Abstract:
[Significance] Mires not only serve as the fundamental environment for coal deposition throughout geological history, offering invaluable insights into Earth’s history, paleoclimate, and environmental evolution, but also hold significant importance in the global carbon cycle. Numerous geological scholars have conducted a wealth of research on mires. Understanding the research fronts and trends in mire-related studies within coal geology can guide future research. When writing research papers and using professional terminology, scholars may confuse or misuse terminology due to the diverse concepts and English expressions of mires, thus making it particularly crucial to clarify and accurately apply mire-related terminology. [Progress] Based on the data from “Web of Science”, using common English terminology related to “mire” as search keywords. PRISMA flowchart was utilized to screen out 7,479 relevant articles, conducting an investigation on the temporal evolution and international distribution of mire research in the field of geology. Employing VOSviewer 1.6.20 to conduct keyword co-occurrence analysis on 726 research papers focused on mires in coal geology (selected from 7,479 articles), a deep exploration was further carried out on the research fronts of mires in coal geology. Subsequently, by integrating English definitions of mire-related terminology with research fronts on mires in coal geology, suggestions were offered for simplifying the application of mire-related terminology. The following conclusions have been made: (1) From 1943 to 2023, a total of 123 countries and regions worldwide have participated in mire research, with the 2000 marking a significant turning point when mire studies gained momentum and became a hot topic. Since then, the number of research publications on mires in geology has generally exhibited an upward trend, with scholars from leading research countries engaging in frequent exchanges and academic discussions. Usage frequencies of English mire-related terminology vary across countries, reflecting distinct research emphases on different mire types. (2) By integrating meta-analysis, bibliometrics, and visualization techniques, the research fronts on mires in the field of coal geology are systematically reviewed and summarized. Research themes linked to mire in coal geology include coal depositional environments and their evolution, paleo-wildfire, atmospheric deposition, carbon accumulation, paleoclimate, and paleoecology. (3) “Mire” should be considered as a general terminology for mire-related concepts. When there is a need to emphasize the spatial distribution of mires, “fen” is an appropriate terminology for low-lying mire, and “bog” should be used instead of “mire” for raised mire. When the ecological or vegetative characteristics of mires need to be highlighted in research, it is recommended to use “swamp” or “marsh”. [Conclusions and Prospects] The results offer valuable insights for understanding the developmental trajectory of international mire research, identifying research fronts of mires in coal geology, and standardizing the application of mire-related terminology in English. Future research on mires in the field of coal geology should actively and effectively leverage big data or machine learning techniques including simulation modeling, database construction, statistical data analysis, and image recognition classification. Additionally, a multidisciplinary approach integrating geochemical, organic petrological, coal petrological, and mineralogical methods should be systematically employed throughout the research process to ensure comprehensive insights.
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