COAL BALLS IN LOWER MIDDLE PENNSYLVANIAN STRATA OF EASTERN KENTUCKY:
OCCURRENCES AND PEAT COMPOSITION
PHILLIPS, Tom L., Department of Botany, University of Illinois,
Urbana, Illinois 61801
CHESNUT, Donald R. , Kentucky Geological Survey, Corbin, Kentucky
40701

The oldest coal balls known in North America occur in the Breathitt Formation which contains 
most of the identified coal reserves of eastern Kentucky. The Upper Path Fork and Copland 
coals are overlain by marine zones, correlated respectively with the Campbells Creek Limestone 
and about 425 m higher with the Magoffin Member. Newly discovered coal balls from the Upper 
Path Fork coal in the lower part of the Breathitt in Harlan County include some mixed and faunal 
specimens; fecal pellets are abundant and shark denticles are present.
	Lepidophloios hallii (Lepidocarpon lomaxii, Lepidostrobus oldhamius) and Cordaites 
(Mitrospermum compressum, Amyelon radicans)   contributed >90% of the peat in about equal 
amounts and apparently in separate vegetational sequences in the Upper Path Fork coal. 
Lepidophloios hallii is a pioneer species usually indicative of prolonged standing water 
conditions. The cordaites suggest moderate saline influence. Paralycopodites brevifolius 
(Lepidostrobus schopfii) probably dominated the peats of the Copland coal and is indicative 
of drier swamp conditions. Other genera known from both coals and with stratigraphic ranges 
extending at least from the lower Westphalian A of Europe into the Desmoinesian of the Interior 
Coal Province include Anachoropteris, Botryopteris, Etapteris, Tubicaulis, Calamites, 
Spehnophyllum, Paralycopodites, Polysporia, and Heterangium. Psaronius and Medullosa are 
more abundant in the Upper Path Fork. Paralycopodites is abundant in few coals such as the 
Secor of Oklahoma and the Katharina of the Ruhr. Lepidophloios-  dominated swamps are 
common in the Lower and Middle Pennsylvanian with the cordaitean interval from the Katharina 
(Westphalian A/B) to the Iron Post-Summum coals (middle Desmoinesian).