The Society of Reflective Personalities - Chlorophyllinite
The Revelation
Personality:
A sighting of Chlorophyllinite is rare.
Not because she hides, but because so little of what she once was survives. Seeing her means that oxygen levels, decay, chemistry and depositional conditions aligned just right for her preservation.
She knows what it took to survive.
Perhaps that is why Cutinite is the one who brings her in.
One day, she approaches the Society and says:
“I have someone to introduce you to.”
Collotelinite looks around the field.
“I don’t see anything unusual.”
Cutinite folds her arms.
“Change the light.”
The blue light comes on.
And there she is.
Blood red.
Not yellow. Not orange. Not another warm variation in a crowded fluorescent field. A deep, unmistakable red that stops the conversation immediately.
Collotelinite leans closer.
“You were here the whole time?”
Chlorophyllinite looks at her and smiles.
“Obviously.”
That is the thing about Chlorophyllinite. The revelation is never gradual. One moment she is almost indistinguishable from debris; the next, the right light exposes something no one else in the Society can quite reproduce.
And for a brief moment, she becomes impossible to ignore.
Then Cutinite reaches for the switch.
“That’s enough.”
Collotelinite objects immediately.
“I need another minute.”
“No.”
“Two measurements.”
“No.”
“Repeatability matters.”
Cutinite gives her the look normally reserved for people running beside the pool.
“You’ve seen her.”
Chlorophyllinite says nothing. She knows Cutinite is right.
The light that reveals her also begins to change her. Leave it on too long and the blood red shifts. The colour weakens, moves through other shades, and the evidence of that first unmistakable appearance is altered for good.
There is no reset button.
The revelation is brief.
Among petrographers, Chlorophyllinite is almost a unicorn. We know she belongs to the Society, but very few of us have ever actually seen her.
But once you have seen her, you do not forget.
Scientist’s Note:
Chlorophyllinite is a maceral of the liptinite group derived from chlorophyll pigments and associated chloroplast material. It generally occurs as small, rounded particles approximately 1–5 µm in diameter, although rare forms of algal origin may reach much larger sizes. Its small size and limited preservation make it one of the least commonly encountered liptinite macerals. Chlorophyllinite may therefore occur in close association with preserved plant tissues such as cutinite, reflecting their shared origin within photosynthetic tissues.
In reflected white light, chlorophyllinite is weakly reflecting and difficult to distinguish from fine liptinite fragments. Where its chemical preservation is incomplete, reliable identification may not be possible, and doubtful particles are classified as liptodetrinite. Under blue or ultraviolet excitation, however, well-preserved chlorophyllinite displays a strong and characteristic blood-red fluorescence. According to Pickel et al. (2017), other macerals do not show this distinctive blood-red response, allowing even very small particles to be recognised.
This fluorescence is highly sensitive to both decomposition and prolonged illumination. Minor chemical alteration may shift the colour from blood red through rose to creamy white. Continued exposure to blue or ultraviolet light produces a similar change: within approximately 10–15 minutes, the original fluorescence may fade and shift irreversibly.
Most chlorophyll is destroyed before peatification. Preservation requires strongly anaerobic conditions, with moderate to cool climates favouring its survival across a broader range of depositional settings.
Scientist’s note based on:
Pickel, W., Kus, J., Flores, D., Kalaitzidis, S., Christanis, K., Cardott, B.J., Misz-Kennan, M., Rodrigues, S., Hentschel, A., Hamor-Vido, M., Crosdale, P., Wagner, N. and ICCP, 2017. Classification of liptinite — ICCP System 1994. International Journal of Coal Geology, 169, 40–61.
