Inertinite,as an important and abundant maceral group in coal,is critical for the study of palaeowildfires and their roles in the Earth’s ecosystems.Recently,there has been a significant amount of research on the rel...Inertinite,as an important and abundant maceral group in coal,is critical for the study of palaeowildfires and their roles in the Earth’s ecosystems.Recently,there has been a significant amount of research on the relationship between palaeowildfire,palaeoclimate change and palaeovegetation evolution based on inertinite data.The reflectance of fusinite and semifusinite has been used to estimate the combustion temperature and type of palaeowildfires,and then to evaluate the combustion characteristics of different types of palaeowildfires.The relative abundance of inertinite can be used to estimate the atmospheric oxygen contents.The rapid development of artificial intelligence(AI)and online tools to search scientific databases has presented an opportunity for us to find,collect,arrange,and analyse data from the earliest to latest publications on inertinite.The data extraction tool Deep Shovel is used to collect and analyse global inertinite data from the Silurian to the Neogene.The software programs such as Gplates,ArcGIS pro and Tableau are then applied to model the relative abundance of inertinite over geological time,which can be correlated with other parameters such as atmospheric oxygen contents,plant evolution and palaeoclimate changes.The distribution of inertinite in coals varied over different geological periods,being typified by the“high inertinite content-high atmospheric oxygen level”period in the Permian and the“low inertinite content-low atmospheric oxygen level”period in the Cenozoic.This study has proposed a possible model of the positive and negative feedbacks between inertinite characteristics and palaeoenvironmental factors,and has revealed the exceptional role of inertinite in palaeoenvironmental studies.Future research on inertinite will be focused on the integrated study of organic petrology and organic geochemistry of inertinite,the big data-driven research on the temporal and spatial distribution of the global inertinite,the exploration of the functions of palaeowildfires in the Earth systems in different climatic backgrounds,and the study of modern wildfires to better predict the future frequency and intensity of wildfires due to climate changes.展开更多
The Carboniferous,an important coal-forming period in geological history,was characterized by extensive vegetation and high oxygen levels.Evidence suggests frequent wildfires took place during this time,especially in ...The Carboniferous,an important coal-forming period in geological history,was characterized by extensive vegetation and high oxygen levels.Evidence suggests frequent wildfires took place during this time,especially in peatlands.However,the control mechanisms for changes in wildfire activity in peatlands during this period remain unclear.In this study,evidence from the Gzhelian in the Ordos Basin,such as the inertinite/vitrinite(Ⅰ/Ⅴ)ratio,indicated varying wildfire frequencies.Climate indicators(CaO/MgO and CaO/MgO·Al_(2)O_(3))revealed that high-frequency wildfires mainly occurred in warm and humid climates.Based on former age constraints,we deduced that orbital cycles(long eccentricity)controlled the climate influence on peatland wildfires during the Gzhelian.Higher eccentricity brought more sunshine and rainfall,creating warmer,wetter peatlands conducive to vegetation growth,which increased fuel loads and led to more wildfires.Global Gzhelian wildfire records show that wildfires occurred mainly in tropical regions with abundant vegetation,reinforcing the idea that fuel loads drove fire activity.While wildfires can release mercury(Hg),the frequent volcanic activity during this period likely contributed significantly to Hg enrichment.展开更多
The late Carboniferous to early Permian period is renowned for extensive coal formation and frequent paleowildfires.Nonetheless,the nature and distribution of these wildfires varied significantly over time.In an effor...The late Carboniferous to early Permian period is renowned for extensive coal formation and frequent paleowildfires.Nonetheless,the nature and distribution of these wildfires varied significantly over time.In an effort to elucidate the patterns of paleowildfires during the late Paleozoic Ice Age and to probe into the controlling mechanisms of paleowildfires under icehouse conditions,a comprehensive analysis was performed on coal samples from the Taiyuan and Shanxi formations within the Dacheng coalfield of Hebei Province,North China.The dataset was augmented with global inertinite data from the late Carboniferous to early Permian periods and was compared to paleowildfire patterns from the Pliocene to Holocene epochs.The results show that paleowildfires in the Dacheng coalfield of North China