Changes in geochemistry and mineralogy of thermally altered coal, Upper Hunter Valley, Australia

Igneous intrusions thermally and geochemically alter coal, commonly causing economic and safety problems for many coal mines. The effects of two dykes on the inorganic content of the Late Permian bituminous Upper Wynn seam were determined from analyses of 44 samples that were collected along transects approaching the intrusions. Petrographic and XRD data were used to determine sample mineralogy, and INAA and XRF spectrometry were utilised to determine the contents of 57 elements. The mineralogy of the unaltered coal, altered coal and dyke is dominated by carbonates, particularly dawsonite, which formed by epigenetic precipitation at a late stage, after thermal alteration. Ankerite and siderite are the products of thermal alteration and are restricted to the altered coal and dykes.Principal component analysis, correlations and compositional trends approaching the intrusions were used to subdivide the elements into groups and to identify the mineralogical affinity of each group. Geochemical data are more sensitive than mineralogy for defining the size of the alteration halo, and three zones ranging from unaltered coal, through altered coal to highly coked coal are recognised as each intrusion is approached.The alteration halos differ in extent (9.5 and 56 m wide), but their size is not a multiple of the size of the causative intrusion. At the contact between coal and intrusion, concentrations of elements with affinities to some aluminosilicates, oxides, carbonates, sulphides and organic components are enriched, while other aluminosilicate-related elements are depleted. In the altered coal towards the edge of the alteration halo, some aluminosilicate elements are enriched and oxide elements are depleted.     

Effects of igneous intrusions on coalbed methane potential, Gunnedah Basin, Australia

The Gunnedah Basin, NSW, Australia, contains more than 500 Gt of coal, and has been the subject of recent coalbed methane exploration. Large areas of the basin contain igneous intrusions and large areas of coal have been heat-affected as a consequence. A detailed study has been undertaken of coal seams intersected in a cored coalbed methane exploration drillhole in which two sill-form igneous intrusions are present. Comparisons are made between coals that are unaltered and coals that have been heat-affected, using petrographic and chemical data, coal seam gas desorption data, and gas chemical analysis data.Results demonstrate that the two igneous intrusions have had a very positive effect on coalbed methane development. The gas content in a number of heat-affected coal seams within thermal aureoles above and below the sills is substantially higher than in adjacent unaffected coal seams. In addition, the intrusions have had little effect on gas quality. The coals in the heat-affected zone were found to contain gas with approximately 95% methane. The coals in the thermal aureoles were found, under the microscope, to contain characteristic micropores and slits, which collectively may serve to enhance gas adsorption capacity, permeability, and gas desorption. Gas contents below each of the sills is substantially higher than above the sill, confirming earlier results that the sills appear to have acted as a reservoir seal, during and for some time after intrusion. The background coal rank in ACM Yannergee DDH 1 is in the high-volatile bituminous range. The igneous intrusions have resulted in an increase in rank such that large areas of coal have moved into the optimal thermogenic gas generation window. This rank increase has affected a major part of the coal-bearing sequence.     

Geological characteristics and co-exploration and co-production methods of Upper Permian Longtan coal measure gas in Yangmeishu Syncline,Western Guizhou Province,China

Coal measure gas (also known as coal-bearing unconventional gas) is the key field and development direction of unconventional natural gas in recent years. The exploration and evaluation of coal measure gas (coalbed methane, coal shale gas and coal measure tight sandstone gas) from single coalbed methane has greatly expanded the field and space of resource evaluation, which is of positive significance for realizing the comprehensive utilization of coal resources, maximizing the benefits and promoting the innovation of oil and gas geological theory and technological advances in exploration and development. For the first time, in Yangmeishu Syncline of Western Guizhou Province, the public welfare coalbed methane geological survey project of China Geological Survey has been carried out a systematic geological survey of coal measure gas for the Upper Permian Longtan Formation, identified the geological conditions of coal measure gas and found high quality resources. The total geological resource quantity of coalbed methane and coal shale gas is 51.423×10⁹ m³ and the geological resource abundance is up to 566×10⁹ m³/km². In this area, the coal measures are characterized by many layers of minable coal seams, large total thickness, thin to the medium thickness of the single layer, good gas-bearing property of coal seams and coal measure mudstone and sandstone, good reservoir physical property and high-pressure coefficient. According to the principle of combination of high quality and similarity of key parameters of the coal reservoir, the most favorable intervals are No.5⁻², No.7 and No.13⁻² coal seam in Well YMC1. And the pilot tests are carried out on coal seams and roof silty mudstone, such as staged perforation, increasing hydraulic fracturing scale and “three gas” production. The high and stable industrial gas flow with a daily gas output of more than 4000 m³ has been obtained, which has realized the breakthrough in the geological survey of coal measure gas in Southwest China. Based on the above investigation results, the geological characteristics of coal measure gas in the multi-thin-coal-seam-developed area and the co-exploration and co-production methods, such as the optimization method of favorable intervals, the high-efficiency fracturing and reservoir reconstruction method of coal measures, and the “three gas” drainage and production system, are systematically summarized in this paper. It will provide a reference for efficient exploration and development of coal measure gas in similar geological conditions in China.     

