Geochemical Characteristics and Indicative Significance of Rare Earth Elements in the Late Permian Coal of Tucheng Mine, Guizhou Province

Guizhou Province is an important late Permian coal-producing area in China, and the resource potential of critical metal elements in its coal urgently needs to be studied. This paper systematically analyzes the geochemical characteristics of REY (rare earth elements and Y) in the No. 12 coal seam of the Late Permian Tucheng Mine in Guizhou Province using technologies such as inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS), and correlation analysis and discusses the environmental indication significance of REY (rare earth elements and Y) in coal. The results show that the average content of REY in the coal is 37.75 ppm, lower than the world coal average, and it is characterized by light rare earth enrichment. The REY distribution patterns of coal samples are highly similar, indicating homologous input. The main associated minerals in the coal include quartz, kaolinite, anatase, Barite, siderite, and so forth. Correlation analysis shows that REY may be mainly hosted in organic matter. δCe, δCe/δEu, and so forth reflect that the sedimentary environment of the coal seam is a reducing environment. δEu combined with coal ash composition parameters (Al₂O₃/TiO₂, SiO₂ + Al₂O₃, and so forth) jointly confirms that the material source of REY is mainly terrigenous clastics, and the nature of the source rock tends to be neutral magmatic rocks.