transitioned from moderate-scale,low-intensity surface fires to large-scale,relatively high-intensity ground fires.Globally,the distribution of paleowildfires shifted from Euramerica to Gondwana,Cathaysia,and Angara from 300 Ma to 290 Ma,accompanied by a corresponding increase in inertinite content.This spatial and temporal variation in wildfire activity appears to have been strongly influenced by paleoclimate and atmospheric conditions.At 300 Ma,cooler and wetter paleoclimate,coupled with relatively low atmospheric pO_(2) levels,likely contributed to a reduced incidence of paleowildfires.In contrast,at 290 Ma,warmer paleoclimate,higher atmospheric pO_(2) levels,and the flourishing mires in Gondwana,Cathaysia,and Angara were conducive to more intense paleowildfires.This pattern is further supported by the comparison to more recent icehouse periods.Similar to the late Carboniferous–early Permian period,wildfire activity increased from the Pliocene to the Holocene,highlighting the critical role of climatic conditions in driving wildfire proliferation under icehouse conditions.However,the Pleistocene to Holocene wildfires were less intense than those of the late Carboniferous–early Permian,suggesting that atmospheric oxygen concentrations played a key role in modulating the evolution of the fire systems over geological timescales.These findings underscore the complex interplay between climate,atmospheric composition,and vegetation in shaping wildfire dynamics across Earth’s history.展开更多
Coal, especially the inertinite in it, is highly sensitive to climate changes, showing an obvious response to paleoclimate conditions, in particular, to paleo-oxygen concentration(pO_2 ). In this study, the inertinite...Coal, especially the inertinite in it, is highly sensitive to climate changes, showing an obvious response to paleoclimate conditions, in particular, to paleo-oxygen concentration(pO_2 ). In this study, the inertinite abundance data of typical coal-forming periods in China were systematically collected and analyzed. Its characteristics and control factors were studied, and its evolution was established. Based on inertinite abundance data, pO_2 evolution curves of various coal-forming periods in China were established, which fluctuated between 15% and 30% during the entire Phanerozoic. The inertinite abundance in coal deposits during Paleozoic in China was basically consistent with that of other areas of the world, while it was quite different globally from the Mesozoic to the Cenozoic. The results show that the inertinite abundance in coal deposits is controlled by pO_2 and other factors including climatic zones, plant differentiation, sedimentary environments, and tectonic activities. The inertinite abundance in coal deposits in China during the Jurassic was high, suggesting dry paleoclimate of inland China.展开更多
Inertinite maceral compositions of the Late Permian coals from three sections in the terrestrial and paralic settings of eastern Yunnan are analyzed in order to reveal the paleo-fire events and the atmospheric oxygen ...Inertinite maceral compositions of the Late Permian coals from three sections in the terrestrial and paralic settings of eastern Yunnan are analyzed in order to reveal the paleo-fire events and the atmospheric oxygen levels in the latest Permian. Although the macerals in the studied sections are generally dominated by vitrinite, the inertinite group makes up a considerable proportion. Its content increases upward from the beginning of the Late Permian to the coal seam near the Permian- Triassic boundary. Based on the microscopic features and the prevailing theory that inertinite is largely a by-product of paleo-fires, we suggest that the increasing upward trend of the inertinite abundance in the latest Permian could imply that the Late Permian peatland had suffered from frequent wildfires. Since ignition and burning depend on sufficient oxygen, a model-based calculation suggests that the 02 levels near the Wuchiapingian/Changhsingian boundary and the Permian-Triassic boundary are 27% and 28% respectively. This output adds supports to other discoveries made in the temporal marine and terrestrial sediments, and challenges the theories advocating hypoxia as a mechanism for the PermianTriassic boundary crisis.展开更多
The concentrates with different maceral contents were obtained from Kailuan coking coals with different coal ranks(Ro;ranvarying from 0.88%to 1.73%)by float–sink separation in lab.Then these concentrates were charact...The concentrates with different maceral contents were obtained from Kailuan coking coals with different coal ranks(Ro;ranvarying from 0.88%to 1.73%)by float–sink separation in lab.Then these concentrates were characterized by proximate analysis,ultimate analysis,petrography analysis and coking index determination.The results show that the vitrinite is characterized as nature of lower carbon content,higher hydrogen content,higher volatile matter and stronger caking property compared to inertinite.The relationships between variation rate of volatile matter and maximum volatile matter and coal ranks are identified,and a linear model is developed for fast determination of the maceral contents.Compared to inertinite-rich concentrate,the blending ratio of vitrinite-rich concentrate is increased by 13%,which is considered to be a potential technique based on maceral separation for expanding the coking coal resources.展开更多
