C558 s CI (jLjl iuuH^j Distribution of Boghead Algae in Illinois Basin Coal Beds Russel A. Peppers and Richard D. Harvey Circular 558 1997 Department of Natural Resources ILLINOIS STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Distribution of Boghead Algae in Illinois Basin Coal Beds Russel A. Peppers and Richard D. Harvey Circular 558 1997 ILLINOIS STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY William W. Shilts, Chief Natural Resources Building 615 E. Peabody Drive Champaign, Illinois 61820-6964 (217)333-4747 FOREWORD from the Chief Not until 1951 did Robert Kosanke of the Illinois State Geological Survey discover fossils of the Botryococcus alga in several Illinois coals, even though for a half century fossil algae had been reported in coals worldwide. In 1963, Dr. Russel Peppers arrived at the Geological Survey and began his career-long study of the fossil pollens and spores in coal. In his studies of thousands of coal samples, Peppers kept Kosanke's discovery in mind and began collecting samples that contained this particular alga. At last count, he had 43 samples of coal from widespread coal seams in Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky. In this report, Peppers and his colleague Dr. Richard Harvey, an expert in the description and classification of coals and coal macerals, summarize their investigation into the fossil algae in these 43 coal samples. Peppers and Harvey found that the alga occurs in 12 Illinois coal beds. Their data on the distribution of Botryococcus in coal may help geologists identify, correlate, and map coal seams across the Illinois Basin. The presence of the alga in a coal or shale can tell us about the changing environments of the ancient swamps that covered Illinois about 315 to 310 million years ago. Peppers and Harvey compared the distribution of Botryococcus with that of the spore assemblages in their samples; they found that the alga is most abundant in layers in which Lycospora are most abundant. Botroyococcus lived in freshwater, and this association reinforces previous evi- dence that lycopod trees grew in wet and periodically flooded swamps. Peppers and Harvey also found the alga in layers of shale that originated as mud in freshwater swamps. Where seawater covered the swamps and decomposing plants, there is likely to be high-sulfur coal. Because freshwater shales commonly lie directly over low-sulfur coal, finding shales with significant amounts of the Botryococcus alga may help geologists locate deposits of low-sulfur coal. As with most research, this study raises new questions just as it is answering the ones the scientists began with. The alga Botryococcus is still living today unchanged for over 400 million years. But it is not found in any Illinois coal beds above the lower Middle Pennsylva- nian (about 310 million years ago), even though it is found in coals from other locations. Why the disappearance? And even though the fossil algae were buried in coals thousands of feet deep for millions of years, the cell bodies weren't flattened or coalified. Why not? These are indeed intriguing questions for further investigation. William W. Shilts, Chief Illinois State Geological Survey ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank Donald Lowry (ISGS), who prepared the SEM photographs, and Curtis Klug (University of Iowa) and Donald Mikulic and Beverly Herzog (ISGS), who reviewed the manuscript and provided useful suggestions. Editoral Board Jonathan H. Goodwin, Chair Michael L. Barnhardt Heinz H. Damberger Anne L. Erdmann Beverly L. Herzog David R. Larson Donald G. Mikulic William R. Roy C. Pius Weibel ILLINOIS resources Printed by Authority of the State of Illinois/1997 7800 printed with soybean ink on recycled paper CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ABSTRACT 1 INTRODUCTION 1 Morphology and Ecology of Botryococcus 2 COAL BEDS THAT CONTAIN BOTRYOCOCCUS 3 Reyrtoldsburg Coal Bed (Illinois) 3 Breckinridge and Bell Coal Beds (Kentucky), Bell Coal Bed (Illinois), and St. Meinrad Coal Member (Indiana) 3 Unnamed Coal Bed (Illinois) 9 Mariah Hill Coal Member (Indiana) and Dunbar Coal Bed (Kentucky) 9 Tarter Coal Member (Illinois) and Lower Block Coal Member (Indiana) 9 Hermon Coal Member (Illinois) 9 Brush Coal Member (Illinois) 9 Buffaloville Coal Member (Indiana) and Lewisport Coal Bed (Kentucky) 9 Bancroft^) Coal Bed (Kentucky) 9 Delwood Coal Bed (Illinois) and Equivalent Coal in Kentucky 9 New Burnside Coal Bed (Illinois) 11 Unnamed Coal (Indiana) Equivalent to the Murphysboro Coal Member (Illinois) 11 ALGAL AND SPORE ABUNDANCE IN THE LEWISPORT COAL BED AND OVERLYING AND UNDERLYING STRATA IN UNION COUNTY, KENTUCKY 1 1 PETROGRAPHIC OCCURRENCE OF BOTRYOCOCCUS 16 CONCLUSIONS 18 REFERENCES 19 TABLES 1 Location of coal beds containing Botryococcus 5 2 Palynology of selected coal samples in which Botryococcus is common or abundant 12 3 Maceral analysis of selected samples 17 FIGURES 1 Cross sections of modem Botryococcus 3 2 Location of coal beds containing Botryococcus 4 3 Stratigraphic and geographic occurrences of Botryococcus in the Illinois Basin 8 4 Relative abundance of spores in the Lewisport coal and overlying and underlying strata at sample site 35 in Union County, Kentucky 10 5 Relative abundance of spore taxa in representative coal beds in which Botryococcus is abundant or common 