Observations on fluorinite and fluorescent vitrinite with the transmission electron microscope

Abstract

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has been used to study fluorinite occurrences in four coals, ranging in rank from soft brown coal to high volatile bituminous. The fluorinite has a substructure of lipoid-rich lamellar and nodular units about 0.1–0.5 μm across. These components, together with enclosing humic matter and (in some cases) thin cuticle, appear to derive from leaves or leaf-like material from vascular plants. Fluorescent vitrinite in one of the coal samples (of bituminous rank) was also studied with TEM. This fluorescence is attributable to exsudatinite-like inclusions of petroleum origin within the humic matter of the vitrinite.