Depositional environments of some Tertiary lignites from Alabama

Conference · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1985 · Geol. Soc. Am., Abstr. Programs; (United States)

OSTI ID:6848433

Gutzler, R Q

Petrographic, chemical, stratigraphic, and palynologic methods were used to reconstruct the depositional environments of some Paleocene-Eocene lignites from the Nanafalia Formation (Wilcox Group) and Naheola Formation (Midway Group) of Alabama. Stratigraphic evidence suggests that the thin lignite seams of the Naheola Formation were formed in deltaic settings; whereas,the thicker Nanafalia lignites were formed in stream channels and sinkholes developed on an eroded limestone surface. Lignites from both areas have high sulfur contents; however, the Naheola lignites have high levels of both organic and pyritic sulfur and the Nanafalia lignites have high levels or organic sulfur only. This suggests that iron was less available to the limestone-associated Nanafalia peat swamps than to the deltaic Naheola swamps. The Naheola lignites are composed primarily of banded lithotypes dominated by the huminite macerals gelinite, ulminite, and humodetrinite. Palynologic evidence suggests that the swamp flora that formed these coals contained Corylus, ferns, and palms with ferns being most common in the Naheola swamps and palms being most common in the Nanafalia. In general, differences in petrographic, chemical, and palynologic composition between the Naheola and Nanafalia lignites can readily be explained by differences in the original depositional conditions under which these deposits were formed.

• OSTI ID: 6848433
• Report Number(s): CONF-8510489-
• Journal Information: Geol. Soc. Am., Abstr. Programs; (United States), Vol. 17; Conference: 98. annual meeting of the Geological Society of America, Orlando, FL, USA, 28 Oct 1985
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
58 GEOSCIENCES
ALABAMA
COAL DEPOSITS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
DEPOSITION
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
PETROGRAPHY
STRATIGRAPHY
GEOCHEMISTRY
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS
LIGNITE
MACERALS
PALYNOLOGY
PYRITE
SULFUR CONTENT
TERTIARY PERIOD
BROWN COAL
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CENOZOIC ERA
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMISTRY
COAL
ENERGY SOURCES
FEDERAL REGION IV
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGY
IRON COMPOUNDS
IRON SULFIDES
MATERIALS
MINERAL RESOURCES
MINERALS
NORTH AMERICA
RESOURCES
SULFIDE MINERALS
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
USA
011000* - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
580300 - Mineralogy
Petrology
& Rock Mechanics- (-1989)
580400 - Geochemistry- (-1989)