Abstract
AbstractThe published peat:coal compaction ratios range from 1.1:1 to 60:1 and from 1.1:1 to 11:1 for lignites. These probably represent realistic end-member values for the degree of compaction during the transformation of peat into lignite and then to coal. Hence, in many cases, the obtained values of the compaction ratio are under- or overestimated with reference to the entire coal seam.This study focuses on the changes of thickness between a peat bed and the resulting lignite seam. The fundamental question is how many times the thickness of the peat bed, prior to covering the mire by the overburden, was greater than the present-day thickness of the lignite seam.The majority of methods reported in this paper cannot be used directly to quantify the amount of compaction of the lignite seam. In this context, the only category of methods which allow a direct estimation of the peat:lignite compaction ratio are the so-called stratigraphic methods. Therefore, based on comparison of the initial peat bed thickness with lignite seam thickness, the most accurate peat:lignite compaction ratio ranges from 2:1 to 4:1.
Highlights
A better understanding of the compaction process appears to be one of the most important challenges for researchers dealing with the geology of coal-bearing deposits
All of them rely on a comparison of the thickness of the original peat bed with the thickness of the resulting lignite/coal seam
In contrast to the above-described results, based on measurements of compacted cross-sections of fossil wood, most of the results presented here are just obtained for lignites
Summary
The process of compaction plays a significant role in sedimentological, stratigraphic, and palaeotectonic analyses (e.g. Van Hinte 1978; Miall 1981; Doglioni and Goldhammer 1988; Allen and Allen 1990; Ten Veen and Kleinspehn 2000; Michon et al 2003; Volkov 2003; Rajchl and Uličný 2005; Widera et al 2008; Rajchl et al 2009; Widera and Hałuszczak 2011). Van Hinte 1978; Miall 1981; Doglioni and Goldhammer 1988; Allen and Allen 1990; Ten Veen and Kleinspehn 2000; Michon et al 2003; Volkov 2003; Rajchl and Uličný 2005; Widera et al 2008; Rajchl et al 2009; Widera and Hałuszczak 2011). Such processes are relatively well-known and accepted in the case of mineral deposits (Baldwin and Butler 1985; Sheldon and Retallack 2001). The term ‘compaction ratio’ will be employed throughout this paper, in the final sections
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