Rare Earth Element Geochemistry of Late Palaeozoic Coals in North China

Abstract: Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) was done to determine the abundances of rare earth elements (REE) of 58 samples of Late Palaeozoic Carboniferous-Permian coals and related rocks in North China. Detailed study of REE geochemistry shows that the ?REE of most coals studied in this paper is in a normal range between 30×10?6 and 80×10?6 with a mean of 56×10?6. The REE in the Taiyuan Formation in the northern part of North China are much richer than those in the southern part. This is due to the shorter distance to the source area in the north. Moreover, the ?REE is in positive correlation to coal ash, especially closely related to the content of clay minerals <2 μm in size. This reveals that most REE were carried by terrigenous clastic materials, especially fine clay minerals. In the coals the light REE (LREE) are much richer than the heavy REE (HREE), and the LREE/HREE ratio in coals generally varies from 2 to 8. The LREE/HREE ratio of high-ash, low-sulphur coals is higher than that of low-ash, high-sulphur coals, and is even higher in the roof and floor rocks, reaching 12 with the highest (up to 21) in pyrite concretions, which shows that the HREE have a stronger affinity to organic matter in a reducing environment influenced by seawater. Furthermore, Eu is generally depleted in coals. The REE chondrite-normalized distribution patterns are very similar in coals of the whole of North China. From the REE geochemical characteristics it can be concluded that during the formation of Late Palaeozoic Carboniferous-Permian coals in North China, the supply of terrigeneous materials remained quite stable. The ?REE in low-ash, high-sulphur coals is relatively low and the REE are mainly carried by fine-grained minerals and organic matter and a certain percentage of REE are adsorbed by organic matter; while the ?REE in high-ash, low-sulphur coals is higher and the REE are mainly present in detritus. The ?REE of magmatism-influenced coals is the highest, which suggests that the introduction of magmatic substances may increase the ?REE, thus causing the REE distribution patterns to show an abnormal feature. Moreover, some harmful elements such as U, W and As usually increase when the coals are influenced by magmatism.

Carbon and Strontium Isotopes of Late Palaeozoic Marine Carbonates in the Upper Yangtze Platform,Southwest China

238 marine carbonate samples were collected from seven sedimentary sections ofthe entire late Palaeozoic (Permian, Carboniferous and Devonian) in the Upper Yangtze Plat-form, southwest China. Based on the absence of cathodoluminescence and very low Mn (gener-ally<50 ppm) contents of the samples, it is thought that they contain information on the orig-inal sea water geochemistry. The results of isotopic analyses of these samples are presented interms of δ^(13)C and ^(87)Sr/^(86)Sr ratios versus geological time. The strontium data, consistent withother similar data based on samples from North America, Europe, Africa and other areas inAsia, support the notion of a global consistency in strontium isotope composition of marinecarbonates. The strontium data exhibit three intervals of relatively low ^(87)Sr/^(86)Sr ratios in thelate Middle Devonian to early Late Devonian, Early Carboniferous and Early Permian, corre-sponding to global eustatic high sea level stands. The lowest ^(87)Sr/^(86)Sr ratio recorded in theLate Permian was probably caused by substantial basalt eruptions in the Upper Yangtze Plat-form at the time. Three corresponding periods of relatively high δ^(13)C values at roughly the samethe intervals were caused by a relatively high rate of accumulation of organic carbon duringsea level rises at these times. The deposition of coal was probably responsible for the increaseof sea water δ^(13)C at other times. The δ^(13)C values drop dramatically near theDevonian/Carboniferous, Carboniferous/Permian and Permian/Triassic boundaries, con-sistent with other similar data, which further support the notion that geological time boundariesare associated with mass extinction and subsequent rejuvenation.

A Carbon Isotopic Stratigraphic Pattern of the Late Palaeozoic Coals in the North China Platform and Its Palaeoclimatic Implications

This paper gives the stable carbon isotopic data in coals from the Late Namurian to Kazanian stages in the Serteng Mt., Xishan and Huainan coalfields of the North China Platform. Its stratigraphic pattern shows that several isotopic shifts are apparent, and the large δ13C negative shifts (approximately 2.5 to 3.0 %%) occurred during the Stephanian, Artinskian and Kazanian are observed in three Permo-Carboniferous coalfields. Those negative shifts are neither related to the coal rank and coal macerals, nor caused by the variety of peat-forming plants. The general decrease in the δ13C values of the Stephanian, Artinskian and Kazanian coals is consistent with an overall decrease in the δ13C values of ambient atmospheric CO2 and/or a relative increase in atmospheric Pco2 during the coal-forming periods. Therefore the authors postulate that the oxidation of peat, and the δ13C-depleted CO2 flux into the atmosphere during the above stages may have contributed to coeval palaeoclimatic warming by way of the greenhouse effect.

The Late Palaeozoic Rifting on Hainan Island, China

There occurred rifting on Hainan Island in the Late Palaeozoic. Bimodal volcanic rocks composed ofbasalt and rhyolite developed in the Carboniferous. Widespread in the Late Palaeozoic formations are severallayers of fluvial intermontane conglomerates whose distribution is controlled by rift faults. The Late Palaeozoicdeposits dominaled by clastic rocks are, for a major part, of marine facies and of continental facies in the lowerand upper parts. Lithological and lithochemical studies indicate that the detrital rocks were formed in atectonic setting of continental rifting. The evolution of the rifting terminated at the stage of transition form anintra continental rift to an intercontinental one and the rift basin was a bay opening westward to the sea.

Genesis of Coal Metamorphism of Late PalaeozoicCoals in the South of North China——A Further Approach to the Effects of ThermalGroundwater on Coal Metamorphism

The close relationship between the genesis of coal metamorphism and the evolution of the regional tectonic framework is expounded on the basis of an analysis of the geological factors causing the metamorphic zonation of the Late Palaeozoic coals in southern North China; in terms of the mechanism for the formation of palaeogeothermal anomalies, the effects of thermal groundwater on coal metamorphism is highlighted and a geological model for thermal groundwater metamorphism of coal established; with the concept of the palaeogeotherm-coal metamorphism system, the genesis of coal metamorphism is analysed according to the distribution pattern of three geological factors: heat source, heat-carrier and channel, and heat-collector.

Volcanic Event Layers——A Marker Bed of Correlation of Coal Measures

Upper Carboniferous-Lower Permian volcanic event deposits from two cross sections in Nanpiao, Liaoning Province, and the Daqing Mountains, Inner Mongolia, were examined by systematic rock and mineral identification, differential thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and trace element and rare earth element quantitative analysis. According to the results, twelve sequences of volcanic event deposits have been distinguished from bottom to top, including 34–39 volcanic event layers. As these layers each have their own distinctive petrological, mineralogical and geochemical characteristics and were derived from the same source, they provide new evidence for further ascertaining the distribution characteristics of volcanic event deposits on the northern margin of the North China plate and carrying out the stratigraphic correlation using volcanic event layers as marker beds.