15 6 SEM micrographs of Botryococcus show the open structure of the cups in the organisms 17 PLATE 1 The occurrence of Botryococcus in crushed particles of coal Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign http://archive.org/details/distributionofbo558pepp ABSTRACT The alga Botryococcus was observed in coal macerations from twelve coal beds in the Tradewater Formation (Lower and lower Middle Pennsylvanian) in the Illinois Basin. In Illinois, Botryococcus occurs in the Bell, Del- wood, Lewisport, New Burnside, and Reynoldsburg Coal Beds, in the Brush, Hermon, Murphysboro, and Tarter Coal Members, and in an unnamed coal bed; in Indiana it occurs in the St. Meinrad, Lower Block, and Buffaloville Coal Members and an unnamed coal bed; and in Kentucky it occurs in the Bancroft(?), Bell, Breck- inridge, Lewisport, and Delwood coal beds. Some names identify the same coal, whose designation may vary by state. Although Botryococcus is rare at most of the 43 sam- ple sites where it was found, it is abundant at two sites in the Lewisport and at one site each in the Reynoldsburg, New Burnside, Delwood, and Brush Coals and Breckin- ridge coal bed. It is common at two sites in the Delwood and one site in the Tarter and Mariah Hill Coals. Botryo- coccus has been found more commonly (14 sites) in the Delwood than in any other coal. A distribution pattern of Botryococcus abundance is not apparent because of the small number of sites of each of the coals containing the alga. Although Botryococcus is still a living genus, it has not been observed in coals in the Illinois Basin above the lower Middle Pennsylvanian, even though hundreds of samples of the most extensive coal seams in the basin, which occur in the upper Middle Pennsyl- vanian, have been examined. The Lewisport coal and overlying and underlying strata at one sample site were macerated to compare the abundance of Botryococcus with the lithology and com- position of the spore assemblages. The alga is most abundant in the coal and overlying coaly shale in which Lycospora, produced by large lycopod trees, is most abundant. Botryococcus is least abundant in the under- day and gray shale that overlies the coaly shale in which fern spores are most abundant; Granasporites medius, representing the arborescent lycopods Dia- phorodendron and Synchysidendron, is most abundant in the gray shale. Sphenopsid spores are abundant in the coal, underclay, and some intervals of gray shale over- lying the coal. As with the Lewisport, coal beds in which Botryococcus is abundant also contain an abun- dance of Lycospora. Petrographic analyses of selected samples indicate an average of 0.5 to 3.2 volume percent of Botryococcus in coals bearing this type of alginite (liptinite group of macerals). The Botryococcus occurs in irregularly shaped colonies. These colonies are embedded in a matrix of desmocollinite vitrinite along with small sporinite {Lycospora) and to a lesser extent other macer- als that are common in coals of bituminous rank. Up to 60% or more of some ultra-thin coal layers consists of algae colonies. Such layers or bands are properly termed torbanite. Microscopical (optical and scanning electron microscope) studies suggest that the colonies of Botryococcus have not been permanently compressed from their original morphology during subsequent coalification. Because Botryococcus lived in fresh to brackish water, the association of abundant algae and Lycospora reinforces evidence from earlier paleobotanical studies that coal swamp lycopod trees grew in the parts of the swamps that were very wet and periodically flooded. A knowledge of the distribution of abundant Botryococcus may aid in outlining lower-sulfur content areas within coal beds. High-sulfur coal is more closely associated with coal swamps that were near shore and drowned by marine water than with swamps that were higher on the delta plain and drowned by freshwater stream deposits. INTRODUCTION Algae in coal in the Illinois Basin were first reported by Kosanke in 1951. He compared the fossil algae in the top several inches of the Tarter Coal Member from an outcrop in Fulton County with the living alga Botryococ- cus. We have subsequently observed Botryococcus in several other coal beds in the Illinois Basin during rou- tine palynological analyses. In most samples, algae are rare, but in several samples they are abundant. One of the purposes of this study was to identify the extent and stratigraphic occurrence of the coals that contain Botryococcus and to determine whether there is a pattern in the distribution and abundance of the alga. A related goal was to determine whether the alga's presence could be used in biostratigraphic correlations. The study also sought to provide clues concerning the environments of deposition of the coals, which could aid in identifying coal with relatively low sulfur con- tent. Finally, we wanted to determine the alga's distri- bution in coal and to characterize its morphology in coal after compaction. Palynology of the Lewisport coal and overlying and underlying strata in an outcrop in Union County, Kentucky, was studied in detail to determine the rela- tion of spore abundance to Botryococcus abundance. This relationship clarifies the paleoecology of ancient Pennsylvanian peat swamp plants because the ecology of living Botryococcus is known. In