Modern Wetlands and Their Potential as Coal-Forming Environments: ABSTRACT

An array of modern wetlands, including swamps, marshes, bogs, etc exists on nearly every continent. The wetlands range from essentially dry upland shrub-moss communities to forests which exist on a constantly submerged substrate. Some wetlands are common to arctic regions, others are found only in the tropics. Each wetland has developed a variable and fascinating assemblage of plant species that have adapted to the peculiar physical and chemical properties of their environment. The great variety of wetlands provides us with an opportunity to study an assortment of depositional settings, some of which are suitable analogs to ancient, coal-forming environments. Some wetlands, such as kettle swamps and bogs, or karst swamps and marshes may have occurred so infrequently in the past as to have been unimportant in coal formation. Other wetlands, such as back-barrier lagoon swamps, deltaic swamps, and inland river swamps have unquestionably been responsible for deposition of our most extensive coal deposits. An overview of modern wetlands illustrates the tremendous complexity of these plant communities, and dispells the idea that modern swamp/marsh deposits (i.e., peats) and, hence, coal deposits are simple. The physical and chemical compositions of peats and coal beds have changed with time, as different environments have dominated areas of the globe and plants have evolved in response to those environmental changes. The study of modern wetlands is receiving increased emphasis as End_Page 1682------------------------------ further comparison of modern and ancient deposits improves our means of mining and utilizing coal. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1683------------