A large portion of South Africa's coal reserves consist of inertinite.
Vitrinite macerals when observed under the microscope show a boxlike, cellular structure, often with oblong voids and cavities which are likely the remains of plant stems.
Macerals of liptinite are sporinite, cutinite, resinite, alginite (telalginite and lamalginite), liptodetrinite, fluorinite, and bituminite.
In rare cases, maceral and fossilised pollen can be found in terrestrial sedimentary rocks.
Coal fragments must be extremely highly polished down to less than half a micrometre before they can be observed under the microscope.