addition, spore analysis of several coal samples of different ages that contain abundant Botryococcus indicates the kinds of vascular plants most common in the coal swamps that supported the growth of algae. Petrographic analyses of several coal samples con- taining abundant Botryococcus were made, including a scanning electron microscope (SEM) study that charac- terized Botryococcus morphology. Petrography also re- vealed the relative abundance and relationship of Botryococcus to macerals in several unmacerated coal samples. The scope of the petrographic study did not include analysis of all coals containing Botryococcus nor the particular parts of the beds that contain the alga. Thus, we cannot determine which layers within the coal beds would be classified as boghead coal. The composition and origin of boghead coals and related torbanites have been discussed in detail by Thies- sen (1925), Blackburn and Temperley (1936), and Allen et al. (1980). These publications summarized the no- menclature of algal coals and shales and the history of the investigations. Boghead coal, bituminous shale, cannel coal, torbanite (black oil shale), and other rocks containing algae have not been satisfactorily classified. Schopf (1949) noted that boghead coal, which is non- banded, is composed mainly of algae but often contains some spores. Cannel coal, which is also nonbanded, mainly contains spores but may also contain algae. Occasional colonies of Botryococcus may also be present in attrital portions of banded coals. Morphology and Ecology of Botryococcus Modern Botryococcus is planktonic and widely distrib- uted in temperate and tropical climatic zones through- out the world. It occurs in permanent to semipermanent freshwater pools and lakes, but occasionally it grows in salt water. Some species live in still water, and others live in moving water. Botryococcus has also been found in peat (Blackburn and Temperley 1936). The presence of starch in living Botryococcus places it among the green algae (Chlorophyceae), but the structure of cell walls and color of the plastids are characteristic of yel- low-green algae. Cells produce large amounts of oil. Modern Botryococcus forms free-floating, amor- phous colonies enclosed in a cartilaginous green or orange, wrinkled and folded envelope. The closely spaced, ovoid or cunate cells usually occur in groups of multi- ples of two in a single layer toward the edge of the colony (fig. 1). The cell groups are radially arranged and connected by broad, delicate strands. Cell walls are transversely divided into two un- equal overlapping parts, with the lower part being longer. A cell is enclosed within a waxy thimble, which itself is partly enclosed within a fatty cup that has a stalk- like projection into the center of the colony (fig. 1). Cells reproduce by longitudinal division. The resulting cells produce new thimbles and cups within the old ones; the lower part of the cell forms the new cup. After the algae die, the cells usually decompose, but the waxy-fatty skeletons of the colony are usually preserved. Fossil Botryococcus consist of the skeletons as modified by sedimentation and coalification (Traverse 1955, Smith 1950). Bertrand and Renault (1892, 1893) collaborated for over 20 years in studying algal coals and shales. Renault (1899-1900) concluded that boghead coals were formed in swamps, lakes, and pools as an organic jell that had been altered by microorganisms. Spores, cuticles, plant cells, and debris were suspended in the jell. However, Bertrand and Renault's explanation was not widely accepted because they proposed that bitumen from an- other source infiltrated the matrix and did not specify an alga that matched the characteristics of boghead algae. Jeffrey (1910) suggested that the algae are spores. Zalessky (1914) described the rubbery oil deposits produced by Botryococcus braunii in shallow parts of a present-day lake in Turkistan. The algal colonies in the oil mass, as seen in thin sections, resemble the colonies of algae in boghead coals. Zalessky (1926) also identi- fied B. braunii in balkhashite, the sapropelic rock of Russia. Thiessen (1925) described living algae in salt lakes and lagoons in South Australia and showed that they are closely related or identical to the algae in boghead coals. He stated they resembled blue-green algae in some respects but was not certain of their affinity. He proposed the name Elaeophyton for what are actually colonies of Botryococcus. Blackburn and Tem- perley (1936) described in detail the algae from boghead coals and showed that the fossil forms of boghead algae are closely related to modern B. braunii. Niklas and Phillips (1974) and Niklas (1976) correlated fossil boghead algae and living Botryococcus by compar- ing microchemical compositions and morphologies. Dulhunty (1944) studied a Permian torbanite in New South Wales and proposed that deposits of Botryo- coccus do not form in peat swamps that contain abun- dant humic matter. He suggested the water, which contained dissolved humic and mineral matter, flowed from swamps and marshes into lakes. No vegetation, except for algae, was established in the lakes because the water level frequently fluctuated. Moore (1968) be- lieved that algae probably lived toward the center of lakes where sufficient oxygen was available because organic matter would be