According to many researchers,it is the dispersed organic matter in the process of catagenesis that enables to generate additional and sometimes significant amounts of hydrocarbons.The heterogeneous composition of the...According to many researchers,it is the dispersed organic matter in the process of catagenesis that enables to generate additional and sometimes significant amounts of hydrocarbons.The heterogeneous composition of the dispersed organic matter of the Permian rocks is characterized by various generation possibilities.In conducting展开更多
Inertinite maceral compositions in coals from the Early Cretaceous Erlian, Hailar, and Sanjiang Basins in NE China are analyzed in order to reveal palaeowildfire events and palaeoclimate variations. Although huminite ...Inertinite maceral compositions in coals from the Early Cretaceous Erlian, Hailar, and Sanjiang Basins in NE China are analyzed in order to reveal palaeowildfire events and palaeoclimate variations. Although huminite is the dominant maceral group in the studied basins, the inertinite group, as a byproduct of palaeowildfires, makes up a considerable proportion. Occurrence of inertinite macerals indicates that wildfires were widespread and frequent,and supports the opinion that the Early Cretaceous was a "high-fire" interval. Inertinite contents vary from 0.2% to 85.0%, mostly within the range of 10%–45%, and a model-based calculation suggests that the atmospheric oxygen levels during the Aptian and Albian(Early Cretaceous) were around 24.7% and 25.3% respectively. Frequent fire activity during Early Cretaceous has been previously related to higher atmospheric oxygen concentrations. The inertinite reflectance, ranging from 0.58%Ro to 2.00%Ro, indicates that the palaeowildfire in the Early Cretaceous was dominated by ground fires, partially reaching-surface fires. These results further support that the Cretaceous earliest angiosperms from NE China were growing in elevated O2 conditions compared to the present day.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.42321002,41572090)the Deep-time Digital Earth(DDE)Big Science Program。
文摘Inertinite,as an important and abundant maceral group in coal,is critical for the study of palaeowildfires and their roles in the Earth’s ecosystems.Recently,there has been a significant amount of research on the relationship between palaeowildfire,palaeoclimate change and palaeovegetation evolution based on inertinite data.The reflectance of fusinite and semifusinite has been used to estimate the combustion temperature and type of palaeowildfires,and then to evaluate the combustion characteristics of different types of palaeowildfires.The relative abundance of inertinite can be used to estimate the atmospheric oxygen contents.The rapid development of artificial intelligence(AI)and online tools to search scientific databases has presented an opportunity for us to find,collect,arrange,and analyse data from the earliest to latest publications on inertinite.The data extraction tool Deep Shovel is used to collect and analyse global inertinite data from the Silurian to the Neogene.The software programs such as Gplates,ArcGIS pro and Tableau are then applied to model the relative abundance of inertinite over geological time,which can be correlated with other parameters such as atmospheric oxygen contents,plant evolution and palaeoclimate changes.The distribution of inertinite in coals varied over different geological periods,being typified by the“high inertinite content-high atmospheric oxygen level”period in the Permian and the“low inertinite content-low atmospheric oxygen level”period in the Cenozoic.This study has proposed a possible model of the positive and negative feedbacks between inertinite characteristics and palaeoenvironmental factors,and has revealed the exceptional role of inertinite in palaeoenvironmental studies.Future research on inertinite will be focused on the integrated study of organic petrology and organic geochemistry of inertinite,the big data-driven research on the temporal and spatial distribution of the global inertinite,the exploration of the functions of palaeowildfires in the Earth systems in different climatic backgrounds,and the study of modern wildfires to better predict the future frequency and intensity of wildfires due to climate changes.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos.42472166, U24A20595, 42102127, 41972170)the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (Grant No. ZR2021QD087)+2 种基金the Shandong Provincial Postdoctoral Science Foundation (SDCX-ZG-202203053)the Shandong University of Science and Technology (Grant No. 2018TDJH101)the Deep-Time Digital Earth program (DDE) for their support of this work
