Use of carbon accumulation rates to estimate the duration of coal seams and the influence of atmospheric dust deposition on coal composition

Large, David J.; Marshall, Chris

doi:10.1144/sp404.15

Cited by 23 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 57 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Others may be concealed within coal seams. Large & Marshall (2014) provide an alternative approach to the same questions in which actualistic (present-day) accumulation rates of carbon in sediments are used to estimate the typical duration of coal seams. Their analysis supports somewhat longer durations for coals, leaving less time to be accounted for by hiatuses.…”

Section: Strata and Time In The Field And Subsurfacementioning

confidence: 99%

Strata and time: probing the gaps in our understanding

Smith¹,

Bailey²,

Burgess

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sedimentary strata are the paramount source of geohistorical information. The 'frozen accidents' of individual deposits preserve evidence of past physical, chemical and biological processes at the Earth's surface, while the spatial relationships between strata (especially superposition) yield successions of events through time. There is, however, no one-to-one relationship between strata and time, and the interpretation of the stratigraphic record depends on an understanding of its limitations. Stratigraphic continuity and completeness are unattainable ideals, and it is the departures from those ideals -the often cryptic gaps in the record -that provide both its characteristic texture and the principal challenge to its analysis. The existence of gaps is clearly demonstrated by consideration of accumulation rates, but identifying and quantifying them in the field is far more difficult, as is assessing their impact on the degree to which the stratigraphic record represents the environments and processes of the past. These issues can be tackled in a variety of ways, from empirical considerations based on classical field observations, to new ways of analysing data, to the generation and analysis of very large numbers of synthetic datasets. The range of approaches to the fundamental questions of the relationship between strata and time continues to expand and to challenge long-established practices and conventions.Superposed sedimentary strata are the most accessible routes into deep time, and acceptance of their historical significance was a major scientific breakthrough. Given that the study of strata has been undertaken in something like its modern form for over two centuries, stratigraphy as a scientific discipline might be expected to have stabilized, as perhaps is indicated by stratigraphy textbooks suggesting that the subject is widely regarded as boring. Yet if there is a problem with stratigraphy, it is the converse: its development is increasingly punctuated by paradigm shifts triggered by new theories (evolution; global tectonics; eustasy; orbital forcing of climate change) and technological breakthroughs (digital computing; continuous seismic profiling; isotopic methods in chronology and palaeoclimatology). With this accelerating progress, it has become increasingly clear that the stratigraphic record yields only snapshots of Earth's past surface processes -the 'frozen accidents' that give the record its character and its enduring fascination. 'Time is missing from sedimentary sequences on all scales . . . This discontinuity gives recorded planetary (geological) time a different architecture to human time' (Paola, C. 2003. Floods of record. Nature, 425, 459).Strata and Time: Probing the Gaps in our Understanding was the title of the Geological Society's William Smith Meeting for 2012. Its aim was to explore the relationship between the preserved sedimentary rock record and the passage of geological time, identifying, evaluating and updating the models that lie behind current stratigraphic method...

show abstract

Section: Strata and Time In The Field And Subsurfacementioning

confidence: 99%

Strata and time: probing the gaps in our understanding

Smith¹,

Bailey²,

Burgess

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Furthermore, water borne clastic deposition rates in coal forming environments (floodplains, estuaries and deltas) are typically in the range 0.02 to 1 mm per year (Einsele, 2000) which at typical bulk soil densities of 1200 to 1600 g/cm 3 corresponds to mass deposition rates of 24 to 1600 g/m 2 /yr. Given a realistic estimate of time and carbon balance (Large and Marshall, 2014) the supply of clastic matter to peat at all but the lowest of these rates (<35 g/m 2 /yr) could not result in the production of coal, and even the lowest of these rates would produce a poor quality coal.…”

Section: Basis For Determining Dar From Coalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Palaeo-latitude determined using PaleoGIS is used in conjunction with a linear model of the latitudinal variation in peat carbon accumulation rate (Large and Marshall, 2014) to estimate the long-term carbon accumulation rate in the precursor Permian peat. The proportion of carbon lost during the transformation of peat to coal is determined by modelling the relationship between the mass of carbon lost and the dry ash-free carbon concentration of the coal (Large and Marshall, 2014).…”

Section: Calculation Of Coal Derived Darmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The proportion of carbon lost during the transformation of peat to coal is determined by modelling the relationship between the mass of carbon lost and the dry ash-free carbon concentration of the coal (Large and Marshall, 2014). In combination the measure of carbon input and carbon loss enable the time required to accumulate a given mass of carbon and associated ash to be calculated and hence calculation of the mineral dust accumulation rate required to account for the inorganic matter in the coal.…”

Section: Calculation Of Coal Derived Darmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Using carbon accumulation rates from Holocene peat in conjunction with realistic rates of dust deposition, Large and Marshall (2014) showed that the titanium concentration in Cenozoic coal and lignite, and therefore a high proportion of the inorganic matter in coal, can be accounted for by atmospheric dust deposition into the precursor peat. Conversely, we…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Coal-derived rates of atmospheric dust deposition during the Permian

2016

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Time, hydrologic landscape and the long-term storage of peatland carbon in sedimentary basins

Large

Marshall

Jochmann

et al. 2020

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Peatland carbon may enter into long-term crustal storage in sedimentary basins where it occurs as either coal or lignite. To understand the process by which this happens requires a conceptual bridge between peatland processes measured on Holocene timescales and processes over the much greater timescales required to explain features of substantial deposits of coal and lignite. Key to this conceptual bridge are the consequences of extrapolating Holocene peatland processes over long timeframes. However, these consequences are not considered by either peat scientists or coal geologists, and the absence of this analysis results not

show abstract

Use of carbon accumulation rates to estimate the duration of coal seams and the influence of atmospheric dust deposition on coal composition

Cited by 23 publications

References 57 publications

Strata and time: probing the gaps in our understanding

Strata and time: probing the gaps in our understanding

Coal-derived rates of atmospheric dust deposition during the Permian

Time, hydrologic landscape and the long-term storage of peatland carbon in sedimentary basins

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About