most abundant around the margins of the lakes. The association of Botryococcus with opaque attritus in coal led Schopf (1952) to con- clude that the attritus had formed under moist rather than dry conditions, as previously presumed. Since the vitrinite in the boghead coal at the top of the Tarter Coal Member occurs in very thin bands, Kosanke (1951) concluded that the freshwater peat bog did not support many arborescent plants. He sug- gested, however, that the upper part of the Tarter Coal might not be a true boghead because of the large per- centage (24%) of vitrinite. He macerated some of the coal, but isolated individual colonies showed little structure. Bradley (1966) described the sediment in Mud Lake, Florida, a modern analog to oil shale. The sedi- ment contains a layer of ooze made up of abundant Botryococcus that slowly accumulates about 3 feet below the water-mud contact of the shallow lake. Fecal pellets containing remains of algae are common in the ooze, and plant debris is rare. At greater depths, after having depleted the available nutrients from the mud, the al- gae produce oil, fats, and pigments. Dulhunty (1944, p. 32) remarked that "the very primitive nature of the living Botryococcus suggests that the organism has not changed for a very long time, and justifies the belief that it has descended from the late cell cell cap cell thimble thimble of parent cell cellulose wall B Figure 1 A. Cross section of a pair of modern cells of Bolryococcus braunii Kiitzing. B. Colony of B. braunii. Cells, cell caps, and cell walls are not present in fossil Botryococcus (adapted from Blackburn and Temperley 1936). Paleozoic algae preserved in torbanite without appre- ciable modification." White's description (in Bain 1906) of algae in the Galena Formation of Illinois strongly suggests that Botryococcus can be traced back at least to the Ordovician. COAL BEDS THAT CONTAIN BOTRYOCOCCUS Coals containing Botryococcus are widely distributed in the Illinois Basin (table 1 and fig. 2). Analyses of the samples are discussed below according to stratigraphic unit, oldest to youngest (fig. 3). References in the text are to the unit name in southern Illinois. Correlation with equivalent (but occasionally differently named) units elsewhere in the basin are given in figure 3. Reynoldsburg Coal Bed (Illinois) Kosanke (1950) studied the palynology of the Rey- noldsburg Coal Bed near the town of Reynoldsburg, Johnson County; and Smith (1957) reported on strippa- ble reserves of the coal in southern Illinois. Trask and Jacobson (1990) mapped the coal outcrop near Reynoldsburg. The coal lies just above the Pounds Sandstone Member and at the base of the Tradewater Formation (formerly Abbott Formation; Greb et al. 1992). It is late Morrowan in age (fig. 3). In places the canneloid and bituminous coal grades upward into an oil shale several feet thick, called the Ozark oil shale, that was locally used in cookstoves and fireplaces. At site 28 (table 1), the Reynoldsburg contains abundant Botryococcus and opaque, finely divided kerogen. Spores in maceration 2695 are poorly preserved, but the assemblage is dominated by Densosporites, which were produced by small lycopods. Botryococcus is rare in the coaly shale at site 29, about 2 miles east of Reynoldsburg, and in the coal at site 31, about 11 miles east of Reynoldsburg. The can- neloid coal and bituminous shale at site 29 were used by Barrett (1922) for experimental distillation of the deposits as a possible source of oil. About 6,000 cubic feet of gas and 36.6 to 45.1 gallons of crude tar per ton of coal shale were distilled. At sample site 31, Laevi- gatosporites (38%) and Densosporites (25%) dominate, and only 24% of the spore assemblage is made up of Lycospora. Breckinridge and Bell Coal Beds (Kentucky), Bell Coal Bed (Illinois), and St. Meinrad Coal Member (Indiana) Hower et al. (1986) described the petrology and geo- chemistry of the Breckinridge coal bed in Hancock County, Kentucky. Botryococcus braunii is very abun- dant in the seam, which they considered a torbanite. Botryococcus is also abundant in a sample of the Breck- inridge coal examined from site 42 in Breckinridge County, 8 km south of Cloverport. Hower et al. (1986) stated that the seam is Morrowan (Westphalian A) in age. The spores are not sufficiently well preserved to permit a percentage count; the presence of Renisporites confossus and Endosporites globiformis and the lack of Schulzospora rara, however, indicate that the coal is early Atokan (early Westphalian B) in age and probably cor- relates with the Bell coal bed (fig. 3). At sites 26 and 27 in Johnson County, Illinois, the Bell Coal Bed, which is stratigraphically about 12.2 m above the Reynoldsburg Coal, contains rare specimens of Botryococcus. Maceration 2611 is from coal fragments collected around an old mine entrance, and maceration 3059 is from an abandoned strip mine. A total of 95% and 74% of the spore assemblages in macerations 2611 and 3059, respectively, are Lycospora. Cristatisporites in- dignabundus and Densosporites annulatus, which were 20O21 33'34# ?4rf#22,23 30##32 A ^26^29 31 27 ^ COAL BEDS • Delwood A Lewisport and Buffaloville D Tarter and Lower Block O New Burnside ■ Brush A other Figure 2 Location of coal beds containing Botryococcus. Table 1 Location of coal beds containing Botryococcus. Sample Maceration