Evidence of widespread wildfires in a coal seam from the middle Permian of the North China Basin
- The North China Basin is the largest coal-bearing basin in China, and has an areal extent of 800,000 km2. We analyzed 138 coal samples and in situ pillar coal samples of the middle Permian from this basin by macropetrography, microscope, scanning electron microscope, gas chromatography, and gas chromatography–mass spectrometer in order to study wildfires. High contents of inertinite (charcoal) and natural coke particles observed in coal samples indicate that vegetation in precursor mires and peats of the middle Permian coal from north China was exposed to far-ranging wildfires. In addition, high-molecular-weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were detected in the coal samples. These aromatic compounds were formed under high temperatures and provide further evidence of wildfire. These wildfires would have discharged significant CO and CO2 gases into the atmosphere and affected the paleoclimate and paleoecosystem.
Author: | Yuzhuang Sun, Cunliang ZhaoORCiD, Wilhelm Püttmann, Wolfgang Kalkreuth, Shenjun Qin |
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URN: | urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-442461 |
DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1130/L638.1 |
ISSN: | 1947-4253 |
ISSN: | 1941-8264 |
Parent Title (English): | Lithosphere |
Publisher: | Geological Society of America ; GeoScienceWorld |
Place of publication: | Boulder, Colo. ; Alexandria, Va. |
Document Type: | Article |
Language: | English |
Year of Completion: | 2017 |
Date of first Publication: | 2017/05/18 |
Publishing Institution: | Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg |
Release Date: | 2017/08/24 |
Volume: | 9 |
Page Number: | 14 |
Note: | © The Authors. Gold Open Access: This paper is published under the terms of the CC-BY license. |
HeBIS-PPN: | 428727328 |
Institutes: | Geowissenschaften / Geographie / Geowissenschaften |
Dewey Decimal Classification: | 5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 55 Geowissenschaften, Geologie / 550 Geowissenschaften |
Sammlungen: | Universitätspublikationen |
Licence (German): | Creative Commons - Namensnennung 4.0 |