Was coal metamorphism an influence on the minor element chemistry of the Middle Pennsylvanian Springfield (No. 9) coal in Western Kentucky?

James C. Hower, John G. Groppo, Cortland F. Eble, Shelley D. Hopps, Tonya D. Morgan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

Coal rank in the Middle Pennsylvanian Carbondale Formation Springfield coal in the Western Kentucky coalfield, part of the Illinois Basin, ranges from high volatile A bituminous in southern Union and Webster counties to high volatile C bituminous in the rest of the region. The chlorine content closely follows the coal rank, being highest in the high volatile A bituminous coals. High concentrations of V and Cr are evident in the top benches at all sites and is particularly strong in the higher rank sites. Zinc and other elements (Ni, Mo, among others) are enriched in some benches, but the trend is not as consistent as with V and Cr. Zirconium (+ Nb) and TiO2, both serving as proxies for a detrital influx, show differentiation among the quadrangles, with the high volatile C bituminous Spottsville quadrangle coals having the highest Zr + Nb content. The correlation between Y and Zr indicates that the highest Y occurs in the Spottsville samples. The Spottsville samples have highest REE. Principal components analysis using both a rank parameter (vitrinite maximum reflectance) and the set of geochemical parameters showed that the coal rank axis (Rmax) (with the highest rank being in the Providence quadrangle) is orthogonal to the overlapping LREE/HREE and GdN/GdN* axes and is opposite to the REE, Zr + Nb, and Zn axes. Hydrothermal metamorphism certainly influenced coal rank, the chlorine content of the coals, and, perhaps, some aspects of the minor element chemistry. Coal metamorphism, however, was not the sole influence and not even the dominant influence on the concentration of REE in the Springfield coal in western Kentucky since other factors, such as the greater concentrations of detrital minerals in the Spottsville quadrangle samples, seem to have had a greater influence on the REE chemistry.

Original languageEnglish
Article number104295
JournalInternational Journal of Coal Geology
Volume274
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023

Funding

The original studies were funded by grants from the Commonwealth of Kentucky to the Center for Applied Energy Research and its predecessor iterations (same building, different institution names). The added geochemistry was conducted in support of DE-FE-0032049. The University of Kentucky Energy Research Prioritization Partnership (ERPP) FY21 Enabling Equipment for Energy Research Grant (EEERG) provided support for the ICP-MS instrumentation at the CAER. We thank our reviewers for their patience and guidance. The original studies were funded by grants from the Commonwealth of Kentucky to the Center for Applied Energy Research and its predecessor iterations (same building, different institution names). The added geochemistry was conducted in support of DE-FE-0032049. The University of Kentucky Energy Research Prioritization Partnership (ERPP) FY21 Enabling Equipment for Energy Research Grant (EEERG) provided support for the ICP-MS instrumentation at the CAER. We thank our reviewers for their patience and guidance.

FundersFunder number
UKy-CAER
COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKYDE-FE-0032049
University of Kentucky Research Committee

    Keywords

    • Chromium
    • Detrital minerals
    • Hydrothermal metamorphism
    • Rare earth elements
    • Vanadium
    • Yttrium

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Fuel Technology
    • Geology
    • Economic Geology
    • Stratigraphy

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