Geochemistry, Mineralogy, and Coal Petrology of No. 4 Coal in Sandaoling Mine, Turpan-Hami Basin, Northwest China: Provenance and Peat Depositional Environment

• Published in: Minerals (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 7; p. 837
• Main Authors: Wei, Jinhao, Wei, Yingchun, Qin, Guohong, Ning, Shuzheng, Cao, Daiyong, Wang, Anmin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.07.2023
• Subjects: Aluminum oxide; Basins; Bituminous coal; Carbonates; Clay minerals; Climate change; Coal; Coal industry; Coal mining; coal petrography; Geochemistry; Igneous rocks; Intermediates; International economic relations; Jurassic; Lakes; Middle Jurassic coal; Mineralogy; Minerals; Mountains; Natural gas; Paleozoic; Peat; peat depositional environment; Petroleum; Petrology; Rocks, Igneous; Sandstone; Sedimentary rocks; Siderite; Silica; Strontium; Sulfur; Sulfur compounds; Sulfur content; Sulphur; Titanium dioxide; Trace elements; Turpan-Hami Basin; Uranium; Uranium ores; China; Kazakhstan
• ISSN: 2075-163X; 2075-163X
• DOI: 10.3390/min13070837

The Turpan-Hami Basin is one of the three coal-accumulating basins in Xinjiang. There is coal, natural gas, petroleum, sandstone-type uranium ore, and other ore resources in the Jurassic strata developed inside. This study aims to gain a deeper understanding of the formation process of ore resources in the Turpan-Hami Basin by studying the provenance and depositional environment of No. 4 coal in the Sandaoling Mine. The results show that No. 4 coal is extra-low ash yield and extra-low sulfur coal. Compared with common Chinese coals and world hard coals, the trace element content in No. 4 coal is normal or depleted. The minerals in coal are mainly clay minerals, silica and sulfate minerals, and carbonates. The diagrams of Al2O3, TiO2, Sr/Y, L,a/Yb, and the REY geochemical features indicate that the Paleozoic intermediates and felsitic igneous rocks in Harlik Mountain and Eastern Bogda Mountain are the main provenance of No. 4 coal. The syngenetic siderite, Sr/Ba, Th/U, total sulfur content, and maceral indices indicate that No. 4 coal was formed in a salt-lake environment, and the climate changed from dry and hot to warm and humid.