Suárez-Ruiz, and three co-authors, reported in 2012 that Organic petrology developed as coal petrology at the beginning of the 20th century dedicated mainly to the study of coals because of their utilization in industry. Coal petrology was then considered a branch of coal science. Later, with the development of specialized nomenclature, classification of coal components, and the standardization and improvement of analytical (microscopical) methods, this discipline expanded in interests and name, becoming organic petrology. Organic petrology carries a broader context, being as well a tool applied in the study of dispersed organic matter in sedimentary rocks due to its importance in exploration for fossil fuel resources.
At present, organic petrology is a discipline widely recognized for its role in fundamental and applied research with respect to both coal utilization and in geosciences. Throughout the 20th century several important monographs have been published on the discipline of organic petrology, including “Stach's textbook of coal petrology” (1st edition 1935, 2nd 1975, 3rd 1982), updated as the more general “Organic petrology” by Taylor et al. (1998). More recently, the text “Applied coal petrology: the role of petrology in coal utilization”was published by Suárez-Ruiz and Crelling (2008).
Organic petrology is a discipline of the Earth sciences that has remained a very active field of research since its inception, in which it was dedicated almost exclusively to the investigation of coal. The present review was intended to provide a general picture of organic petrology in relation to its various applications in the field of geosciences, emphasizing its contribution to both fundamental and applied scientific knowledge. The scope of organic petrology is broad but contains two fundamental concepts: investigations of organic matter type (and amount), and organic matter maturity, both of which have demonstrated to be versatile tools alone or within multidisciplinary investigations related to basin analysis and fossil fuel exploration. Consequently, a great deal of research has been conducted as demonstrated by the array of monographs, collected organic petrology research papers and conference proceedings, and thematic special volumes on varied topics. Much of that work have been cited here.
In the first part of this review, a synthesis of fundamental issues related to organic matter was presented. These are important for basin analysis and fossil fuel resources exploration, the main applications of organic petrology. Although the analytical technique most important to organic petrology is optical microscopy in reflected white light and fluorescence mode, palynofacies analysis (optical microscopy in transmitted light) also was included herein because of its complimentary nature and important role in the investigation of organic-rich rocks. Discussion of the applied aspects of organic petrology began with organic facies analysis to infer paleogeographic depositional environment, followed by geothermal interpretation. The role of organic petrology in fossil fuel resources exploration was addressed herein, including a summary of the most recent research.
The undeniable economic interest of fossil fuel exploitation has made organic petrology an extremely important discipline, not only in the development of geological knowledge related to such deposits but also in optimization of their use and in the implementation of advanced technologies that can enable their sustainable management. For these reasons, organic petrology studies will remain of prime importance in relation to the search for new oil and natural gas fields, such as in the recent development of shale gas. Indeed, these studies may become more important as explorationists are faced with increasing difficulties due to progressive exhaustion of the more easily discovered and produced resources.
The conjunction of organic petrography with other analytical techniques is of capital importance in making advances in the knowledge of organic matter and in addressing key questions and assessing evolving trends regarding the use of coal and other solid fuels. By understanding the physical processes and chemical reactions that occur during formation, exploration, and utilization of fuel resources, potential effects on the environment can be predicted and this review has demonstrated how organic petrology techniques contribute to this understanding Other disciplines may also profit by the information provided by organic petrology investigations and so benefit from interaction with this field, a topic developed in the second part of this review. In particular, the second part will focus on applications of organic petrology that are of increasing interest and importance to society including environmental issues and forensics, in addition to less commonly considered geological applications.
This review is the first in a two-part review series that describes and updates the role of organic petrology in geosciences. A second part complementing this
one and focused on the applications of organic petrology to other scientific fields will follow as Part 2.
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