The Notio Pedio (Southern field) lignite deposit in the Ptolemaida Basin, Greece: Depositional conditions as revealed through petrography

This study is about the coal petrography of the lignite deposit of Notio Pedio ( Southern field) in the central part of the Ptolemaida Basin. The sediments in the basin are mainly Neogene in age, surrounded by Palaeozoic and Mesozoic rocks. Fourteen samples, taken from a representative corehole, were analyzed for maceral composition. Huminite macerals are dominant ( 69.0 - 91.9%), with humotelinite present in high concentrations ( 40.1 - 48.6%). In those samples that originated from the lower lignite beds, humotelinite content decreases to 16.3 - 34.6%. Humodetrinite ranges from 20.3- 66.0% and is particularly abundant in the lower beds. Liptinite and inertinite macerals are present in small quantities. Based on the indices GWI, VI, GI, and TPI that are indicative of nutrient supply, groundwater level, preservation of plant tissue material and wetness, it was concluded that the paleoenvironment that hosted the peat deposit was mainly limnic and intensely rheotrophic.