A assignment on coal petrology
COAL FORMING EPOCHS, ORIGIN AND MODE OF OCCURRENCE
Manash Pratim Gogoi
M.sc. 4th semester; Roll no -07, Deptt. Applied Geology; Dibugarh University
SUMMARY
This assignment is written on the basis of
geological facts which govern the deposition and
formation of coal during the process of
sedimentation. The coal is a rock composed of
combustible matters derived from the partial
decomposition of plants. We shall consider coal as
a biochemically formed sedimentary rock,
although some geologists prefer to think of it as a
metamorphic rock because it passes through
various stages. The process of formation of begins
with an accumulation of plant remains in an
swamp. This accumulation is known as peat. Time,
coupled with the pressure produced by deep burial
and sometimes by earth movement, gradually
transforms the organic matter into coal. Coals of
Tertiary and Permo-Carboniferous origin are
important in India. In India, there are many
deposits of coal are found and are producing coal
upto the demand required by the countries
economic need.
Introduction
Coal is an organic carbonaceous solid fuel of plant
origin. In remote geological times, and particularly in the
Carboniferous period, between 345 and 280 million years ago,
much of the world was covered with luxuriant vegetation
growing in swamps. Many of these plants were types of ferns,
some as large as trees. This vegetation died and became
submerged under water, where it gradually decomposed. As
decomposition took place, the vegetable matter lost oxygen and
hydrogen atoms, leaving a deposit with a high percentage of
carbon. In this way peat bogs were formed. As time passed,
layers of sand and mud settled from the water over some of the
peat deposits. The pressure of these overlying layers,
movements of the Earth's crust, and, sometimes, volcanic heat,
acted to compress and harden the deposits, thus producing coal.
Various types of coal are recognized, according to their fixed
carbon content. Peat, the first stage in the formation of coal,
has a low fixed carbon content and a high moisture content.
The carbon content is greater in lignite, the lowest rank of coal.
Bituminous coal has even more carbon and a correspondingly
higher heating value. Anthracite coal has the highest carbon
content and heating value. Coal may be transformed by further
pressure and heat into graphite, which is almost pure carbon.
Other components of coal are volatile hydrocarbons, sulphur
and nitrogen, and the minerals that remain as ash when the coal
is burned. Some products of coal combustion have detrimental
effects on the environment. Burning coal produces carbon
dioxide, among other byproducts. Some scientists believe that,
owing to the widespread use of coal and other fossil fuels, the
amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere could
increase to such an extent that changes in the Earth's climate
will occur (see Global Warming; Greenhouse Effect). Also,
sulphur and nitrogen in the coal form oxides during
combustion that can contribute to the formation of acid rain.
Acid rain is the result of a series of complex reactions
involving chemicals and compounds from many industrial,
transport, and natural sources. Sulphur dioxide (SO2)
emissions from new coal-fired facilities are now controlled in
many countries. As a result, sulphur dioxide emissions have
dropped in those countries even though coal use has increased.
Bituminous Coal, or soft coal, variety of coal intermediate in
constitution and properties between anthracite, or hard coal,
and lignite, or brown coal. It is the most common kind of coal,
used mostly for producing coke, a substance used in the
refining of iron ore. It burns with a yellow, smoky flame.
Anthracite (Greek, anthrax,”coal”), hard coal with the highest
fixed-carbon content and the lowest amount of volatile material
of all types of coal. It contains approximately 87.1 per cent
carbon, 9.3 per cent ash, and 3.6 per cent volatile matter.
Anthracite is glossy black, with a crystal structure and
conchoidal, or shell-like, fracture. It is used mostly as a fuel
and as a source of industrial carbon. Although harder to ignite
than other coals, anthracite releases a great deal of energy
when burned and gives off little smoke and soot. Anthracite
was formed primarily at the end of the Carboniferous Period by
earth movements that generated heat and pressure which
transformed the carbonaceous material then present in the
Earth. The world's leading producers of anthracite are, in order,
China, the countries of the former Soviet Union, North Korea,
South Korea, Spain, and Germany. Lignite, variety of coal, also
known as brown coal, intermediate in quality between peat and
bituminous coal. Geologically, lignite is of comparatively
recent origin, occurring in Cretaceous and Tertiary strata. It is
usually brownish-black in colour and often shows a distinct
fibrous or woody structure. Lignite is inferior in calorific value
to ordinary coal because of its high (30-75 per cent) water
content and low (60-68 per cent) carbon content; the high
(52.5-62.5 per cent) content of volatile matter causes lignite to
disintegrate rapidly on exposure to air. The heat value of lignite
is 7,807 kJ (7,400 BTU) per lb.