site number Coal Thick- Abundance" ness (cm) of algae Location 11 12 13 14 15 16 1077 1865 2361D 1858 2278C 2402A 1973 2308C 2330E 2247B 2315D 2310A Hermon Brush Brush Hermon Tarter Brush 10.2 3.8 30.5 35.6 10.2 12.7 Lower Block 12.7 Delwood Delwood 61 61 St. Meinrad 40.6 Delwood Delwood 91.4 30.5 rare abundant rare rare rare rare 7 1923 Tarter 96.5 unknown 8 2066 Tarter 25.4 common 9 2187 Murphysboro equivalent 38 rare 10 1972B Buffaloville 10.2 rare rare rare rare rare rare rare SE NW NW, Sec. 9, T.17N, R.1E., Rock Island Co., IL NW NE SW, Sec. 15, T.11N., R.2W., Warren Co., IL Hole J-13, New Jersey Zinc Co., NW NE NE SE, Sec. 7, T.10N, R.1E., Knox Co., IL NW NE NE, Sec. 26, T.9N., R.1W., Warren Co., IL N-S line, SE SW SE, Sec. 11, T.7N, R.1E., Fulton Co., IL SW SE SW, Sec. 10, T.6N., R.1E., Fulton Co., IL SW, Sec. 34, T.6N., R.1E., Fulton Co., IL SE, Sec. 2, T.5N, R.1E., Fulton Co., IL SE SW NW, Sec. 10, T.20N, R.9W., Warren Co., IN Hole C-18, Public Service Co. of Indiana, Sec. 32, T.17N., R.9W., Cayuga, Vermillion Co., IN Hole C-19, Public Service Co. of Indiana, Sec. 32, T.17N. R.9W., Cayuga, Vermillion Co., IN Seegers Farm No. 1, Nat'l. Assoc, of Petroleum, Sec. 2, T.9N., R.7E., Cumberland Co., IL Wiyatt Farm No. 1, Texas Co., Sec. 6, T.7N, R.10E., Jasper Co., IL NW NW, Sec. 13, T.5N., R.5W., Daviess Co., IN Schafer Farm No. 1, Kabana Co., NE NE SW, Sec. 27, T.2N., R.12W., Lawrence Co., IL Nunn No. 1, Pure Oil Co., Sec. 17, T.1S., R.8E., Wayne Co., IL Table 1 Continued. Sample Maceration site number Coal Thick- Abundance* ness (cm) of algae Location 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 1893B 1894Ec 1123F, 1709, 1715 1054A 1061 1062 2897 2980 2611 3059 2695 1978 Delwood 91.4 New Burnside 30.5 Delwood 8.9 New Burnside 30.5 Delwood 24.8 Delwood ? Delwood ? New Burnside ? unnamed ? Bell ? Bell ? Reynoldsburg 78.7 Reynoldsburg 30.5 common rare rare rare rare common rare abundant rare rare rare abundant rare 1833B Delwood 5 rare 2959 Reynoldsburg 7 rare 2927 Delwood 12.7 rare 2837B" Delwood 12.7 abundant 2837A Delwood 25.4 rare 2994A Delwood 45.7 rare B.L. Patrick No. 1, Robinson-Packett Inc., SW NW, Sec. 14, T.5S., R.10E., White Co., IL Markham Hole 7A, Old Ben Coal Co., Sec. 1, T.6S., R.2E., Franklin Co., IL Hole 178, Bransford Co., SW cor. NW, Sec. 1, T.8S., R.7E., Saline Co. IL SW SE NW, Sec. 30, T.10S., R.4E., Williamson Co., IL NE SE SW, Sec. 5, T.11S., R.4E., Johnson Co., IL NW SE SW, Sec. 3, T.11S., R.4E., Johnson Co., IL SW NW SW, Sec. 3, T.11S., R.4E., Johnson Co., IL NE NW NW SE, Sec. 8, T.11S., R.4E., Johnson Co., IL SW NW SE NE, Sec. 21, T.11S., R.3E., Johnson Co., IL NE SW SW, Sec. 17, T.11S., R.4E., Johnson Co., IL S. of Center NE, Sec. 26, T.11S., R.2E., Johnson Co., IL NE SE SW, Sec. 27, T.11S., R.4E., Johnson Co., IL Center NW, Sec. 35, T.11S., R.4E., Johnson Co., IL SW NW NE, Sec. 4, T.11S., R.6E., Pope Co., IL 2,200' from N. line, 1,800' from W. line, Sec. 32, T.11S., R.6E., Pope Co., IL NE SE NW, Sec. 2, T.11S., R.6E., Pope Co., IL NE cor. SE NW, Sec. 27, T.10S., R.6E., Saline Co., IL Hole No. H-l, ISGS, 1,400' from S. line, 2,300' from E. line, Sec. 20, T.10S., R.6E., Saline Co., IL Table 1 Continued. Sample Maceration site number Coal Thick- Abundance* ness (cm) of algae Location 35 36 37 38 39 40 1958D* 1958C 25671 2186 2175C 1799 1869 Lewisport Lewisport Delwood 3.2 3.2 30 Lewisport 122 Lewisport 35.6 Dawson Spr 50.8 Dunbar abundant abundant rare rare rare rare rare 41 2180B" Bancroft? 45.7 rare 2180A Lewisport 22.9 abundant 42 1540 Breckinridge 1 abundant 43 2205 Mariah Hill 35.6 common 23,000' from N. line, 11,900' from W. line, DeKoven Quad., Union Co., KY Hole Gil 15, KY Geol. Surv., Carter Coor. 5-M-18, 2,100' from W. line, 1,950' from S. line, Dekoven Quad., Union Co., KY Black Gold Mine, 300' from N. line, 1,500' from E. line, Carter Coor. 16- H-24, Christian Co., KY Whittington Mine, 3,000' from N. line, 1,600' from E. line, Carter Coor. 21-H-24, Christian Co., KY % mile NE Mining City, elbow of Green River, Dunmore Quad., Butler Co., KY 2,000' from S. line, 1,900', from E. line, Carter Coor. 13-1-34, Butler Co., KY Green River Parkway, 16,000' from W. line, 18,500' from S. line, Horton Quad., Ohio Co., KY 5 miles S. of Cloverport, Breckinridge Co., KY NW SE NW, Sec. 20, T.6S., R.4W., Spencer Co., IN Number of specimens of Botryococcus per slide rare: less than 1 to 10; common: 11 to 60; abundant: more than 60 Overlies the sample listed immediately below (at the same site) EUR. MID CON. NORTHERN ILLINOIS SOUTHERN ILLINOIS WESTERN KENTUCKY INDIANA BED OR MEMBER BED OR MEMBER BED OR MEMBER BED OR MEMBER O CD co LU Millersville Ls Carthage Ls Chapel (No. 8) C West Franklin Ls Danville (No. 7) C Herrin (No. 6) C Springfield (No. 5) C Colchester (No. 2) C Brush C* Hermon C* Rock Island (No. Pope Creek C Tarter C* Manley C 1)C Woodbury Ls Calhoun C Millersville Ls Flat Creek C Carthage Ls Womac C Chapel (No. 8) C West Franklin Ls Danville (No. 7) C co Springfield (No. 5) C Houchin Creek (No.4)C Survant C Colchester (No. 2) C Murphysboro C New Burnside C* Delwood C* Lewisport C* Oldtown C Willis C Tarter C unnamed C* Bell C* Reynoldsburg C* Pounds Ss Gentry C Battery Rock Ss UJ Sulfur Springs C Carthage Ls West Franklin Ls Herrin C Springfield C Houchin Creek C Survant C Colchester C Davis C Bancroft C ?