Organic Petrology: An Overview

Abstract

This chapter is an overview focused on organic petrology (including coal petrology), its fundamental concepts, the analytical techniques and the main current applications. This paper provides a general picture of organic petrology and the significant role it plays in contributing to scientific knowledge. Organic petrology is a subject of broad scope that started out as coal petrology for coal research (coal exploration and utilization). This discipline dates back to the end of the 19th century. The two basic concepts of the organic petrology, composition and rank/maturation of organic matter and the undeniable economic interest shown in fossil fuels have extended its application to the field of hydrocarbon resources. In the last few decades, due to its high versatility, the organic petrology has been increasingly branching out into other fields of studies such as coal fires, environmental impacts, archaeology and provenance of organic artifacts, and forensics. Consequently a great deal of research has been carried out in both, fundamental and applied organic petrology as it is reflected in hundreds of published papers, and monographs.