The contrast in the textures of high reflectance vitrinite and liptinite in the Ragged edge exposures of western Kentucky's Herrin (No. 11) coal versus the macerals in regionally metamorphosed anthracites opens a window into the metamorphic mechanisms prevailing for both of the Ragged edge and regionally metamorphosed coals. Regionally (Barrovian) metamorphosed anthracite, at least in the cases noted in this study, was at a bituminous rank at the onset of enhanced metamorphism, contributing to the preservation of the bituminous-like appearance of the anthracite macerals. Exceptions are possible where melting and subsequent coking occurred, but melting is generally absent in the Barrovian-style Pennsylvania anthracites and the igneous/coal contact zone was sufficiently distant from the Cretaceous Colorado and New Mexico anthracites such that melting was not present. In contrast, the high-rank portions of the Ragged edge are lodged within and/or adjacent to high volatile bituminous coal; in some cases, metamorphosed fragments are juxtaposed with anthracite-rank fragments. High-reflectance vitrinites within the Ragged edge coal have textures reminiscent of peat and low-rank coals with no evidence of the softening of the vitrinite, suggesting that the metamorphism was the consequence of localized hydrothermal events influencing the peat or, at the most, the low-rank precursor to the extant high volatile bituminous coal.

肯塔基州西部 Herrin (No. 11) 煤的参差不齐的边缘暴露与区域变质无烟煤中的微晶质的高反射镜质体和 liptinite 纹理的对比为了解参差不齐的边缘和区域变质的变质机制打开了一扇窗煤。区域（巴罗维亚）变质无烟煤，至少在本研究中提到的情况下，在变质作用增强开始时处于沥青级别，有助于保持无烟煤颗粒的沥青样外观。如果发生熔化和随后的焦化，则可能有例外，但是在巴罗维亚式宾夕法尼亚无烟煤中通常不存在熔化，并且火成岩/煤接触带距离白垩纪科罗拉多和新墨西哥无烟煤足够远，因此不存在熔化。相比之下，Ragged 边缘的高阶部分位于高挥发性烟煤内和/或附近；在某些情况下，变质碎片与无烟煤级碎片并列。Ragged 边缘煤中高反射率的镜质体具有让人联想到泥炭和低阶煤的纹理，没有证据表明镜质体软化，这表明变质作用是局部热液事件影响泥炭的结果，或者至多是现存的高挥发性烟煤的低阶前体。Ragged 边缘的高阶部分位于高挥发性烟煤内和/或附近；在某些情况下，变质碎片与无烟煤级碎片并列。Ragged 边缘煤中高反射率的镜质体具有让人联想到泥炭和低阶煤的纹理，没有证据表明镜质体软化，这表明变质作用是局部热液事件影响泥炭的结果，或者至多是现存的高挥发性烟煤的低阶前体。Ragged 边缘的高阶部分位于高挥发性烟煤内和/或附近；在某些情况下，变质碎片与无烟煤级碎片并列。Ragged 边缘煤中高反射率的镜质体具有让人联想到泥炭和低阶煤的纹理，没有证据表明镜质体软化，这表明变质作用是局部热液事件影响泥炭的结果，或者至多是现存的高挥发性烟煤的低阶前体。