Construct a Paleo-Limnological Environment Based on Coal Petrography; Case Study, Two Selected Coal Seams, North Crowsnest Open-Pit Mine, Canada

Abstract

The Crowsnest coalfield is a separated structural coalfield at the East Kootenay basin within southeast British Columbia. Selected Jurassic-Cretaceous two coals seam S-10 and S-C of the Mist-Mountain formation were investigated from the points of coal petrography to construct a Paleo-limnological setting. Twenty-two channel coal samples were assembled and measured from S-10 and S-C coal seams. Vitrinite reflectance measuring of the S-10 coal concern to low-volatile bituminous (1.61, on average). While the vitrinite reflectance measurements of S-C coal seam show an average value of 0.98 related to high-volatile bituminous. Petrographic analysis demonstrates that the S-10 coal seam appears to be rich in inertinite than the S-C coal seam that appears rich in vitrinite. Applying coal facies indices of Tissue Preservation Index, Gelification Index, Ground Water Index Vegetation Index and coal facies diagrams for the studied coal seams aid to suggest a condition of the depositional Paleo-environments. The results promote Paleo-depositional sites of telmatic to limno-telmatic setting of rheotropic systems swamp. The obtained results show a trend of increase in both herbaceous flora and anoxic waterlogged limo-telmatic setting toward the younger coal seam S-C than the older S-10 coal seam.