Petrologic components (macerals) in coal and their groupings

maceral grouping

in Europe macerals maceral grouping

in the United States

name in

Europe* name in the

United States**

vitrinite telinite megascopic anthraxylon

attrital anthraxylon anthraxylon

collinite subanthraxylon

humic matter

light brown matter translucent attritus

liptinite*** resinite red resins

yellow resins

cerinite amorphous wax

sporinite (exinite) spore coats

cutinite cuticles

suberinite suberin

alginite algal bodies

inertinite massive micrinite dark brown matter

amorphous opaque matter opaque attritus

granular micrinite granular opaque matter

sclerotinite fusinized fungal matter petrologic fusain

semifusinite dark semifusain

fusinite attrital fusain

megascopic fusain

*The majority of these names originated with M.C. Stopes (1935) and were adopted by the International Geological Congresses (1935 and 1951) at Heerlen, Netherlands.

**These names are mainly from R. Thiessen.

***Formerly exinite. Name change in accordance with Taylor et al.