant macrofossils. Three of these floras represent peat-forming plant communities of essentially the same time interval. This demonstrates the great variability of vegetation and landscapes in the tropical Cathaysian realm of the Late Paleozoic.     

Regional and economic geology of Pennsylvanian age coal beds of West Virginia

West Virginia is the only place in the United States where an entire section of Pennsylvanian age (Upper Carboniferous) strata can be seen. These strata occur within a wedge of rock that thins to the north and west from the southeastern part of the State. The progressive north-northwesterly termination of older Pennsylvanian geologic units beneath younger ones prominently outlines the center of the Appalachian basin of West Virginia. Over most of West Virginia, Lower and/or Middle Pennsylvanian strata unconformably overly Upper Mississippian (Lower Carboniferous) strata. Sediment deposition was accomplished by a complex system of deltas prograding north and west from an eastern and southeastern source area.More than 100 named coal beds occur within the Lower, Middle, and Upper Pennsylvanian rocks of West Virginia and at least 60 of these have been or are currently being mined commercially. Collectively, these coal beds account for original in-ground coal resources of almost 106.1×10⁹ t (117×10⁹ tons). West Virginia ranks fourth in the United States in demonstrated coal reserves. In 1988, West Virginia produced 131.4×10⁶ t (144.9×10⁶ T) of coal, third highest in the United States. Of this annual production, 75% was from underground mines. In 1988, West Virginia led the nation in the number of longwall mining sections currently in place. West Virginia's low-volatile coal beds are known worldwide as important metallurgical-grade coals, while the higher-volatile coal beds are utilized primarily for steam production.     

Coalification patterns of the Pittsburgh coal: their origin and bearing on hydrocarbon maturation

The coalification pattern of the Pittsburgh coal as established by isoreflectance contours has an overall trend which intersect with the prevailing structural trend of the Dunkard basin. Reflectance values increase from 0.53% in southeastern Ohio to 1.57% in the Maryland panhandle. Divergences of the reflectance contour pattern from the overall trend coincide in part with the present areas of high geothermal gradient. Crustal radiogenic heat, or regional geothermal heating, was probably the dominant heat source responsible for the coalification of the Pittsburgh coal in the Dunkard basin.A time-temperature, Lopatin-type diagram, which was constructed for the Dunkard basin near Wheeling, West Virginia, delineates conditions on maturation of sediments and provides clues to the times of petroleum migration and to the possible source beds. Silurian strata matured during subsidence and burial prior to the orogeny. The Mississippian and Pennsylvanian strata matured during or after the orogeny. The Pennsylvanian strata west of the Dunkard basin, as suggested by vitrinite reflectance values, are apparently still immature.     

From in-situ coal to fly ash: a study of coal mines and power plants from Indiana

This paper presents data on the properties of coal and fly ash from two coal mines and two power plants that burn single-source coal from two mines in Indiana. One mine is in the low-sulfur (<1%) Danville Coal Member of the Dugger Formation (Pennsylvanian) and the other mines the high-sulfur (>5%) Springfield Coal Member of the Petersburg Formation (Pennsylvanian). Both seams have comparable ash contents (11%). Coals sampled at the mines (both raw and washed fractions) were analyzed for proximate/ultimate/sulfur forms/heating value, major oxides, trace elements and petrographic composition. The properties of fly ash from these coals reflect the properties of the feed coal, as well as local combustion and post-combustion conditions. Sulfur and spinel content, and As, Pb and Zn concentrations of the fly ash are the parameters that most closely reflect the properties of the source coal.     

Plant assemblage from Opole,southern Poland: New data on Late Cretaceous vegetation of the northern part of the European Province

This paper presents the results of studies on plant macroremains found in the upper Turonian of the Folwark Quarry, Opole, Poland, associated with palynological studies of the host rocks. In addition to a few macrofossils (gymnosperm wood, conifer Geinitzia reichenbachii and fern ?Didymosorus) rich sporomorphs (bryophyte, lycopod and fern spores, conifer and angiosperm pollen grains) and marine palynomorphs (mainly dinoflagellate cysts) were recorded. The palynological analysis revealed that the vegetation on the neighbouring land (the East Sudetic Island) in the late Turonian was much more diverse than could be reconstructed based on only macrofossil remains. The latter are taxonomically restricted and dominated by one gymnosperm species (Geinitzia reichenbachii), which make them similar to most neighbouring, coeval Central European assemblages. Its over representation is, thus, a result of taphonomy.     

Properties, origin and nomenclature of rodlets of the inertinite maceral group in coals of the central Appalachian basin, U.S.A.

