Inertinite Reflectance in Relation to Combustion Temperature

Inertinite, a product of wildfire, holds important information on global temperature change. The relationship between its reflectance and temperature has been widely used to identify wildfire events in paleo-sedimentary environments, but the currently used equations relating inertinite reflectance and combustion temperature are subject to large errors. Therefore, to clarify the relationship between inertinite reflectance and combustion temperature further, we systematically analyzed changes in inertinite reflectance under different combustion durations based on the literature’s data. Results confirmed that inertinite reflectance is related to combustion duration. Disregarding combustion duration, the combustion equation is T=267.52+110.19×RoR2=0.91, where T is the combustion temperature, Ro% is the measured inertinite reflectance, and R2 is the correlation coefficient. Under a combustion duration of 1 h, the equation is T=273.57+113.89×RoR2=0.91, and under a combustion duration longer than 5 h (including 5 h), the equation is T=232.91+110.6×RoR2=0.94. These three equations not only account for the temporal factor, but are also more precise than the commonly used formula. This study provides a scientific basis for research on paleo-wildfire.