PEAT SEQUENCES IN SELECTED AREAS OF THE HUDSON BAY LOWLAND AND SOUTHERN ONTARIO

Hawcke, M.

Petrographic and micromorphological methods were used to evaluate cold-climate peats as coal precursors, particularly as analogues to inertinite-rich Early Permian Gondwana coals. Sampling sites provided a range of climatic, trophic and vegetational conditions and included a bog and fen from the Hudson Bay Lowland, and a swamp and bog from southern Ontario. The boreal bog, and to a lesser extent, the fen, predominantly contain unhumified textinite, reflecting good preservation. Neither site is presently petrographically similar to Early Permian Gondwana coals, possibly due to ecological factors, or because inertinite may not form concurrently with peat accumulation. The cold-temperate sites have extensive surficial humification, reflecting declining watertable levels, possibly due to recent climatic warming, which may lead to eventual inertinite formation.