有機材料主要是指地殼中含有碳鍵的含碳化合物，包含了煤以及沉積的有機質。煤的成熟度主要影響了煤的發熱量和用途，而組成成分也影響了煤的品質，所以我們可以從元素和煤素質成份的改變來評估煤的材料特性，並且研究材料在成熟過程受到的成份改變所隱含的地質意義。本研究以有機材料特性為研究主軸，實驗樣本包括不同成熟度之42個第三紀中新世的台灣煤礦以及露頭的樣本，16個年代為古生代至新生代的大陸樣本，1個越南北部的煤礦樣本以及4個美國頁岩樣本。分析方法包括鏡煤素反射率測量、煤素質組成分析、元素分析和熱裂分析，以探討有機熱成熟作用和材料特性的關聯，並且用地質解釋推演煤在成熟過程中成份的變化。結果顯示元素分析氫碳比和鏡煤素反射率有反比的趨勢，證明當材料受到熱成熟作用時，材料本身也會跟著改變；鏡煤素反射率和Tmax呈現正相關；沉積環境的差異決定了有機材料的異同，也影響鏡煤素反射率；煤素質百分比和鏡煤素反射率並沒有絕對的關聯性。 Maturities of coal determine its thermal value and usage. Both maercal and element composition varied during the process of coalification. 63 samples with various maturities were discussed in this study, including 42 samples from Taiwan, 16 samples from China, 1 sample from Vietnam and 4 samples from USA. Four analytic methods were applied in this study: vitrinite reflectance measurement (Ro %), maceral composition analysis, Rock-Eval pyrolysis and major element analysis. The purpose of this study is to correlate the relationship between thermal maturity and organic composition, the effects of geological settings can thus be interpreted. The results show that H/C ratio decreases with increasing Ro%. A positive correlation of Ro% vs. Tmax is also observed. In addition, maceral compositions are mostly determined by plant species and depositional environment, not by thermal maturity.
