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Title: Low ash, planar peat swamp development in an alluvial plain setting: The No. 5 block beds of southern West Virginia

Abstract

Coals from the No. 5 Block beds (Westphalian D) are noted for their low ash and sulfur content. Beds are multiple benched, with rock partings separating individual benches. Benches have limited continuity and, where thick are dominated by bright, high ash coal at the base and dull, low ash coal in their upper portions. The duller coals contain more exinite and inertinite group macerals than the brighter coals. The depositional setting is an alluvial plain environment with channel systems separated by distances of about 20 km. The channel systems were flanked by clastic swamps for distances of up to 7 km or more on either side. Areas of flood plain most distant from the channels were sites where peat accumulated and these zones were about 8 km across. High energy, low frequency flood events introduced fine grained sediment into the peat swamps resulting in thin layers of sediment being deposited on top of the peat. These sediment layers are thicker in areas where the underlying coal is the thickest. These thick coal areas are topographically negative. This relationship between coal and parting thickness and topography indicates that these peat swamps were low-lying or planar. Individual coal benches contain abundant amountsmore » of preserved cellular tissue (telocollinite, semifusinite, fusinite) at most locations indicating that woody arborescent like vegetation was widespread in the swamps suggesting a planar morphology. The high concentrations of exinite and inertinite group macerals found in the upper portions of individual benches resulted from decomposition and oxidation of the peat in subaerial to aquatic planar swamp environments.« less

Authors:
;  [1]
  1. Southern Illinois Univ., Carbondale, IL (United States). Dept. of Geology
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
5830491
Report Number(s):
CONF-921058-
Journal ID: ISSN 0016-7592; CODEN: GAAPBC
Resource Type:
Conference
Journal Name:
Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 24:7; Conference: 1992 annual meeting of the Geological Society of America (GSA), Cincinnati, OH (United States), 26-29 Oct 1992; Journal ID: ISSN 0016-7592
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT; COAL DEPOSITS; DEPOSITION; WEST VIRGINIA; ASH CONTENT; COAL SEAMS; GEOLOGIC HISTORY; MACERALS; PEAT; SEDIMENTS; SULFUR CONTENT; SWAMPS; AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS; DEVELOPED COUNTRIES; ECOSYSTEMS; ENERGY SOURCES; FOSSIL FUELS; FUELS; GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS; MATTER; MINERAL RESOURCES; NORTH AMERICA; ORGANIC MATTER; RESOURCES; TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS; USA; WETLANDS; 011000* - Coal, Lignite, & Peat- Reserves, Geology, & Exploration

Citation Formats

Staub, J R, and Richards, B K. Low ash, planar peat swamp development in an alluvial plain setting: The No. 5 block beds of southern West Virginia. United States: N. p., 1992. Web.
Staub, J R, & Richards, B K. Low ash, planar peat swamp development in an alluvial plain setting: The No. 5 block beds of southern West Virginia. United States.
Staub, J R, and Richards, B K. 1992. "Low ash, planar peat swamp development in an alluvial plain setting: The No. 5 block beds of southern West Virginia". United States.
@article{osti_5830491,
title = {Low ash, planar peat swamp development in an alluvial plain setting: The No. 5 block beds of southern West Virginia},
author = {Staub, J R and Richards, B K},
abstractNote = {Coals from the No. 5 Block beds (Westphalian D) are noted for their low ash and sulfur content. Beds are multiple benched, with rock partings separating individual benches. Benches have limited continuity and, where thick are dominated by bright, high ash coal at the base and dull, low ash coal in their upper portions. The duller coals contain more exinite and inertinite group macerals than the brighter coals. The depositional setting is an alluvial plain environment with channel systems separated by distances of about 20 km. The channel systems were flanked by clastic swamps for distances of up to 7 km or more on either side. Areas of flood plain most distant from the channels were sites where peat accumulated and these zones were about 8 km across. High energy, low frequency flood events introduced fine grained sediment into the peat swamps resulting in thin layers of sediment being deposited on top of the peat. These sediment layers are thicker in areas where the underlying coal is the thickest. These thick coal areas are topographically negative. This relationship between coal and parting thickness and topography indicates that these peat swamps were low-lying or planar. Individual coal benches contain abundant amounts of preserved cellular tissue (telocollinite, semifusinite, fusinite) at most locations indicating that woody arborescent like vegetation was widespread in the swamps suggesting a planar morphology. The high concentrations of exinite and inertinite group macerals found in the upper portions of individual benches resulted from decomposition and oxidation of the peat in subaerial to aquatic planar swamp environments.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/5830491}, journal = {Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States)},
issn = {0016-7592},
number = ,
volume = 24:7,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1992},
month = {Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1992}
}

Conference:
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