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Geochemical Controls on the Generation and Transformation of Carbon in...
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Geochemical Controls on the Generation and Transformation of Carbon in Rocks

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Geochemistry and Geochronology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 26 November 2025 | Viewed by 638

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Zixiao Guo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Geographical Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China
Interests: geobiology; nano-geochemistry; biosignatures; co-evolution of environment and life on early Earth
Prof. Dr. Glenn Stracher

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
East Georgia State College, University System of Georgia, Swainsboro, GA 30401, USA
Interests: thermodynamics; structural geology; mineralogy; petrology
Dr. Yu Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Emergency Management and Safety Engineering, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan 063210, China
Interests: coal chemistry; geochemistry; environmental mineralogy and biogeochemistry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Carbon-bearing rocks, such as carbonaceous shale, coal, carbonate and graphite-bearing metasedimentary rocks, play a pivotal role in the Earth’s geochemical cycles, which influence various processes; these include the deep carbon cycle, surface weathering, biomineralization, and climate change. These rocks form in a wide range of geological settings, from the high-pressure, high-temperature conditions in the Earth’s mantle to the low-temperature, near-surface environments in sedimentary basins. It is crucial to understand the geochemical factors that control the generation and transformation of carbon in these rocks in order to determine the complex interactions between the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere; this would have significant implications for the search of potential life and habitable environments on early Earth and beyond. This Special Issue aims to compile recent research on the formation, stability, and transformation of carbon in rocks under various geochemical conditions.

This Special Issue thus welcomes the submission of original contributions that explore the geochemical factors governing the generation and transformation of carbon in rocks, including but not limited to, the following: (1) the mineralogy and geochemistry of carbon-bearing rocks; (2) carbon isotope systematics in carbon-bearing rocks; (3) kinetic controls on the formation and growth of carbon-bearing rocks in Earth’s multi-sphere system; (4) biotic and abiotic processes in the generation and transformation of carbon in rocks; (5) the role of carbon-bearing minerals in deep-surface carbon cycling and climate change on Earth; (6) mineral phase transformations and carbon sequestration during carbon storage processes; (7) mineral evolution and environmental geochemical responses in coal and organic matter systems; and (8) advances in analytical techniques for the in situ and high-resolution analysis of carbon-bearing rocks.

Dr. Zixiao Guo
Prof. Dr. Glenn Stracher
Dr. Yu Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • metasedimentary rocks
  • coal including coal fires
  • carbonaceous shale
  • carbonate
  • carbon isotope systematics
  • origin and evolution of life
  • global carbon cycling

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 2031 KiB  
Article
Geochemical Characteristics and Paleoenvironmental Significance of the Xishanyao Formation Coal from the Xiheishan Mining Area, Zhundong Coalfield, Xinjiang, China
by Yongjie Hou, Kaixuan Zhang, Xiangcheng Jin, Yongjia Xu, Xiaotao Xu and Xiaoyun Yan
Minerals 2025, 15(7), 686; https://doi.org/10.3390/min15070686 (registering DOI) - 27 Jun 2025
Abstract
The eastern Junggar Basin in Xinjiang, China is a key coal-bearing region dominated by the Middle Jurassic Xishanyao Formation. Despite its significance as a major coal resource base, detailed paleoenvironmental reconstructions of its coal seams remain limited. This study investigates the B1 [...] Read more.
The eastern Junggar Basin in Xinjiang, China is a key coal-bearing region dominated by the Middle Jurassic Xishanyao Formation. Despite its significance as a major coal resource base, detailed paleoenvironmental reconstructions of its coal seams remain limited. This study investigates the B1, B2, B3, and B5 coal seams of the Xishanyao Formation using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to assess geochemical indicators of the depositional environment during coal formation. The results show that the coal samples are characterized by high inertinite content and low vitrinite reflectance, indicative of low-rank coal. Slight enrichment of strontium (Sr) was observed in the B1, B2, and B5 seams, while cobalt (Co) showed minor enrichment in B3. Redox-sensitive elemental ratios (Ni/Co, V/Cr, and Mo) suggest that the peat-forming environment ranged from oxidizing to dysoxic conditions, with relatively high oxygen availability and strong hydrodynamic activity. A vertical trend of increasing paleosalinity and a shift from warm–humid to dry–hot paleoclimatic conditions was identified from the lower (B1) to upper (B5) coal seams. Additionally, the estimated atmospheric oxygen concentration during the Middle Jurassic was approximately 28.4%, well above the threshold for wildfire combustion. These findings provide new insights into the paleoenvironmental evolution of the Xishanyao Formation and offer a valuable geochemical framework for coal exploration and the assessment of coal-associated mineral resources in the eastern Junggar Basin. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geochemical Controls on the Generation and Transformation of Carbon in Rocks)
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14 pages, 7293 KiB  
Article
The Genetic Mechanism and Geological Significance of Calcite in Buried-Hill Karstic Reservoirs: A Case Study of the Lower Paleozoic Carbonate Reservoirs in the Bohai Sea
by Xiuzhang Song, Tongyao Zhang, Peng Hao, Yahao Huang, Yinjun He and Chunyan Zang
Minerals 2025, 15(5), 508; https://doi.org/10.3390/min15050508 - 11 May 2025
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Abstract
Calcite in hydrocarbon reservoirs records abundant information about diagenetic fluids and environments. Understanding the formation mechanisms of calcite is crucial for predicting reservoir characteristics and hydrocarbon migration. This study identifies the types of authigenic calcite present in the Lower Paleozoic carbonate reservoirs of [...] Read more.
Calcite in hydrocarbon reservoirs records abundant information about diagenetic fluids and environments. Understanding the formation mechanisms of calcite is crucial for predicting reservoir characteristics and hydrocarbon migration. This study identifies the types of authigenic calcite present in the Lower Paleozoic carbonate reservoirs of the Bohai Bay Basin through petrographic analysis, cathodoluminescence, and other experimental methods. By integrating electron probe microanalysis, in situ isotopic analysis, and fluid inclusion studies, we further constrain the source of the diagenetic fluids responsible for the authigenic calcite. The results show that there are at least three types of authigenic calcite in the Lower Paleozoic carbonate reservoirs of the Bohai Sea. Calcite cemented in the syn-depositional-to-early-diagenetic stage displays very weak cathodoluminescence, with δ13C and δ18O and paleo-salinity distributions similar to those of micritic calcite. These features suggest that the calcite was formed during burial heating by sedimentary fluids. Calcite filling fractures shows heterogeneous cathodoluminescence intensity, ranging from weak to strong, indicating multiple stages of cementation. The broad elemental variation and multiple cementation events suggest that the diagenetic fluid sources were diverse. Isotopic data show that samples with carbon isotope values greater than −2.9‰ likely formed through water–rock interaction with fluids retained within the strata, whereas samples exhibiting more negative δ13C were formed from a mixed-source supply of strata and mantle-derived fluids. Calcite that fills karst collapse pores exhibits alternating bright and dark cathodoluminescence, strong negative δ18O shifts, and variability in trace elements such as Mn, Fe, and Co. These characteristics indicate a mixed origin of diagenetic fluids derived from both meteoric freshwater and carbonate-dissolving fluids. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geochemical Controls on the Generation and Transformation of Carbon in Rocks)
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