* Lewisport C* Empire C Ice House C Dunbar C* Smith C Bell C, Breckinridge C* Bee Springs Ss Main Nolan C Kyrock Ss w LU Livingston Ls Carthage Ls Parker C Ditney C West Franklin Ls Danville C Springfield C Houchin Creek C Survant C Colchester C Seelyville C unnamed C* Buffaloville C* Minshall C Upper Block C Lower Block C* Mariah Hill C* Blue Creek C St. Meinrad C* French Lick C * contains Botryococcus PETE. = PETERSBURG DUG. = DUGGER S. = SHELBURN LINT. = LINTON BRZ. = BRAZIL Figure 3 Stratigraphic and geographic occurrences of Botryococcus in the Illinois Basin. The alga has been found in uppermost Morrowan to lower Desmoinesian coal beds. borne by small lycopods, make up most of the remain- ing spore assemblage in maceration 3059. Maceration 2247B (site 14), which contains rare specimens of Botryococcus, is from the upper of two coal beds in Daviess County, Indiana, which Guennel (sam- ple site 58a, 1958) reported as the Upper Block Coal Member. Hutchison (1971) mapped the coal as an un- named coal in the Mansfield Formation. Spore analysis of the coal indicates that it is probably equivalent to the St. Meinrad Coal Member, which is in the Mansfield Formation. Its spore assemblage is diverse, but 97% of the spores are Lycospora. Unnamed Coal Bed (Illinois) The coaly shale that crops out just above a pebbly sandstone at site 25 (table 1) is probably early Atokan in age and a little younger than the Bell Coal. The coal contains rare specimens of Botryococcus, and its spore assemblage is greatly dominated (88.5%) by Lycospora. Mariah Hill Coal Member (Indiana) and Dunbar Coal Bed (Kentucky) Algae are common at site 43 of the Mariah Hill Coal Member in Spencer County, Indiana, along the bluff of the Ohio River (table 1, fig. 2). The location is the same as sample site No. 943-1, 2 of Cooper (1946) and site 30 of Shaver and Smith (1974), who studied ostracodes from overlying shale just below the Ferdinand Lime- stone (now part of the Lead Creek Limestone Member). The Dunbar coal bed in Kentucky, which correlates to the Mariah Hill Coal, contains only rare specimens of Botryococcus at site 40, about 1 mile southwest of Mor- gantown. Both samples are dominated by Lycospora. Radiizonates difformis and R. rotatus, both borne by her- baceous lycopods, are fairly common. Tarter Coal Member (Illinois) and Lower Block Coal Member (Indiana) Kosanke (1951) described a boghead coal in the upper few centimeters of the Tarter Coal Member at site 7 in Fulton County. He reported about 33% algae and 24% anthraxylon (vitrinite) on the basis of his study of thin sections. Botryococcus was not observed in the coal below the top few centimeters (maceration 1923). Boghead algae are common in the Tarter Coal at site 8, the type section of the coal, which is only about 2.4 km southeast of the coal at site 7. Maceration 2278C (site 5), which contains rare specimens of Botryococcus, is also from Fulton County and represents the Tarter Coal where it is only 10.2 cm thick. Maceration 1973 of a 12.7-cm-thick previously unnamed coal, which contains rare speci- mens of Botryococcus, is from a core drilled at site 11 near Cayuga, Vermillion County, Indiana. The great abundance of Lycospora (72.5%) and the presence of Zoster osporites, Endosporites zonalis, and Radiizonates dif- formis indicate that this coal is equivalent to the Lower Block Coal. Hermon Coal Member (Illinois) Algae are rare in the Hermon Coal Member, which is 1.5 m above the Seville Limestone Member at site 4 in Warren County, Illinois. The spore assemblage is di- verse and mostly composed of fern and sphenopsid spores and only 1% Lycospora. Botryococcus is also rare at site 1 (Rock Island County), where the coal is about 0.6 m above the Rock Island (No. 1) Coal Member. Brush Coal Member (Illinois) Botryococcus is very abundant in the Brush Coal Mem- ber at site 2 in Warren County. The coal is only 3.8 cm thick and about 0.9 m above the Hermon Coal (fig. 3). Because the spore assemblage in maceration 1865 is very poorly preserved, composition of the coal swamp flora could not be determined. Botryococcus is very rare in the Brush Coal at site 3 in Knox County. The spore assemblage is dominated by Lycospora (52%), but fern spores (36%) are well represented. The alga is also rare in a core sample of the coal at site 6 in Fulton County. The spore assemblage in the coal, which is only 12.7 cm thick, is greatly dominated by Lycospora (75%). Buffaloville Coal Member (Indiana) and Lewisport Coal Bed (Kentucky) A coal about 10.2 cm thick from a core drilled at site 10 near Cayuga, Indiana, is tentatively correlated with the Buffaloville Coal Member. Algae are rare in the coal that is dominated by Lycospora (52%). Botryococcus is also rare in three samples of the Lewisport coal in Ken- tucky, which correlates with the Buffaloville Coal. In maceration 1799 of the coal near Mining City, Lycospora makes up 45% of the spore assemblage, and fern spores account for 26%. Botryococcus is rare in the Lewisport coal at sites 37 and 38. The coal in the Black Gold Mine at site 37 in Christian County contains more fern spores (46.5%) than Lycospora (21%). Fern spores account for half the spore assemblage in the coal from the high wall of the Whittington Mine at site 38. Algae are very abundant in the Lewisport coal at sites 35 and 41 in Union and Ohio Counties. The under- clay and overlying shale