Observations on the role of the Bernice coal field (Sullivan County, Pennsylvania) anthracites in the development of coalification theories in the Appalachians

The Bernice coal field, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, contains anthracite-rank coal in relatively unfolded strata. That setting, along with a misinterpretation of the significance of apparent rank anomalies, led to examples from the Bernice coal field being used in the development of coalification theories in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The evidence available was used to justify both theories of ''thrust pressure'' coalification and rank variation due to original differences in the peat or peat accumulation processes as opposed to thermal metamorphism.