Lithotypes maceral composition

Coal lithotypes are megascopically recognizable components of coal. Several nomenclatures have been used to identify the lithotypes [see Damberger et al. (54) for a review of several common classifications]. Coal lithotypes have fairly distinct maceral compositions, which originate from different combinations of plant materials and evolve along somewhat different paths during coalification. 

TABLE II. Maceral Composition of Lithotypes of the Waynesburg Coal... 

On the microscopic level, the lithotypes just described are seen to be composites made up of discrete entities called macerals. Optically differentiated by microscopic examination of coals under reflected light or by the study of thin sections of coal using transmitted light (Fig. 1), macerals are classified into three major groups vitrinite. 

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