Resin rodlets, sclerenchyma strands and woody splinters, which are collectively called rodlets, were studied by chemical, optical petrographic, and scanning-electron microscopic (SEM) techniques. A study was made of such rodlets from the bituminous coal beds of the central Appalachian basin (Pennsylvanian; Upper Carboniferous) of the United States. Comparisons were made with rodlets from coal beds of the Illinois basin, the Southern Anthracite Field of Pennsylvania, the St. Rose coal field of Nova Scotia, and European and other coal fields. In order to determine their physical and chemical properties, a detailed study was made of the rodlets from the Pomeroy coal bed (high volatile A bituminous coal; Monongahela Formation; Upper Pennsylvanian) of Kanawha County, West Virginia. The origin of the rodlets was determined by a comparative analysis of a medullosan (seed fern) stem from the Herrin (No. 6) coal bed (high volatile C bituminous coal; Carbondale Formation) from Washington County, Illinois. Rodlets are commonly concentrated in fusain or carbominerite layers or lenses in bituminous coal beds of the central Appalachian basin. Most of the rodlets examined in our study were probably derived from medullosan seed ferns. The three types of rodlets are distinguished on the basis of cellularity, morphology and fracture.The resin rodlets studied by us are noncellular and appear to be similar in properties and origin to those found in coal beds of the Middle and Upper Pennsylvanian of the Illinois basin. The resin rodlets extracted from the Pomeroy coal bed exhibit high relief and high reflectance when polished and viewed in reflected light; they are opaque in transmitted light. In cross section, the resin rodlets are oval to round and have diameters ranging from 60 to 450 μm. Many are solid, but some have vesicles, canals or cavities, which are commonly filled with clay, probably kaolinite. Typically, they have distinct fracture patterns (“kerfs”) in longitudinal and cross sections and many are characterized by dense (probably oxidized) rims. The orientation and amounts of void space and mineralization of resin rodlets in coal have resulted in much confusion in their recognition and classification. The resin rodlets are petrographically recognized as sclerotinites of the inertinite maceral group. We here propose that resin rodlets be assigned to the maceral variety of sclerotinites termed “resino-sclerotinite” because of their presumable resinous origin. Other investigators have confused some fusinitized resin rodlets with fungal masses, which have different morphological properties and which probably have different chemical properties. We here propose that such fungal masses be assigned to the maceral variety of sclerotinites termed “fungo-sclerotinite.”The sclerenchyma strands examined in our study are cellular, thick-walled, and crescent-shaped in cross section. They exhibit high reflectance and high relief and belong to semifusinite and fusinite of the inertinite maceral group. Sclerenchyma strands are commonly associated with resin canals in Medullosa and related seed-fern genera, which are common in coal balls of the Illinois basin. We here propose adoption of the maceral varietal terms “sclerenchymo-fusinite” and “sclerenchymo-semifusinite” for these bodies.The woody splinters in the Pomeroy coal bed are cellular and thin-walled and have scattered pits as much as a few microns in diameter. They are dark brown to black in transmitted light and commonly have a lower reflectance than the resino-sclerotinite and sclerenchymo-fusinite of the Pomeroy coal. The woody splinters belong to semifusinite and fusinite of the inertinite maceral group. The maceral varietal terms “xylemo-semifusinite” and “xylemo-fusinite” are here proposed for these bodies.Elemental chemical data for the resin rodlets of the Pomeroy coal bed of the central Appalachian basin indicate that resin rodlets have significantly lower atomic H/C and O/C ratios than do sclerenchyma strands and woody splinters. The lower atomic H/C and O/C ratios of the resin rodlets correlate with the highest reflectance. In the coal ball medullosan seed-fern stem from the Herrin (No. 6) coal bed of the Illinois basin, the reflectances of the resin rodlets, woody splinters and sclerenchyma strands are similar and comparable to those of associated vitrinite in the coal ball stem and in the attached coal. However, resin rodlets and sclerenchyma strands in the attached coal have significantly higher reflectances, similar to those of the Pomeroy coal.     

中国白垩纪植物群与生物地层学

早白垩世时中国可划分出北方、南方和藏南3个植物地理区。北方植物地理区可归入瓦赫拉梅耶夫的西伯利亚加拿大植物地理区,发育有热河、阜新和大砬子3个植物群。热河植物群产于辽西义县组和九佛堂组及其他相当地层,时代为早白垩世早期,以苏铁纲和松柏纲占主导地位。阜新植物群赋存于辽西的沙海组和阜新组及相当地层,以真蕨纲、银杏纲和松柏纲共同繁盛,苏铁纲和木贼目较丰富为特点。由早而晚可以进一步划分为Acanthopteris-Ginkgoco riacea组合、Ruffordia goepperti-Dryopterites组合和Ctenis lyrata-Chilinia组合,分别产于辽西的沙海组、阜新组中下部和阜新组上部。大砬子植物群产于吉林延吉盆地的大砬子组和松辽盆地的泉头组,被子植物占优势且掌鳞杉科丰富。南方植物地理区属于瓦赫拉梅耶夫的欧洲中国植物地理区的范畴,苏铁纲、鳞叶或锥叶型松柏和小羽片小而叶膜厚的真蕨类(主要是Cladophlebis)占主导地位,缺少银杏纲、真蕨纲的蚌壳蕨科及单缝孢类型等,为热带、亚热带植物群,可进一步划分为东部、西藏北部和中部3个亚区。其中,东部亚区滨邻古太平洋,以浙江、福建和山东莱阳盆地等的植物为代表,以鳞叶和锥叶型松柏与本内苏铁Ptilophyllum占优势。该亚区植物群可以进一步划分为3或4个植物组合,自早至晚包括Cupressinocladus-Pagiophyllum组合、Cladophlebis-Ptilophyllum组合、Ruffordia-Zamiophyllum组合和Suturovagina-Frenelopsis组合。西藏北部亚区邻近古特提斯洋东北岸,植物群与东部亚区的基本特点一致,但真蕨类更为繁盛,特别是海金沙科Klukia属和里白科的Gleichenites相当丰富,并有海金沙科的Scleropteris属和马通蕨科存在,裸子植物以苏铁纲为主,松柏纲相对较少,可进一步划分为两个组合。中部亚区介于上述两个亚区之间,由于气候干旱,植物群不发育,以甘肃酒泉盆地、民和盆地所产化石为代表,特点是鳞叶、锥叶型松柏类为主,掌鳞杉科较发育,其他类型罕见。藏南植物地理区属于澳大利亚植物地理区的范畴,只发现于喜玛拉雅地区。晚白垩世植物群只发现于东北、华南、西藏等地的少数地点和少数层位,研究程度较低,还不能进一步划分出植物地理区系和组合。以植物化石为主要依据,结合其他生物和非生物证据,建立了中国不同植物地理区白垩纪含植物化石的地层及相关地层的对比关系。