The so-called "Don", the igneous rock which intrudes coal seams, from six collieries in the Chikuho coal field has been studied microscopically and chemically. It has been confirmed that all of the specimens of don have common specific characteristics, and it would seem that all belong to a variety of basaltic andesite. However, biotite is always rather abundant in the ground mass and brown hornblende is commonly present. Further, potash feldspar and subordinate quartz are present in considerable amounts. Moreover, the don has always been more or less altered, mainly by the action of magmatic H
2O and CO
2. Two main types of alteration are recognized: sapohitization which occurred at an early stage, and dolomitization of a later stage. The types of alteration and the characteristics mentioned above indicate that the don is also lamprophyric in nature.
Microscopic observations and also comparison of the calculated standard cells make it clear that large amounts of Mg
++, and Ca
++, as carbonates, have been transferred hydrothermally into the cinder coal which is in contact with the don.
Don can be classified into several rock types according to mineral associations. A survey of the distribution of each rock type, giving careful consideration to the accompanying geological structures, is useful in prospecting the non-intruded parts of a coal-seamm in the area intruded by the don.
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