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  • Geol15 661 Coaldepmodel

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    charisma
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    coal eksploration

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    Geol15-661-coaldepmodel

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    coal eksploration

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    8 vues6 pages

    Geol15 661 Coaldepmodel

    Transféré par

    charisma
    coal eksploration

    Droits d'auteur :

    © All Rights Reserved
    Téléchargez comme PDF ou lisez en ligne sur Scribd
    Signaler comme contenu inapproprié
    sur 6
    Coal depositional models for deltaic and alluvial plain sequences Christopher R. Fielding Department of Geology and Mineralogy, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4067, Australia * ABSTRACT ‘Coal depositional models attempt to predict the distribution and. ‘Reometry of coal beds within given Sequences or provinces. To date, ‘models proposed for coals of alluvial and deltaic origin have empha sized depositional environment asthe controlling variable. In this art- cle, I propose that subsidence regime and, to a lesser extent, sediment supply are the dominant controls upon coal distribution rather that environment of accumulation. For this reason, most existing coal dep: sional models are likely to have limited predictive capability. INTRODUCTION Deposionl modeling of ol bearng sequences was inte bythe work of Farm and cowarkes in coafids of the central United Sates Extensinesscnch calmiatl inthe policaton by Horne eal (1978 of 4 model tha ascribed variation in coal quali, bed geomet, and mining hazards ofthe Carboniferous coals inthe Appalachian repon to changes in deestional environment econ tthe model of Hore etal. (1978), coal bad of shorting cvigin are narrow, elongate bodies parle othe deposional ike, Cos) that accumulated in lower dela pun er ionmet sido bein er iy tespread although thn bole tea coal fom upped plan Fa “Naval” environments Wend as beng in lateral rested | Tecally thick bes aligned paral! to depostional ci Hence, om a csimenlclogicl iterpetaion of any given Carboniferous interval within the Appalachian reson, the pom ad character of coal eure in tha sequence maybe predicted. The madel concludes that hicks, most | laterally extensive coal deposits are tobe found inthe vansiton zone between lower and upper dea pin act ‘The Algheny moe! has been apie with ned sues to other coalbearing sequences even within the Apalchian area (Fem and Staub, 1984) However, ares publshd ext on coal elo ep “almost nivel coniaton of the model” (Wards 1984, pe 172, In tis paper I demonstrate that there conerablevariabity cal bearing sequences independent of epoitonal environment For this re son, coal odes tased fundamentally opondepstonal envionment ae considered nlikly to have widespread pedcve capably. CHARACTERISTICS OF ALLUVIAL AND DELTAIC COALS Alluvial Coal Deposits Many coal-bearing alluvial basins are narrow, fault-bounded inter- ‘montane depressions that are infill by some combination of lateral and axial sediment-depositonal systems. Coals aevumulated in such settings tend to be laterally restricted, high-ash, commonly thick bodies that formed in backswamps and lakes adjacent to active or abundoned chan- ‘els and alluvial fan lobes (Fig. 1; Heward, 1978; Long, 1981; Flood and Garess, 1986), GLLLOGY, + 15, p 661-664, July 1987 Figure 1. &: Location ‘and diaposition ot Late Triassic, intermontane, Tatong bosin of south: ‘east Queensland (sh e is largely worerow foui-bounded ‘ood asin ines) and auronded bylgneovs and regen ® metamorphic terrains (af- care Tmassie ter ood and Garces TARONG. BEDS 1986). B: “Schematic north-south cross. see: tion through part of ba in showing laterally iscontinuous, although commonly thick, nature fof coal deposits. Inher: font ash content, 20%- 40% (Aller Pegrem, +1988,) However, ome soquences show evidence of having been depesited in ‘more extensive intracratonic alluvial basins (eg, Fig. 2). Coals within such sequences are extensive. Some continental basins show evidence of a central (lacustrine) water body into which Nuvial systems drained, These basins (eg, the Paleocene ofthe Powder River basi, United States; Ayers and Kaiser, 1984) show many of the features of deltaic systems and should perhaps be considered im that light. ‘Alluvial plains are commonly established between mountainous source terains and matine basins the rivers supply delias that prograde ‘out into the basin (eg, Hunt and Hobday, 1984). Coal deposits of varying ‘geometry and quality may form in such environments; eg, those described in the Allegheny models of Horne et al, (1978). ‘Another group of aluvial sedimentary sequences may be defined as those that contain few or no coal deposis. Some of these formations owe their character to an ard climatic regime during deposition, Others, how- ever, cannot be explained in terms of paleoclimate, and factors such as subsidence rate and sediment supply must be invoked. Examples of such sequences have been described by Exon (1976) and Johnson (1988), among many others. Deitaic Coal Deposits Coal deposits formed on deltaic plains are generally of widespread extent and are laterally persistent, reflecting accumolation on the aban- ‘ward increase in epeirogenic subsidence rate, Any combination ofthese, processes may operate ina given basin, In certain passively subsiding basins, coal beds show a. progressive basinward splitting pattern, associated in at least one case (the British Wesiphalian Coal Measures; Elliot, 1968; Guion and Fielding, 1987) with abroad inetease in coal-eam thickness. This may be interpreted as 4 response to increased rates of epeirogenic subsidence toward the basin

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