Editing Coal (section)

===Macerals===
Macerals are coalified plant parts that retain the morphology and some properties of the original plant. In many coals, individual macerals can be identified visually. Some macerals include:<ref name= KO/>
* vitrinite, derived from woody parts
* lipinite, derived from spores and algae
* inertite, derived from woody parts that had been burnt in prehistoric times
* huminite, a precursor to vitrinite.
In coalification huminite is replaced by vitreous (shiny) ''vitrinite''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sub-Bituminous Coal |url=http://www.uky.edu/KGS/coal/coal-sub.php |website=Kentucky Geological Survey |publisher=University of Kentucky |access-date=29 November 2020}}</ref> Maturation of bituminous coal is characterized by ''bitumenization'', in which part of the coal is converted to [[bitumen]], a hydrocarbon-rich gel.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bituminous Coal |url=http://www.uky.edu/KGS/coal/coal-bituminous.php |website=Kentucky Geological Survey |publisher=University of Kentucky |access-date=29 November 2020}}</ref> Maturation to anthracite is characterized by ''debitumenization'' (from demethanation) and the increasing tendency of the anthracite to break with a [[conchoidal fracture]], similar to the way thick glass breaks.<ref>{{cite web |title=Anthracitic Coal |url=http://www.uky.edu/KGS/coal/coal-anthracite.php |website=Kentucky Geological Survey |publisher=University of Kentucky |access-date=29 November 2020}}</ref>

{{anchor|Ranks}}