层序地层学理论为人们理解聚煤作用模式提供了新的思路,通过近二十年的研究,人们认识到含煤岩系旋回性与不同级别的全球海平面变化规律密切相关,认识到有工业价值的煤层形成于基准面(海平面)抬升过程,相继提出幕式聚煤作用、海侵过程成煤、事件成煤作用、海相层滞后阶段聚煤等基于层序地层分析的聚煤作用理论。同时概括出层序地层格架下基于可容空间增加速率与泥炭堆积速率的关系的厚煤层聚集模式。今后的研究将会进一步对不同构造背景下的含煤岩系层序地层格架样式、层序地层格架下的优质煤炭资源聚集模式、煤层在地球演化的长周期过程中的地质意义等方面进行探索,此外,针对中国五大聚煤区的成煤时期及盆地构造背景的特殊性,中国学者还会进一步总结其层序地层格架样式以及聚煤模式,并将其用于指导中国优质煤炭资源预测。
Sequence stratigraphy provides a new clue for the coal geologists to understand coal accumulation mechanism. After two decades studies in coal measures sequence stratigraphy, coal geologists realize that cyclicity in coal measures is closely related to the global sea level changes, and that industrial coals in geological history were mainly accumulated during a base-level ( sea level) rise. New coal accumulation models based on sequence stratigraphy theory were put forward by Chinese coal geologists, including episodic coal accumulation, transgressive process coal accumulation, event coal accumulation, and coal accumulation during a lag time of marine limestone beds. In the mean time, distribution model of thick coal seams in a sequence stratigraphic framework is outlined based on the balance between the peat accumulation rate and the accommodation creation rate. Future studies of coal measures sequence stratigraphy will focus on the sequence stratigraphic pattern of different tectonic coal basins, prediction of high-quality coal distribution with sequence stratigraphy model, and the significance and implications of coals in the long-term evolution of Earth. Chinese coal geologists will put more efforts on the sequence stratigraphic pattern and coal accumulating model for the five coal accumulating provinces and will use sequence stratigraphy theory to find more high-quality coal resources.