Individual coal seams formed in paleo-peatlands represent sustained periods of terrestrial carbon accumulation and a key environmental indicator attributed to this record is the rate of carbon accumulation. Determining the rate of carbon accumulation requires a measure of time contained within the coal. This study aimed to determine this rate via the identification of Milankovitch orbital cycles in the coals. The geophysical log is an ideal paleoclimate proxy and has been widely used in the study of sedimentary records using spectral analysis. Spectral analyses of geophysical log from thick coal seams can be used to identify the Milankovitch cycles and to calculate the period of the coal deposition. By considering the carbon loss during coalification, the long-term average carbon accumulation rate and net primary productivity (NPP) of paleo-peatlands in coal seams can be obtained. This review paper presents the procedures of analysis, assessment of results and interpretation of geophysical logs in determining the NPP of paleo-peatlands.