INVESTIGATION OF THE INITIAL FORMATION OF VITRINITE BY COMPARISON OF VITRIFIED AND UNVITRIFIED EOCENE WOODY PLANT TISSUES

Vitrinite, the major component of most coals, is formed by the alteration of ligno-cellulosic (woody) tissues. The focus of this poster is the comparison of vitrified and unvitrified woody plant tissues collected from the Fossil Forest, Geodetic Hills, Axel Heiberg Island. All samples share the same depositional environment, are of very low maturity, and are gymnosperm-derived. Samples were characterized by tetramethyl-ammonium hydroxide (TMAH) thermochemolysis. The nature and abundance of products found in the vitrified and unvitrified samples suggest that vitrinite is derived almost entirely from lignin, following loss of all or nearly all of the carbohydrates present in precursor woody tissues. In geochemical terms, vitrification of woody tissue is associated with modification of the lignin C3 side chain. The data suggest that physical compression may be a key driver of the chemical alteration of the lignin into vitrinite.