文摘The Carboniferous,an important coal-forming period in geological history,was characterized by extensive vegetation and high oxygen levels.Evidence suggests frequent wildfires took place during this time,especially in peatlands.However,the control mechanisms for changes in wildfire activity in peatlands during this period remain unclear.In this study,evidence from the Gzhelian in the Ordos Basin,such as the inertinite/vitrinite(Ⅰ/Ⅴ)ratio,indicated varying wildfire frequencies.Climate indicators(CaO/MgO and CaO/MgO·Al_(2)O_(3))revealed that high-frequency wildfires mainly occurred in warm and humid climates.Based on former age constraints,we deduced that orbital cycles(long eccentricity)controlled the climate influence on peatland wildfires during the Gzhelian.Higher eccentricity brought more sunshine and rainfall,creating warmer,wetter peatlands conducive to vegetation growth,which increased fuel loads and led to more wildfires.Global Gzhelian wildfire records show that wildfires occurred mainly in tropical regions with abundant vegetation,reinforcing the idea that fuel loads drove fire activity.While wildfires can release mercury(Hg),the frequent volcanic activity during this period likely contributed significantly to Hg enrichment.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.42302205 and No.42002128)the Fundamental Research Funding Project of Liaoning Education Department(Grant No.LJKMZ20220692)the Open Fund of State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining(Grant No.SKLCRSM22KFA07 and No.SKLCRSM20KFA02).
文摘The late Carboniferous to early Permian period is renowned for extensive coal formation and frequent paleowildfires.Nonetheless,the nature and distribution of these wildfires varied significantly over time.In an effort to elucidate the patterns of paleowildfires during the late Paleozoic Ice Age and to probe into the controlling mechanisms of paleowildfires under icehouse conditions,a comprehensive analysis was performed on coal samples from the Taiyuan and Shanxi formations within the Dacheng coalfield of Hebei Province,North China.The dataset was augmented with global inertinite data from the late Carboniferous to early Permian periods and was compared to paleowildfire patterns from the Pliocene to Holocene epochs.The results show that paleowildfires in the Dacheng coalfield of North China transitioned from moderate-scale,low-intensity surface fires to large-scale,relatively high-intensity ground fires.Globally,the distribution of paleowildfires shifted from Euramerica to Gondwana,Cathaysia,and Angara from 300 Ma to 290 Ma,accompanied by a corresponding increase in inertinite content.This spatial and temporal variation in wildfire activity appears to have been strongly influenced by paleoclimate and atmospheric conditions.At 300 Ma,cooler and wetter paleoclimate,coupled with relatively low atmospheric pO_(2) levels,likely contributed to a reduced incidence of paleowildfires.In contrast,at 290 Ma,warmer paleoclimate,higher atmospheric pO_(2) levels,and the flourishing mires in Gondwana,Cathaysia,and Angara were conducive to more intense paleowildfires.This pattern is further supported by the comparison to more recent icehouse periods.Similar to the late Carboniferous–early Permian period,wildfire activity increased from the Pliocene to the Holocene,highlighting the critical role of climatic conditions in driving wildfire proliferation under icehouse conditions.However,the Pleistocene to Holocene wildfires were less intense than those of the late Carboniferous–early Permian,suggesting that atmospheric oxygen concentrations played a key role in modulating the evolution of the fire systems over geological timescales.These findings underscore the complex interplay between climate,atmospheric composition,and vegetation in shaping wildfire dynamics across Earth’s history.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41972170, 41772096, 41402086)the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (ZR2019MD021)the SDUST Research Fund(2018TDJH101)。
