Petrology and chemistry of sized Pennsylvania anthracite, with emphasis on the distribution of rare earth elements

Sized samples of anthracite were obtained from three preparation plants (breakers), several beneficiating multiple coals, in the Pennsylvania Anthracite Fields. Vitrinite reflectance spans 5.07% Rmax (anthracite, approaching meta-anthracite) in the east to 2.36% Rmax (semi-anthracite) in the west. Maceral distributions do not show the size partitioning observed in many bituminous coals. All sites showed distinct Gd anomalies, possibly a function of hydrothermal metamorphism of the coals. The rare earth distribution pattern (L-, M-, and H-type) within the products from each breaker are similar. Principal components analysis confirmed an observation from the latter assessment that coals from the same breaker tend to cluster together, but distinct from the clusters of the other breakers.