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Coal is called a fossil fuel because it was formed from the remains of vegetation that grew as long as 400 million years ago. It is often referred to as "buried sunshine," because the plants which formed coal captured energy from the sun through photosynthesis to create the compounds that make up plant tissues. The most important element in the plant material is carbon, which gives coal most of its energy.
Most of our coal was formed about 300 million years ago, when much of the earth was covered by steamy swamps. As plants and trees died, their remains sank to the bottom of the swampy areas, accumulating layer upon layer and eventually forming a soggy, dense material called peat.
Over long periods of time, the makeup of the earth's surface changed, and seas and great rivers caused deposits of sand, clay and other mineral matter to accumulate, burying the peat. Sandstone and other sedimentary rocks were formed, and the pressure caused by their weight squeezed water from the peat. Increasingly deeper burial and the heat associated with it gradually changed the material to coal. Scientists estimate that from 3 to 7 feet of compacted plant matter was required to form 1 foot of bituminous coal.
Coal formation is a continuing process (some of our newest coal is a mere 1 million years old). Today, in areas such as the Great Dismal Swamp of North Carolina and Virginia, the Okefenokee Swamp of Georgia, and the Everglades in Florida, plant life decays and subsides, eventually to be covered by silts and sands and other matter. Perhaps millions of years from now, those areas will contain large coal beds.
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What are the five steps of coal formation?
The five steps of coal formation are: Peat formation: Plant material accumulates in wet environments. Lignite formation: Compression and heat turn peat into lignite, a soft coal. Sub-bituminous coal formation: Further compression and heat transform lignite into sub-bituminous coal. Bituminous coal formation: Continued heat and pressure convert sub-bituminous coal into bituminous coal, a higher quality coal. Anthracite coal formation: The highest level of metamorphism forms anthracite coal, a very high-quality and hard coal.
In the formation of coal which stage has the lowest carbon content?
In the formation of coal, peat has the lowest carbon content among the stages. Peat is the first stage in coal formation and is composed mainly of partially decayed plant matter.
What is coal formation largely a result of?
Coal formation is largely a result of the accumulation and compression of organic matter from plants in swampy environments over millions of years. The process involves the burial and transformation of this organic material due to pressure and heat, resulting in the formation of coal.
Which of these is not a stage of coal formation A lignite B hematite C anthracite D peat?
Hematite is not a stage of coal formation. It is actually a mineral that is a major source of iron ore. The stages of coal formation are peat, lignite, bituminous coal, and anthracite.
How coal formation happens in every stage?
Peat formation: Plant material accumulates in waterlogged environments, where decomposition is slowed, forming peat. Lignite formation: Over time, peat is buried and compacted, increasing pressure and temperature, transforming it into lignite, a low-grade coal. Bituminous coal formation: Further burial and compaction of lignite results in higher pressure and temperature, forming bituminous coal, a higher-grade coal. Anthracite formation: With increased heat and pressure, bituminous coal can undergo further metamorphism, producing anthracite, the highest-grade coal.
What are the five steps of coal formation?
The five steps of coal formation are: Peat formation: Plant material accumulates in wet environments. Lignite formation: Compression and heat turn peat into lignite, a soft coal. Sub-bituminous coal formation: Further compression and heat transform lignite into sub-bituminous coal. Bituminous coal formation: Continued heat and pressure convert sub-bituminous coal into bituminous coal, a higher quality coal. Anthracite coal formation: The highest level of metamorphism forms anthracite coal, a very high-quality and hard coal.
In the formation of coal what stage occurs after bituminous coal?
Anthracite.
What are the shapes of coal formation?
Coal is usually piled up in a coal bin at the bottom of a coal chute.
A description of how weathering contributed to the formation of the grand canyon?
description of how erosion contributed to the formation of the grand canyon
In the formation of coal which stage has the lowest carbon content?
In the formation of coal, peat has the lowest carbon content among the stages. Peat is the first stage in coal formation and is composed mainly of partially decayed plant matter.
What is coal formation largely a result of?
Coal formation is largely a result of the accumulation and compression of organic matter from plants in swampy environments over millions of years. The process involves the burial and transformation of this organic material due to pressure and heat, resulting in the formation of coal.
Which of these is not a stage of coal formation A lignite B hematite C anthracite D peat?
Hematite is not a stage of coal formation. It is actually a mineral that is a major source of iron ore. The stages of coal formation are peat, lignite, bituminous coal, and anthracite.
Description of coal?
I have no idea.....plz improve!
How coal formation happens in every stage?
Peat formation: Plant material accumulates in waterlogged environments, where decomposition is slowed, forming peat. Lignite formation: Over time, peat is buried and compacted, increasing pressure and temperature, transforming it into lignite, a low-grade coal. Bituminous coal formation: Further burial and compaction of lignite results in higher pressure and temperature, forming bituminous coal, a higher-grade coal. Anthracite formation: With increased heat and pressure, bituminous coal can undergo further metamorphism, producing anthracite, the highest-grade coal.
How do you make a formation of coal model?
with hand
What effect will future pangaea have on the formation of coal?
The effect of a future Pangaea on the formation of coal will be that of a marked increase as continents collide against each other.
What is the first stage in coal formation?
The first stage in coal formation is the accumulation of organic material such as dead plants in a swampy environment. This organic material undergoes decomposition in the absence of oxygen, leading to the formation of peat.
