Factors controlling the vegetation distribution and coal-forming environments in a strike-slip basin. The Pennsylvanian Peñarroya-Belmez-Espiel Basin, southern Spain

Coal-forming environments require humid to perhumid conditions. Tectonics governs the size, location and availability of coal seams developed in such environments. While large Pennsylvanian paralic basins generated thick and continuous coal seams, many other small coeval basins, which were tectonica...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: González Barrionuevo, Felipe, Moreno Garrido, María Carmen, Lorenzo García, Erica, Márquez Martínez, Gonzalo
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2016
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Huelva (UHU)
Repositorio:Arias Montano. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ariasmontano.uhu.es:10272/24581
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10272/24581
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Peñarroya-Belmez-Espiel Basin
Coal-forming enviroments
Vegetation distribution
25 Ciencias de la Tierra y del Espacio
2506.02 Geología del Carbón
Descripción
Sumario:Coal-forming environments require humid to perhumid conditions. Tectonics governs the size, location and availability of coal seams developed in such environments. While large Pennsylvanian paralic basins generated thick and continuous coal seams, many other small coeval basins, which were tectonically active, developed a puzzling succession, with carbonaceous deposits that varied in size, thickness and the nature of the coal-forming flora. This study, conducted in the Pe~narroya Belmez-Espiel coalfield, a Variscan strike-slip basin in the south of Spain, provides insights into this subject. The coal seams analysed, generated in different depositional environments, have quantitatively different palynological assemblages. Lacustrine coals are dominated by lycopsids; distal alluvial plain/marginal lacustrine coals are dominated by sphenophytes and tree ferns, and middle alluvial fan coals are dominated by sphenophytes, tree ferns and lycopsids. This means that when conditions were favourable for peat accumulation, peat accumulated regardless of the nature of the available flora.