at site 35 also contain Botryo- coccus and will be discussed later. Maceration 2180A from the 23-cm-thick Lewisport coal at site 41 is domi- nated by spores produced by lycopods: 32.5% Lycospora and 20% Granasporites medius (fig. 4). Bancroft?) Coal Bed (Kentucky) Botryococcus is rare in a coal tentatively correlated with the Bancroft coal bed. The coal (maceration 2180B) at site 41 is overlain by cherty limestone and is about 3 m above the Lewisport coal, which contains abundant algae. Delwood Coal Bed (Illinois) and Equivalent Coal in Kentucky Botryococcus was observed in the Delwood Coal Bed and equivalent coals at 14 sites (table 1). It is abundant CO LU < Q CC o o CO q CO CL o Z LU I Q. 05 CO CC LU •dds sduuuou ddS BJOdSOLUBIBQ saiuodsoieSjAaei a6jB| SUJ31 J3L)|0 dds sa}ui\nbij± 1 _l 1 1 1) 5 -C ■.. 3 r- c a •^ T) LQ C >, n / -Lj u r: a 4_» y, e O E 01 >> e t/> 3 II o U 0 a. c tn 0 Tr c i/i ; ) a, g a LT, O '_-. x (/) -n u c CO snsoqoiB saiuodsoieBiAae-i SpodO0A| J3L)10 snipauj saiuodseuBJO J L CO Q O Q. o o > dds ejodsooA-i cu ;j o w a. 3 05 ^§ 88 O o5 CQ.E o CD a. ca aidaies in Oo mo d m "VTTTTT1 ID thick- bedded ray shale thin- bedded ray shale >. o O) >>_CD CO CO O.C O 0) o « CD C 2 5 " c be 3 .5 T3 >* C ~ 2 01 JO 73 <0 J <0 -a v c ~~ bC « •Is a; g O^ (0 « 5 .2 8 3 is 0 = 5 ^■bC £ .5 CU 1 >*.£ a. > -a ■£ ° «- 2 * a.- « en 5 C °8^ CJS Q. ^3 „, w 3 ■£ c n .5 r a< - So •- ns U. jO T3 ^ "aJ — OS 3 JO 3 C 60 £ J E.2 £ 10 at one site and common at two. Lycospora is very abun- dant in the Delwood Coal and commonly makes up more than two-thirds of the spore assemblage. Rare specimens of Botryococcus were observed in the carbo- naceous shale band in the Delwood Coal at site 30, which is less than 2.6 km from its type section at NW NW, Sec. 3, T.11S., R.6E., Pope County. The coal at site 32, also about 2.6 km from the type section, contains rare speciments of Botryococcus. The geologic map of the Eddyville Quadrangle (Nelson and Lumm 1990) places the coal at site 32 in the lower part of the Abbott Formation (now called the Tradewater Formation). Palynological evidence, how- ever, would place the coal in the upper part of the Tradewater Formation because the most abundant Ly- cospora is L. granulata rather than L. pellucida (Peppers 1996) and Laevigatosporites globosus is common. It also contains Vestispora clara, V. fenestrata, V. ivanlessii, Camptotriletes confertus, Triquitrites pulvinatus, and T. sculptilis, which do not appear until the middle part of the Tradewater. This disagreement between the mapped and palynological age of the coal cannot be resolved until more samples are obtained. The Delwood Coal from diamond-drilled cores at sites 19 and 34 in Saline County contains rare specimens of Botryococcus. Maceration 1123 F2 is from the middle 8.9 cm of the 42-cm-thick coal, and the coal of macera- tion 2994A is 45.7 cm thick. At site 33 in Saline County, the upper part of the coal contains abundant Botryococ- cus. Lycospora accounts for 57% of the spore assemblage, and Laevigatosporites is second in abundance at 24%. In Johnson County, Botryococcus is rare in the Del- wood Coal at sites 21 and 23. Maceration 1054A at site 21 represents the top 24.8 cm of a 49-cm-thick coal. The coal at site 23 is less than 0.8 km from the coal at site 22, in which Botryococcus is common. The spore assem- blage at site 22 is greatly dominated by Lycospora at 85%. Some of the samples of the Delwood Coal are from rotary-drill cuttings of coal that extends into the deeper parts of the Illinois Basin. Algae are rare in the coal at sites 12, 13, 15, and 16 in Cumberland, Jasper, Lawrence, and Wayne Counties. Botryococcus is common in the Delwood Coal at site 17 in White County, where Lycos- pora accounts for 68.5% of the spore assemblage, and fern spores account for 27.5% (table 2). Botryococcus is rare in a coal correlated with the Delwood Coal at 322.2 to 323.2 ft in Western Kentucky Test Hole Gil 15 (Williams et al. 1982) at site 36 in Union County, Kentucky. New Burnside Coal Bed (Illinois) The New Burnside Coal Bed is generally 4.6 to 7.6 m above the Delwood Coal Bed. Botryococcus is rare in the 30.5-cm-thick canneloid coal at sample site 20. The spore assemblage contains an unusually large abun- dance (23%) of Endosporites globiformis, which was pro- duced by lycopods of small stature. Endosporites seldom accounts for more than 10% of spore assemblages in Lower and Middle Pennsylvanian coal beds. A coal from a diamond-drilled core at site 18 that contains rare specimens of Botryococcus correlates with the New Burnside Coal. Botryococcus is abundant in maceration 2897 of a core sample from site 24 in Johnson County, but the spores are poorly preserved. The drill hole is about 2.6 km west of the town of New Burnside, and the New Burnside Coal is about 15.3 m below the Mur- physboro Coal Member. Unnamed Coal (Indiana) Equivalent to the Murphysboro Coal Member (Illinois) A coal correlated with the Murphysboro Coal Member at site 9 in Warren County, Indiana, contains occasional specimens of Botryococcus. This coal also contains coal balls near Cayuga in Fountain County, Indiana (Phil- lips 1980). ALGAL AND SPORE ABUNDANCE IN THE LEWISPORT COAL BED AND OVERLYING AND UNDERLYING STRATA IN UNION COUNTY , KENTUCKY Strata above and below the Lewisport coal bed at site 35 were sampled to leam whether