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From the beginning of time, occurring over millions of years....

  1. leaves (leaf litter) fall upon the dirt (ground; Earth)
  2. branches fall; trees fall upon the leaf litter
  3. plants die under leaf litter and fallen branches / trees
  4. the rains come
  5. sunlight hits upon the saturated leaf litter, branches, and fallen trees
  6. the pile begins to heat up from within, accelerating decomposition
  7. winds blow dust around, adding new dirt to the decomposing warmed-up pile
  8. fallen trees under the pile begin to rot
  9. more leaves fall from trees
  10. more branches fall
  11. more trees fall
  12. more rain
  13. every day's sunlight keeps heating the pile
  14. winds blow in more and more dirt
  15. what is on top presses down on what is at the bottom
  16. more leaf litter, branches, trees, rain, sunlight, winds...
  17. the bottom of the pile, which is very hot inside the decomposing mess, begins to compact, eventually becoming coal
  18. the cycle is continual...even today, coal is being compressed from under the ground
  19. swampy areas in hot environments are more likely to make coal, as water is continually added to the mix and heat continues to build below the surface **
  20. What kind of coal you get (anthracite or bituminous) depends on how many millions of years the pile of litter decomposed and "cooked" underground.

** Millions of years ago, the NE US to middle states was temperate and swampy. Water from the inland sea was still receding from the middle of the country. So, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, and Indiana had an abundance of coal made over many hundreds of millions of years, back in the era when glaciers were retreating and dinosaurs roamed.

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The first step of coal formation is the accumulation of plant material in a swampy environment. As plants die and accumulate, their organic matter is slowly buried under layers of sediment. Over time, this organic material undergoes chemical and physical changes, eventually transforming into coal.


First step of coal formation is what?

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What is the first step in coal formations?

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What does the first step of coal formation mean?

It means the material added to a land form or land mass which is made of twigs, leaves, branches, and other plants that was broken up that is still remaining...Was that a simple definition for you? Here's the real hard words definition:The first stage in coal formation is the deposition of material composed of twigs, leaves, branches, and other plant debris.I hope my answer helped you!

Related Questions

What are the five steps of coal formation?

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First step of coal formation is what?

The first step of coal formation is the accumulation of plant material in a swampy environment. As plants die, they accumulate in layers and start to decay. Over time, the plant material undergoes chemical and physical changes, eventually transforming into peat.


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