Coal measure - Citizendia

The Coal Measures is a lithostratigraphical term used mainly in the British Isles for the coal-bearing part of the Upper Carboniferous System. Lithostratigraphy is a sub-dicipline of Stratigraphy, the geological Science associated with the study of strata or rock layers The British Isles (Irish variously Na hOileáin Bhriotanacha, Oileáin Iarthair Eorpa, Éire agus an Bhreatain Mhór; Ellanyn Goaldagh Eileanan The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian period about 359 It represents the remains of fluvio-deltaic sediment, and consists mainly of clastic rocks (claystones, shales, siltstones, sandstones, conglomerates) interstratified with the beds of coal. Claystone (ˈkleɪstoʊn is a geological term used to describe a Sedimentary rock that is composed primarily of Clay -sized particles (less than 1/256 Millimetre Shale (also called mudstone) is a fine-grained Sedimentary rock whose original constituents were Clay minerals or Muds It is characterized by Siltstone is a Sedimentary rock which has a composition intermediate in grain size between the coarser Sandstones and the finer Mudstones and Sandstone is a Sedimentary rock composed mainly of Sand -size Mineral or rock grains. A conglomerate (kɒnˈglɒmərət is a rock consisting of individual stones that have become cemented together In most places, the Coal Measures are underlain by coarser clastic sequences known as Millstone Grit, of Namurian age. The top of the Coal Measures may be marked by a non-sequence, the overlying rocks being Permian or later in age. The Permian is a geologic period and system that extends from 299 In some parts of Britain, however, the Coal Measures grade up into mainly coal-barren red-beds of late Westphalian and possibly Stephanian age. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands . ^[1] ^[2]

The Coal Measures formed during Westphalian and earliest Stephanian times in the European ('Heerlen') chronostratigraphical scheme (which is approximately equivalent to the Middle Pennsylvanian Series of the IUGS global chronostratigraphical scheme). Chronostratigraphy is the branch of Stratigraphy that studies the age of rock strata in relation to Time. The Pennsylvanian is a subperiod of the Carboniferous period lasting from roughly to Ma (million years ago The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS is an international Non-governmental organization devoted to international cooperation in the field of Geology

The term coal measures has also historically been used in other parts of the world for coal-bearing successions of various ages, e. g. the Permian coal measures of Australia and the late Cretaceous and early Tertiary coal measures found in New Zealand. The Permian is a geologic period and system that extends from 299 For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The Cretaceous (kriːˈteɪʃəs, usually abbreviated 'K' for its German translation "Kreide" is a geologic period and system, reaching from the end of The chuprichondira geological time interval covers roughly the time span between the demise of the non- avian Dinosaurs and beginning of the most recent Ice Age, approximately New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island However, these useages are mostly informal.

References

^ Rayner, D H & Hemingway, J E, The Geology and Mineral Resources Of Yorkshire, Leeds: Yorkshire Geological Society (published 1974)
^ Edwards, W & Trotter, F M, The Pennines and Adjacent Areas (Third ed. Coal mining is the extraction or removal of Coal from the Earth by Mining. ), British Regional Geology, London: HMSO. Natural Environment Research Council (published 1954)

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