文摘Coal, especially the inertinite in it, is highly sensitive to climate changes, showing an obvious response to paleoclimate conditions, in particular, to paleo-oxygen concentration(pO_2 ). In this study, the inertinite abundance data of typical coal-forming periods in China were systematically collected and analyzed. Its characteristics and control factors were studied, and its evolution was established. Based on inertinite abundance data, pO_2 evolution curves of various coal-forming periods in China were established, which fluctuated between 15% and 30% during the entire Phanerozoic. The inertinite abundance in coal deposits during Paleozoic in China was basically consistent with that of other areas of the world, while it was quite different globally from the Mesozoic to the Cenozoic. The results show that the inertinite abundance in coal deposits is controlled by pO_2 and other factors including climatic zones, plant differentiation, sedimentary environments, and tectonic activities. The inertinite abundance in coal deposits in China during the Jurassic was high, suggesting dry paleoclimate of inland China.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41030213)the Major National S&T Program of China(2011ZX05033-002 and 2011ZX05009-002)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities in China(2010YD09)
文摘Inertinite maceral compositions of the Late Permian coals from three sections in the terrestrial and paralic settings of eastern Yunnan are analyzed in order to reveal the paleo-fire events and the atmospheric oxygen levels in the latest Permian. Although the macerals in the studied sections are generally dominated by vitrinite, the inertinite group makes up a considerable proportion. Its content increases upward from the beginning of the Late Permian to the coal seam near the Permian- Triassic boundary. Based on the microscopic features and the prevailing theory that inertinite is largely a by-product of paleo-fires, we suggest that the increasing upward trend of the inertinite abundance in the latest Permian could imply that the Late Permian peatland had suffered from frequent wildfires. Since ignition and burning depend on sufficient oxygen, a model-based calculation suggests that the 02 levels near the Wuchiapingian/Changhsingian boundary and the Permian-Triassic boundary are 27% and 28% respectively. This output adds supports to other discoveries made in the temporal marine and terrestrial sediments, and challenges the theories advocating hypoxia as a mechanism for the PermianTriassic boundary crisis.
基金financially supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China (No.2010YH11)
文摘The concentrates with different maceral contents were obtained from Kailuan coking coals with different coal ranks(Ro;ranvarying from 0.88%to 1.73%)by float–sink separation in lab.Then these concentrates were characterized by proximate analysis,ultimate analysis,petrography analysis and coking index determination.The results show that the vitrinite is characterized as nature of lower carbon content,higher hydrogen content,higher volatile matter and stronger caking property compared to inertinite.The relationships between variation rate of volatile matter and maximum volatile matter and coal ranks are identified,and a linear model is developed for fast determination of the maceral contents.Compared to inertinite-rich concentrate,the blending ratio of vitrinite-rich concentrate is increased by 13%,which is considered to be a potential technique based on maceral separation for expanding the coking coal resources.
文摘According to many researchers,it is the dispersed organic matter in the process of catagenesis that enables to generate additional and sometimes significant amounts of hydrocarbons.The heterogeneous composition of the dispersed organic matter of the Permian rocks is characterized by various generation possibilities.In conducting
基金funded by the National Science and Technology Major Project(2016ZX05041004–003)the Yue Qi Scholar Project of China University of Mining and Technology(Beijing)+1 种基金the Central University Fundamental Research Fund(2010YD09)These funds help to the design of the study and collection,analysis,and interpretation of data
文摘Inertinite maceral compositions in coals from the Early Cretaceous Erlian, Hailar, and Sanjiang Basins in NE China are analyzed in order to reveal palaeowildfire events and palaeoclimate variations. Although huminite is the dominant maceral group in the studied basins, the inertinite group, as a byproduct of palaeowildfires, makes up a considerable proportion. Occurrence of inertinite macerals indicates that wildfires were widespread and frequent,and supports the opinion that the Early Cretaceous was a "high-fire" interval. Inertinite contents vary from 0.2% to 85.0%, mostly within the range of 10%–45%, and a model-based calculation suggests that the atmospheric oxygen levels during the Aptian and Albian(Early Cretaceous) were around 24.7% and 25.3% respectively. Frequent fire activity during Early Cretaceous has been previously related to higher atmospheric oxygen concentrations. The inertinite reflectance, ranging from 0.58%Ro to 2.00%Ro, indicates that the palaeowildfire in the Early Cretaceous was dominated by ground fires, partially reaching-surface fires. These results further support that the Cretaceous earliest angiosperms from NE China were growing in elevated O2 conditions compared to the present day.
