Inertinite in coal and its geoenvironmental significance:Insights from AI and big data analysis

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.

Characteristics and evolution of inertinite abundance and atmospheric pO_(2) during China's coal-forming periods

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.

Paleo-fires and Atmospheric Oxygen Levels in the Latest Permian:Evidence from Maceral Compositions of Coals in Eastern Yunnan,Southern China

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.

Dispersed Organic Matter of Permian Rocks in the North of Kosyu-Rogov Depression

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

Characteristics of Early Cretaceous wildfires in peat-forming environment, NE China

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.