BUREAU OF GEOLOGY


four feet thick, with a surface area of not less than 80 contiguous acres
per square mile and yield not less than 8,000 BTU per pound (moisture
free). The definition for fuel grade peat establishes minimum standards
for organic matter content and also for heating value (BTU per pound). It
further comments on the deposit itself, stipulating minimum thickness
and contiguous acreage requirements.
 The three definitions of peat presented here reflect the specific pur-
poses of individuals and agencies who prepared them. Varied user
groups and professionals who work with peat may formulate additional
definitions directly suited to their needs. It is thus necessary to determine
the way in which an author defines peat in order to fully understand the
implications of his work.
 In the state of Florida, the definition of peat may take on special signifi-
cance if it is used as a criterion for designation of peat as either a mineral
resource or an agricultural (vegetable) resource. It has been argued that if
peat is not classified as a mineral then its excavation might constitute a
harvesting process. Harvesting may not be subject to the regulatory
procedures that govern mining of a legally-defined mineral material.
 The usage of the term harvesting to describe the mining of peat fol-
lows U.S. Department of Energy (1979). "Harvesting" when used in
conjunction with peat correctly refers to the nearly obsolete practice of
harvesting living Sphagnum (peat moss) from the surface of a bog. In this
process, the Sphagnum was allowed to grow back so that repeated
harvests were possible in a given area. Thus, a crop was in actuality
"harvested". Very little or no true harvesting occurs today (A. Cohen,
personal communication, 1984).

 Terminology Relating to the Peat Forming Environment

 Peat can only accumulate in a wet environment. The terms which refer
to these environments take on different definitions according to author
preference. The American Geological Institute distinguishes between
bogs and fens on the basis of chemistry. Bogs and fens are both charac-
terized as waterlogged, spongy groundmasses. Bogs, however, contain
acidic, decaying vegetation consisting mainly of mosses while fens con-
tain alkaline, decaying vegetation, mainly reeds (Gary, et al., eds.,
1974). The terms "bog" and "fen" are not usually applied to peatlands
in the southeastern United States. They are included in this discussion
because they occur frequently in the literature associated with peatlands
extraneous to Florida. Although a significant body of research specific to
the peats of Florida exists (Cohen and Spackman, 1980; Cohen and
Spackman, 1977; Griffin, et al., 1982; Pennsylvania State University,
1976), much information concerning mining techniques, reclamation
methods and hydrologic aspects of peatlands pertains directly to areas
remote from Florida where the terms "bog" and "fen" may be used.
 The concepts of minerotrophy and ombrotrophy are based on the qual-
ity of water feeding a peatland (Heikurainen, 1976) and are perceived as