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Vitrinite
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vitrinite is one of the primary components of coals and most sedimentary kerogens. Vitrinite is a type of maceral,
where "macerals" are organic components of coal analogous to the "minerals" of rocks. Vitrinite has a shiny appearance
resembling glass (vitreous). It is derived from the cell-wall material or woody tissue of the plants from which coal was
formed. Chemically, it is composed of polymers, cellulose and lignin.[1]

The vitrinite group, which consists of various individual vitrinite macerals, is the most common component of coals. It
is also abundant in kerogens that are derived from the same biogenic precursors as coals, namely land plants and humic
peats. Vitrinite forms diagenetically by the thermal alteration of lignin and cellulose in plant cell walls. It is therefore
common in sedimentary rocks that are rich in organic matter, such as shales and marls with a terrigenous origin, or
some terrigenous content. Conversely, carbonates, evaporites and well-sorted sandstones have very low vitrinite
contents. Vitrinite is absent in pre-Silurian rocks because land plants had not yet evolved.[2]

Vitrinite reflectance (VR)

The study of vitrinite reflectance (or VR) is a key method for identifying the maximum temperature history of
sediments in sedimentary basins. The reflectance of vitrinite was first studied by coal explorationists attempting to
diagnose the thermal maturity, or rank, of coal beds. More recently, its utility as a tool for the study of sedimentary
organic matter metamorphism from kerogens to hydrocarbons has been increasingly exploited. The key attraction of
vitrinite reflectance in this context is its sensitivity to temperature ranges that largely correspond to those of
hydrocarbon generation (i.e. 60 to 120°C). This means that, with a suitable calibration, vitrinite reflectance can be used
as an indicator of maturity in hydrocarbon source rocks. Generally, the onset of oil generation is correlated with a
reflectance of 0.5-0.6% and the termination of oil generation with reflectance of 0.85-1.1%. The onset of gas generation
('gas window') is typically associated with values of 1.0-1.3% and terminates around 3.0%. However these generation
windows vary between source rocks with different kerogen types (vitrinite is typically abundant in 'Type III' kerogen-
rich source rocks), so a conversion to 'Transformation Ratio' (TR) can be applied to create a kerogen-specific maturity
parameter. The vitrinite reflectance value represents the highest temperature that the vitrinite maceral (and source rock)
has experienced, and is routinely used in 1D burial modelling to identify geological unconformities in sedimentary
sections.

Typically vitrinite reflectance data is presented in units of %Ro, the measured percentage of reflected light from a
sample which is immersed in oil (%Ro = % reflectance in oil).

The lack of vitrinite macerals in marine shales with little terrestrial input often requires alternative maturity parameters
instead of vitrinite reflectance such as Rock-Eval Tmax, biomarker equivalences and other maceral reflectance
parameters (e.g. liptinite reflectance).

See also
■ Geology
■ Coal
■ Exinite
■ Basin modelling
■ Fossil fuels

References
1. ^ Dow, W.G., 1977, Kerogen studies and geological interpretations: Journal of geochemical exploration, v. 7, p. 79-99

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitrinite 22/09/2013
Vitrinite - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 2 of 2
2. ^ "What is Vitrinite?" (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~ucfbrxs/Vitrinite/VRnotes.pdf) University College London
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitrinite 22/09/2013