Sulphur distribution in a multi-bed seam

Abstract

The Parkgate Seam (Langsettian) is an important seam for the coal industry in the UK. It extends over a considerable part of the East Pennine Coalfield and a large database of information on the seam has been complied by (the former) British Coal for the Nottinghamshire area from many sampling locations. The seam has been subdivided into a series of mappable units termed plies. This paper demonstrates how sulphur concentrations may vary considerably on a vertical scale and that spatial distributions within individual plies may be markedly different to other plies within the seam. Often seam sulphur maps for industrial use are produced for a composite of the whole thickness of the seam, typically as the whole seam-less-dirt. The neglect of the vertical variation in seam sulphur content may lead to the production of maps which are of limited industrial use. Variations in sulphur distributions also has implications for the origin of the sulphur in the coal. Distribution maps have allowed the controls on sulphur in the Parkgate Seam to be investigated, and these are dominated by complex depositional processes.

Selenium and tellurium concentrations of Carboniferous British coals

“…High Se in Fife‐Stirling, Ayrshire, Cumberland, Northumberland, North Wales, and Staffordshire coincide with high S and visible pyrite in sampled coals. Pyrite occurs in coal as early (syngenetic) replacement minerals, and later (epigenetic) cleat‐filling pyrite (Cavender & Spears, , ; Spears & Caswell, ; Spears & Tewalt, ). Samples from the South Wales, Ayrshire and Northumberland coalfields show the highest pyrite abundance, with disseminated pyrite, banded pyrite and later stage cleat pyrite evident.…”

“…There is also a positive correlation in the Te/Se ratio (Figure 2), suggesting a close relationship between the two elements, both substituting for S in pyrite. Selenium can substitute readily for S in many sulphide minerals and can also be precipitated by sulphate-reducing microbes (Hockin & Gadd, 2003;Parnell, Bellis, Feldmann, & Bata, 2015 (Cavender & Spears, 1995, 1997Spears & Caswell, 1986;Spears & Tewalt, 2009 shown to be more abundant in early forms of pyrite (Large et al, 2014). However, late stage epigenetic fluids are also known to be responsible for high concentrations of trace elements in some coals (Bullock et al, 2018;Diehl et al, 2004;Spears & Tewalt, 2009;Yudovich & Ketris, 2006).…”

The Role of Seawater on the Trace Element Geochemistry of Some UK Coals and a Tribute to Goldschmidt

“…This became possible with British Coal's computerized data base in the early 1990s. (British Coal ceased to exist in 1994 and the records, including seam analyses, were transferred to the National Geological Records Centre at the British Geological Survey) Using the data base in a collaborative study with industry, and backed up with additional analyses, the distribution of S in what were at that time key economic seams (including the Parkgate Seam) was investigated by Cavender [17] and reported in Cavender and Spears [18] and Spears et al [15]. It was found that the S contents of individual sections of the seam (plies) could be mapped and the distribution was not random as had been thought.…”