The features of Devonian coal-bearing deposits in South China, The People's Republic of China

Abstract

Tectonic movements in South China had profound effects upon coal formation and the distribution of coal basins in that area. As a result of the tectonic activity, the Devonian sea transgressed in a northeasterly direction in South China. Recent research indicates that Devonian deposition in different regions of South China did not take place exactly at the same time. Deposition began in Yunnan and Guangxi Provinces during the Early Devonian, in Hunan and Jiangxi Provinces during the Middle Devonian, and in the Lower Yangtze region in the Late Devonian. Several paleodepositional environments were formed during the Devonian period. The Devonian is one of several coal-forming periods in China. At this time, the earliest known land plants grew along the coast of a shallow epeiric sea. Climatic conditions and depositional environments were considerably favorable to coal formation. The Middle Devonian coal-bearing deposits are present in Yunnan and Guangxi Provinces. These deposits are of littoral or neritic origin, and the Devonian coal beds contain a great deal of cuticles; hence they are called cutinitic-liptobiolith or “Luquanite”. Upper Devonian coal deposits occur as thin beds or lenses in Hanshan, Anhui Province and Yixing, Jiangsu Province in the lower Yangtze valley. The pattern of distribution illustrates that coal-bearing formations of Devonian age in China appear to migrate in a regular southwest-northeast direction, which corresponds to the direction of transgression of the Devonian sea. These features are believed to be related to tectonic activity, marine transgression and paleodepositional environments.