Vitrinite reflectance of sinkhole coals, east central Missouri fire clay district

Conference · Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1993 · Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States)

OSTI ID:5071025

Laudon, R C ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Missouri, Rolla, MO (United States). Dept. of Geology and Geophysics

East central Missouri contains numerous sinkholes many of which are filled with commercial quantities of fire clay and some contain small amounts of coal. Vitrinite reflectance averages from 513 samples taken from eleven of these coals ranged from 0.71 to 0.78. Data were remarkably consistent and no local trends were observed. Using Barker and Goldstein (1990) and Barker and Pawlewicz (1986) temperature correlations, these measurements suggest that the coals have been heated to temperatures on the order of 108 C to 128 C (average = 116). These temperatures are considered anomalously high when compared against known geothermal gradients and burial depths for these rocks. The temperatures suggest that the sinkhole coals have been heated by some thermal event, possibly associated with Mississippi Valley type mineralization. These temperatures are consistent with regional trends in the state. This data, when combined with other vitrinite reflectance and fluid inclusion data (right), suggest that southwest Missouri (Tristate) and southeast Missouri (Viburnum Trend) were hot spots, and that temperatures decrease regionally away from these two areas.

• OSTI ID: 5071025
• Report Number(s): CONF-9303210-; CODEN: GAAPBC
• Journal Information: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States), Vol. 25:3; Conference: 27. annual Geological Society of America (GSA) North-Central Section meeting, Rolla, MO (United States), 29-30 Mar 1993; ISSN 0016-7592
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
58 GEOSCIENCES
COAL DEPOSITS
GEOLOGY
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MISSOURI
VITRINITE
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
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DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
MACERALS
MINERAL RESOURCES
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011000* - Coal
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580000 - Geosciences