The author presents examples of coal deposits two different continents: from the European Carboniferous and the Permian Gondwana sequence of Australia. The organic and petrographic composition of the coal content of palaeo-environmentally well defined groups of sediments allow the discrimination of two coal facies indices as suitable indicators for distinct settings. Combining the analytical methods of coal petrography, sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy an integrated view of coal formation is attained.
The recent increase in the search for coal has initiated a dramatic growth in sedimentological research on the origin, formation and environment of coal deposition. This publication is concerned with perhaps the most important field of coal research, that of coal environments. This subject involves many interrelated disciplines, including the sedimentology, petrology, geochemistry, palaeobotany and palaeogeography of coal deposits. In the past, workers in these fields have operated independently, and only recently have their research efforts been integrated to provide a more comprehensive understanding of coal depositional environments.
This volume contains papers presented at the 30th International Geological Congress on coal. It includes information on the applications of high-resolution sequence stratigraphy to paralicand terrestrial coal-bearing strata and petrology and depositional environment of Early Jurassic coal.
Nonrenewable energy resources, comprising fossil fuels and uranium, are not ran domly distributed within the Earth's crust. They formed in response to a complex array of geologic controls, notably the genesis of the sedimentary rocks that host most commercial energy resources. It is this genetic relationship between economic re sources and environment that forms the basis for this book. Our grouping of petro leum, coal, uranium, and ground water may appear to be incongruous or artificial. But our basic premise is that these ostensibly disparate resources share common genetic attributes and that the sedimentological principles governing their natural distributions and influencing their recovery are fundamentally similar. Our combined careers have focused on these four resources, and our experiences in projects worldwide reveal that certain recurring geologic factors are important in controlling the distribution of com mercial accumulations and subsurface fluid flow. These critical factors include the shape and stability of the receiving basin, the major depositional elements and their internal detail, and the modifications during burial that are brought about in these sediments by pressure, circulating fluids, heating, and chemical reaction. Since the first edition of this book in 1983, there has been a quantum leap in the volume of literature devoted to genetic stratigraphy and refinement of sedimentologi cal principles and a commensurate increase in the application of these concepts to resource exploration and development.
Coal Geology, second edition, offers a thoroughly revised and updated edition of this popular book which provides a comprehensive overview of the field of coal geology. Coal Geology covers all aspects of coal geology in one volume, bridging the gap between the academic aspects and the practical role of geology in the coal industry. The object of the book is to provide the reader with a with a description of the origins of coal together with the physical and chemical properties of coal and coal petrology before proceeding to cover all areas of coal exploration, production and use. Bridges the gap between academic aspects of coal geology and the practical role of geology in the coal industry Examines historical and stratigraphical geology, together with mining, environmental issues, geophysics and hydrogeology and the marketing of coal Defines worldwide coal resource classifications and methods of calculation Addresses the alternative uses of coal as a source of energy, together with the environmental implications of coal usage Includes improved illustrations including a colour section Offers a global approach covering expanding fields in America, China and India The truly global approach, drawn from the international experiences of the author, recognizes the growing role of coal use in emerging markets. With fully revised coverage of the latest modelling techniques, environmental legislation, equipment and recording methods, the second edition offers a truly invaluable resource for anyone studying, researching or working in the field of coal geology, geotechnical and mining engineering and environmental science.
