Coal Petrologic Investigation of Tropical Peat Deposits

本研究的目的是调查加勒比地区几种不同的湿热带泥炭矿床的岩石学和孢粉学特征、地表形成过程和煤化（石化）的早期阶段。这些数据将与以前在温带环境中产生的数据进行比较和对比，例如乔治亚州的奥克弗诺基沼泽和南卡罗来纳州的斯格迪沼泽。选择了三个热带矿床进行研究：1)哥斯达黎加的Moin矿床；2)巴拿马Changuinola矿床；3)波多黎各的阿雷西博矿床。虽然所有这些都是在相同的环境中发现的，每一种煤都与其他煤有一个或多个显著的不同，之所以被选中，是因为它有望提供新的和重要的信息，用来解释和预测文献中报道的在热带海岸线相关环境中形成的许多古代煤的组成和几何形状。​本研究将采用的方法包括：1)实地测量pH值、盐度和其他地表条件；2)泥炭序列野外描述；3)收集地表凋落物和地表样品；4)导向活塞芯集合；5)切片机薄片的透射、反射和荧光显微镜；6)结合放射性碳测年，对地表和地下样品进行低温灰化和x射线分析，解释矿床的古生态和发育历史。

The purpose of this research is to investigate the petrographic and palynologic characteristics, surficial processes of formation, and early stages of coalification (peatification) of several contrasting wet-tropical, peat deposits in the Caribbean region. This data will be compared and contrasted with data generated previously from temperate settings, such as the Okefenokee Swamp of Georgia, and Snuggedy Swamp of South Carolina. Three tropical deposits have been selected for study: 1) the Moin Deposit of Costa Rica; 2) the Changuinola Deposit of Panama; and 3) the Arecibo Deposit of Puerto Rico. Although all of these are found in the same general type of setting, each exhibits one or more significant differences from the others and was selected because it is expected to yield new and essential information with which to interpret and predict the composition and geometry of the many ancients coals that have been reported in the literature to have formed in tropical shoreline-related settings. Methodology to be employed in this study will include: 1) field measurements of pH, salinity and other surface conditions; 2) field descriptions of peat sequences; 3) collection of surface litter and surface samples; 4) collection of oriented piston cores; 5) transmitted, reflected, and fluorescent light microscopy from microtome thin sections; 6) low temperature ashing and x-ray analysis of surface and subsurface samples combined with radiocarbon dating, for interpreting the paleoecological and developmental history of the deposits.