Their grass is greener but ours is sweeter – Thoroughbred breeding and water management in the Upper Hunter region of New South Wales, Australia

The Upper Hunter region of New South Wales (NSW) around Scone is reputed to be the second most significant thoroughbred breeding region in the world after the Bluegrass region of Kentucky. This article identifies the importance and cultural constructions of grass, and hence water, in the thoroughbred breeding industry in this region. Thoroughbred stud managers attempt to produce environments attractive to potential horse purchasers and owners with mares to be mated. These environments are constructed from perceptions of how a thoroughbred stud should appear, and from the physical conditions of specific locations. One perception is that the grass should be green. There are differing opinions in the thoroughbred breeding industry about the nutritional value of irrigated grasses, the role of these grasses in horse development and the associated access to, cost of and efficacy of water used for this purpose. The paper concludes that effective water management in this industry is only possible if various cultures of nature are understood, where necessary challenged, and subsequently included in policy and planning.     

Mineralogy and geochemistry of a Late Permian coal in the Dafang Coalfield, Guizhou, China: influence from siliceous and iron-rich calcic hydrothermal fluids

This paper describes the influence of siliceous and iron-rich calcic low-temperature hydrothermal fluids (LTHF) on the mineralogy and geochemistry of the Late Permian No. 11 Coal (anthracitic, R_r=2.85%) in the Dafang Coalfield in northwestern Guizhou Province, China. The No. 11 Coal has high contents of vein ankerite (10.2 vol.%) and vein quartz (11.4 vol.%), with formation temperatures of 85 and 180 °C, respectively, indicating that vein ankerite and vein quartz were derived from low-temperature calcic and siliceous hydrothermal fluids in two epigenetic episodes. The vein quartz appears to have formed earlier than vein ankerite did, and at least three distinct stages of ankerite formation with different Ca/Sr and Fe/Mn ratios were observed.The two types of mineral veins are sources of different suites of major and trace metals. Scanning electron microscope and sequential extraction studies show that, in addition to Fe, Mg, and Ca, vein ankerite is the dominant source of Mn, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the coal, and the contents of these five elements are as high as 0.09% and 74.0, 33.6, 185, and 289 μg/g, respectively. In contrast, vein quartz is the main carrier mineral for platinum-group elements (PGEs) Pd, Pt, and Ir in the coal, and the contents of Pd, Pt, and Ir are 1.57, 0.15, and 0.007 μg/g, respectively. Sequential extraction showed a high PGE content in the silicate fraction, up to 10.4 μg/g Pd, 1.23 μg/g Pt, and 0.05 μg/g Ir, respectively. It is concluded that the formation of ankerite and quartz and the anomalous enrichment of trace elements in the No. 11 Coal in the Dafang Coalfield, Guizhou, result from the influx of calcic and siliceous low-temperature hydrothermal fluids.     

Heating duration of igneous rim formation on a chondrule in the Northwest Africa 3118 CV3oxA carbonaceous chondrite inferred from micro-scale migration of the oxygen isotopes

Due to their common occurrence in various types of chondrites, igneous rims formed on pre-existing chondrules throughout chondrule-forming regions of the solar nebula. Although the peak temperatures are thought to reach similar values to those achieved during chondrule formation events, the heating duration in chondrule rim formation has not been well defined. We determined the two-dimensional chemical and oxygen isotopic distributions in an igneous rim of a chondrule within the Northwest Africa 3118 CV3_oxA chondrite with sub-micrometer resolution using secondary ion mass spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy. The igneous rim experienced aqueous alteration on the CV parent body. The aqueous alteration resulted in precipitation of the secondary FeO-rich olivine (Fa_40–49) and slightly disturbed the Fe-Mg distribution in the MgO-rich olivine phenocrysts (Fa_11–22) at about a 1 μm scale. However, no oxygen isotopic disturbances were observed at a scale greater than 100 nm. The MgO-rich olivine, a primary phase of igneous rim formation, has δ¹⁷O = −6 ± 3‰ and δ¹⁸O = −1 ± 4‰, and some grains contain extreme ¹⁶O-rich areas (δ¹⁷O, δ¹⁸O = ∼−30‰) nearly 10 μm across. We detected oxygen isotopic migration of approximately 1 μm at the boundaries of the extreme ¹⁶O-rich areas. Using oxygen self-diffusivity in olivine, the heating time of the igneous rim formation could have continued from several hours to several days at near liquidus temperatures (∼2000 K) in the solar nebula suggesting that the rim formed by a similar flash heating event that formed the chondrules.     

上扬子西缘晚二叠世宣威组凝灰岩： 对峨眉山大火成岩省火山活动及古特提斯弧火山作用的约束

扬子西缘二叠系—三叠系之交凝灰岩的研究对探讨峨眉山大火成岩省及古特提斯周缘岩浆弧火山活动的时限约束具有重要意义。本次工作在上扬子西缘永善地区晚二叠世宣威组中发现多层凝灰岩。对其底部和顶部凝灰岩进行LA- MC- ICP- MS锆石U- Pb测年和Hf同位素研究显示:底部凝灰岩加权平均年龄为258. 9±0. 7 Ma，锆石Th/Nb比值为2. 53~13. 05，εHf(t)值为3. 0~5. 0，TDM2为988~871 Ma；锆石微量元素、Hf同位素及二阶模式年龄显示其具有与峨眉山玄武岩相关的特征，为峨眉山大火成岩省后期产物。顶部凝灰岩加权平均年龄为254. 9±0. 6 Ma，锆石Th/Nb比值为36. 50~311. 85，εHf(t)值为-7. 4~-6. 9，TDM2为1573~1529 Ma；锆石微量元素、Hf同位素及二阶模式年龄特征表明其形成于宋马- 哀牢山- 金沙江构造带弧火山活动。研究表明:宣威组下部凝灰岩为峨眉山大火成岩省后期酸性火山活动的产物，研究区峨眉山火山活动至少持续到了258. 9±0. 7 Ma。古特提斯弧火山作用至少于254. 9±0. 6 Ma就已启动。