Vitrinite-inertinite reflectance & fluorescence (VRF) analysis of a sample from the Kyeburn formation.

This report is of a detailed VIRF (Vitrinite-Inertinite Reflectance and Fluorescence) analysis on a hand specimen from the Kyeburn Formation (NZ Fossil Record File No. I41/f169). This highly indurated sample is dominantly coalified wood tissue with extensive carbonate mineralization. The accompanying sediments also exhibit carbonate replacement, however small amounts of unaltered siltstone containing dispersed organic matter are also present. VIRF utilises paired fluorescence and reflectance measurements as a numerical basis for differentiating indigenous vitrinite of normal chemistry from perhydrous, caved, hydrothermally altered and reworked vitrinite. This greatly improves the precision of vitrinite reflectance as a maturity indicator.