abundance of Botryococcus is related to composition of spore assemblages (fig. 5). The Lewisport coal is poorly exposed on the southwest slope of Indian Hill in Union County, Kentucky. It is only 6.4 cm thick and divided into upper and lower benches. Only the top 33 cm of underclay is exposed. Above the coal lies 8.3 cm of black coaly shale, then 2.5 cm of dark gray shale with limonite nodules, 2 cm black coaly shale, and finally 17.5 cm of medium gray shale. Estimated Botryococcus abundance was obtained by counting the number of algal colonies or parts of colo- nies in proportion to 300 spores, regardless of whether the spore was well enough preserved to be identified. Botryococcus was rare during deposition of clay that formed the seat earth for the Lewisport peat swamp, but it increased slightly in abundance during the later stage of development (fig. 5, maceration 1958B). It dou- bled in abundance during deposition of the bottom half of the peat, became very abundant in the upper half, and reached its peak abundance in the muddy peat overlying the peat bed. Botryococcus was still abundant but diminished somewhat toward the later part of deposition of carbonaceous mud. Algal abundance abruptly decreased at the beginning of deposition of less carbonaceous mud (gray shale with limonitic nod- ules) and continued to decline through the rest of the sampled sequence and into deposition of an upper thin peaty mud (maceration 1958H). There is a good correlation between abundance of Botryococcus and Lycospora, borne by Lepidophloios and other lycopod trees. From the top of the underclay to the bottom half of the peat bed, Lycospora gradually triples in abundance while Botryococcus doubles in 11 Table 2 Palynology of selected coal samples in which Botryococcus is common or abundant. Numbers are percentage of species in the assemblage, and X indicates species is present in maceration but was not observed during abundance count. Mariah Hill 2205 Tarter 2066 Delwood Lewisport 2180A Lower Delwood 2837A* Upper Delwood Spore taxa 1893B 1061 2837B Deltoidospora levis D. priddyi Punctatisporites flavus P. minutus X X 2.0 X X X 0.5 0.5 Calamospora breviradiata C. hartungiana C. straminea 1.5 1.0 0.5 X 1.5 X 0.5 1.5 Granulatisporites adnatoides G. granulans G. granulatus G. pallidus G. verrucosus G. spp. 1.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 X 1.0 1.0 0.5 1.0 Cyclogranisporites aureus C. microgranus C. minutus 0.5 X 3.0 X X X X 0.5 X 0.5 0.5 X 0.5 Verrucosisporites microtuberosus V. sifati V. verrucosus V. cf. verrucosus V. spp. 1.5 X 0.5 X X X X X X X Kewaneesporites patulus X Lophotriletes commissuralis L. copiosus L. microsaetosus 1.5 0.5 X X 1.0 L. mosaicus L. pseudaculeatus L. rarispinosus X 0.5 X Anapiculatisporites minor A. spinosus X X X 0.5 Apiculatasporitesspinososaetosis A. spinulistratus A. sp. X X 0.5 X Planisporites granifer Pilosisporites sp. Raistrickia breveminens R. crocea Spackmanites habibii X 0.5 X 0.5 X X X 1.0 X X X Convolutispora florida C. sp. X 0.5 X 12 Table 2 Continued. Mariah Hill 2205 Tarter 2066 Delwood Lewisport 2180A Lower Delwood 2837A* Upper Delwood Spore taxa 1893B 1061 2837B Microreticulatisporites concavus M. Jiarrisonii M. nobilis M. sitlcatus X 0.5 0.5 X Dictyotriletes bireticulatus Camptotriletes confertus 0.5 Triquitrites additus X T. bransonii 0.5 X 1.0 0.5 1.0 3.0 T. exigiuts X X X 0.5 T. minutus X T. pulvinatus X X T. sculptilis 3.0 X 0.5 0.5 T. spp. 0.5 Reinschospora magnified X X R. triangularis X Knoxisporites stephanephorus X X X Reticidatisporites X mediareticulatus R. polygonalis X R. reticulatus 1.5 X R. reticulocingidum X Crassispora kosankei X 0.5 2.5 0.3 1.0 X Granasporites medius 4.5 X 7.0 20.0 X Murospora kosankei X X Densosporites annulatus X D. sphaerotriangularis 0.5 X X Lycospora granulata 44.5 48.0 9.5 59.3 23.0 25.0 45.0 L. micropapillata 0.5 0.7 2.0 0.5 L. orbicula 0.5 L. pellucida 1.0 X 48.0 24.3 5.5 34.0 2.5 L pusilla 0.5 15.0 1.5 18.5 9.5 L. rotunda 1.0 0.5 0.5 X 0.5 X Lsubjuga 0.5 Cristatisporites indignabundus X Cirratriradites maculatus X X C. sp. X X Radiizonates difformis X R. rotatus 5.5 X Endosporites globiformis X X 2.3 9.0 0.5 6.0 E. plicatus X E. zonalis X 13 Table 2 Continued. Marian Lower Upper Hill 2205 Tarter 2066 Delwood Lewisport 2180A Delwood 2837A* Delwood Spore taxa 1893B 1061 2837B Alatisporites hexalatus X A. hoffmeisterii X A. pustulatus X X A. trialatus X Hymenospora multirugosa X Laeviga tosporites desmoinesensis 3.5 1.0 X 6.5 14.5 L. globosus 3.0 16.0 1.0 1.0 27.5 2.5 4.0 L. medius X X 1.0 L. ovalis 16.5 4.0 3.5 4.0 3.0 1.0 5.5 L. punctatus 9.0 L. striatus X L. vulgaris 0.5 X X X L. sp. X Punctatosporites minutus 0.5 2.5 2.0 4.0 0.5 5.5 4.5 Spinosporites exiguus 0.5 Thymospora pseudothiessenii X Torispora securis 3.5 X X X X Vestispora clara X X V. costata X V.fenestrata X 0.5 0.3 0.5 X X V. laevigata X V. pseudoreticulata X X V. zvanlessii X Florinites mediapudens 2.0 1.5 4.0 0.3 0.5 F. millotti 0.7 X F. similis X X F. volans X X Wilsonites circularis X X W. delicatus X 0.5 W. vesicatus 1.0 0.5 X Trihyphaecites triangidatus X *Although Botryococcus is rare in the lower part of the coal (maceration 2837A), it is common in the upper part (maceration 2837B). 14 10% o o LYCOPODS FERNS to 03 £ « o si 03 <0 Q. o 11 °> m °> o £ =j c F3 O i- «_ 3 -k_ <0 Q-sP m (0 en 3 03 tO^ -Q O L/nc/ CD E iS01