Coals Permian

The term "Gondwanaland" in Table I refers to a once-existing supercontinent consisting of what are now known as Africa, South America, Antarctica, Australasia and India (5). The Permian coals... 

There are certainly lithotypes that can be handpicked from European and American coals that are relatively rich in fusinite and semifusinite. However, it is perhaps significant that the mean content of total fusinite + semifusinite in 697 coal samples in the Penn State/DOE Data Base is 8.9%. On the other hand, the content of inertinite macerals in the Permian coals of Gondwana-land is notoriously high and much of this inertinite material consists of semifusinite (5,26,33,34), the concentration of which can be as high as 50% in the whole seam. 

Gray et al. (33) state that one third of the semifusinite in Permian coals of South Africa is assumed to be reactive in coking this is the same proportion as is assumed reactive in U.S. coals by some workers, as will be documented later. In fact, it seems to be assumed that pyrofusinite and degradofusinite have the same reactivities (35). However, the evidence for this proposition is scanty and it is evidently undergoing a careful re-examination, as is made clear in the contribution to this symposium by Durie (34). 

These Permian coals, together with counterparts in India, South Africa, Antarctica and South America, are referred to as Gondwana coals after the hypothetical super-continent which subsequently broke up into the continents and sub-continents mentioned above (5). ... 

The Australian Permian coals vary widely in rank (maturity) and type (vitrinite content) from the Oaklands (N.S.W.) coal at 72% (dry ash-free basis) carbon, a hard brown coal (6), containing 17% vitrinite, at one extreme - through high volatile bituminous coals such as Galilee (Queensland) coal at 77% carbon, 16% vitrinite Blair Athol (Queensland) coal at 82% carbon, 28% vitrinite, Liddell (N.S.W.) coal at 82% carbon, and >70% vitrinite - to low volatile bituminous such as Peak Downs (Queensland) at 89% carbon, 71% vitrinite, and Bulli seam (N.S.W.) 89% carbon, 45% vitrinite. 

In addition to the Permian coals there are occurrences of Mesozoic and Tertiary coals in Australia. Mesozoic coals occur in small basins in South Australia, Tasmania, New South Wales and Queensland and vary in rank from brown to bituminous. Perhaps the most notable occurrences in the present context are the Walloon coals in the Clarence-Morton basin in Queensland, e.g. Millmerran bituminous coal (78% carbon, vitrinite plus exinite 90%). ... 

Dai, S., Ren, D Tang, Y. et al. (2005) Concentration and distribution of elements in Late Permian coals from western Guizhou Province, China. International Journal of Coal Geology, 61(1-2), 119-37. 

Priyadarshi, N. (2004) Distribution of arsenic in Permian coals of north Karanpura coalfield, Jharkhand. Journal of the Geological Society of India, 63(5), 533-36. 

Previous studies (Zheng, 1993) have identified a range of Permian coal environments and geochemistry. The samples studied represent these variations. We have collected 50 samples from three areas, Haizi Township, Jiaole Township, and the Xingyi—Dadi area (Fig. 17.2). Some of the mines are small dog holes (Fig. 17.3D), and collection of kilogram samples in all localities was not possible. Selected samples were analyzed for proximate and ultimate analysis and all were analyzed for trace elements. In this report, we discuss only the trace-element results as they bear direedy on chronic arsenic poisoning. 

Pattison, C.I et al. 1996. Nature and origin of fractures in Permian coals from the Bowen Basin, Queensland, Australia. Coalbed Methane and Coal Geology, London. Pp 131 150. 

Schopf JM (1962) A preliminary report on plant remains and cotil of the sedimentary section in the central Horlick Mountains, Antarctica. Inst Polar Studies, Rept. 2. The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 61 pp Schopf JM (1970) Petrified peat from a Permian coal bed in Antarctica. Science 169(3942) 274-277 Schopf JM (1971) Notes on plant tissue preservation and mineralization in a Permian deposit of peat from Antarctica. Amer JSci271(5) 522-543... 

The water which formed the calcite cleats in the Permian coal deposits of southern Victoria Land is depleted in 0 almost as much as the water that formed the carbonate rocks in the Permian sandstones and shales in the central Transantarctic Mountains (Table 11.2). Therefore, the cleats may have formed during the Permian Period in glacial meltwater that was depleted in 0. Alternatively, the cleats could have formed much more recently from meltwater of the present-day snow adjacent to the Transantarctic Mountains which also has 5 0 values between -20%oand-30%o on the SMOW scale. The age of the calcite cleats in the Permian coal of the Transantarctic Mountains is presently unknown. 

Schopf JM (1970b) Petrified peat from a Permian coal bed in Antarctica. Science 169 274-277 Schopf JM (1970c) Relation of floras of the southern hemisphere to continental drift. Taxon 15(5) 657-674... 

Bauer W, Hagemann HW, Porscher G, Sachsenhofer RF, Spaeth G (1997) Permian coals from western Dronning Maud Land Composition, environment, and the influence of Jurassic magmatism on their maturity. In Ricci C A (ed) The Antarctic Region Geological evolution and processes. Terra Antartica, Siena, Italy, pp 945-951... 

Commercially important coals are not usually found in strata older than Mississippian age, although Devonian coals have been mined in Europe (Table 1.3). Some Permian coals are mined in the United States, but coals of that age have much more important reserves in other parts of the... 

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