Geology topics

J.D. Stucker

Publications and source records attributed to J.D. Stucker.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2011

Notes on the origin of inertinite macerals in coal: Evidence for fungal and arthropod transformations of degraded macerals

The role of fungus in the formation of coal macerals, both as a primary contributor in the form of a fungus fossil/maceral funginite, and in their role in degrading wood, thus producing degraded maceral forms, has been established. Fungus, in the course of breaking down the lignin and cellulose in wood, make the wood more digestible for grazers, such as arthropods. In turn, the remnants of the digested wood and anything else eaten but not completely digested are excreted and can be preserved intact; eaten by other fauna with a repeat of the cycle; or colonized by bacteria and/or coprophilous fungi with or without subsequent preservation. Ultimately, the coprolites can be preserved as a form of macrinite.

International Journal of Coal Geology↗

USGS2010

CO 2 , CO, and Hg emissions from the Truman Shepherd and Ruth Mullins coal fires, eastern Kentucky, USA

Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), carbon monoxide (CO), and mercury (Hg) emissions were quantified for two eastern Kentucky coal-seam fires, the Truman Shepherd fire in Floyd County and the Ruth Mullins fire in Perry County. This study is one of the first to estimate gas emissions from coal fires using field measurements at gas vents. The Truman Shepherd fire emissions are nearly 1400 t CO 2 /yr and 16 kg Hg/yr resulting from a coal combustion rate of 450–550 t/yr. The sum of CO 2 emissions from seven vents at the Ruth Mullins fire is 726 ± 72 t/yr, suggesting that the fire is consuming about 250–280 t coal/yr. Total Ruth Mullins fire CO and Hg emissions are estimated at 21 ± 1.8 t/yr and > 840 ± 170 g/yr, respectively. The CO 2 emissions are environmentally significant, but low compared to coal-fired power plants; for example, 3.9 × 10 6 t CO 2 /yr for a 514-MW boiler in Kentucky. Using simple calculations, CO 2 and Hg emissions from coal-fires in the U.S. are estimated at 1.4 × 10 7 – 2.9 × 10 8 t/yr and 0.58–11.5 t/yr, respectively. This initial work indicates that coal fires may be an important source of CO 2 , CO, Hg and other atmospheric constituents.

Kentucky↗

USGS2009

Notes on the origin of inertinite macerals in coals: Observations on the importance of fungi in the origin of macrinite

Macrinite is a, generally, rare inertinite maceral, often incorporating remnants and fragments of other macerals, including vitrinite, liptinite, and other inertinite. The associated inertinites include multiple forms of funginite. Funginite is also commonly found in association with vitrinite of slightly elevated reflectance and with degraded varieties of vitrinite. Together with the highly degraded macrinite, the latter two associations are here inferred to be part of a continuum of fungal and microbial degradation of peat. In any case, the origin of some macrinite is potentially distinct from that of inertinite generated by fire. ?? 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

International Journal of Coal Geology↗