Waht is anthracite?

Question

It's talking about metamorphism and Metamorphic rocks

Answer 1

There are 4 stages in coal formation... peat, lignite, bituminous, & anthracite.

Peat is decaying plant material. (Many people mistakenly believe that coal forms from dinosaurs. This is not true!) It takes LOTS of decaying plant material so swampy places w/ lots of vegetation are prime areas where coal formation will begin.

By adding pressure & time you will eventually end up w/ lignite which is commonly referred to as "brown coal". It doesn't burn very cleanly & doesn't produce a lot of heat.

Over time, as more pressure is applied (by the overlying sediments), the lignite will begin to heat up. This is the beginning of the metamorphic process. Under heat & pressure, the lignite will become bituminous coal. It is much harder than lignite. It is more tightly packed so that is much denser than lignite & contains much more energy per sq. inch.

The highest grade of coal (and also the rarest) is anthracite. It has been highly metamorphosed. Under the right circumstances (heat & pressure) the bituminous coal will transform into the densest, most efficient form of coal. It has more energy stored in it compared to the same size lump of bituminous coal. It also burns more cleanly.

Sometimes coal is listed as a sedimentary rock while other times it is listed as metamorphic. Technically both are right. It starts out as a sedimentary rock but as heat & pressure are applied it slowly becomes metamorphosed.

Answer 2

Anthracite coal is bituminous that has been metamorphosed. It has undergone tremendous heat and pressure, causing it to recrystallize. Most of the volatiles have been driven out.

Most of the world's anthracite coal can be found in northeastern Pennsylvania. Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Hazelton were booming mining towns in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Then other forms of energy took over the market. In a freak mining accident where miners got too close to the riverbed of the Susquehanna River. The river broke through and flooded the mine, which flooded the next, which flooded the next. It was the death knell of the industry.

It is still mined, mostly for the home heating industry, but not much else. But, there are several recycling operations going on where companies are reprocessing anthracite mine waste and burning it to make electricity.

Is this a homework question?

Answer 3

Anthracite (Greek Ανθρακίτης, literally "a form of coal", from Anthrax [Άνθραξ], coal) is a hard, compact variety of mineral coal that has a high luster. It has the highest carbon count and contains the fewest impurities of all coals, despite its lower calorific content. Anthracite coal is the highest of the metamorphic rank, in which the carbon content is between 92% and 98%. The term is applied to those varieties of coal which do not give off tarry or other hydrocarbon vapours when heated below their point of ignition. Anthracite ignites with difficulty and burns with a short blue flame, without smoke.

Other terms having the same meaning are blue coal, hard coal, stone coal (not to be confused with the German Steinkohle), blind coal (in Scotland), Kilkenny coal (in Ireland), and black diamond. The imperfect anthracite of north Devon, which however is only used as a pigment, is known as culm, the same term being used in geological classification to distinguish the strata in which it is found, and similar strata in the Rhenish hill countries which are known as the Culm Measures. In America, culm is used as an equivalent for waste or slack in anthracite mining.

Answer 4

Anthracite is hard coal
Bituminous coal is soft...

Answer 5

Its hard coal, as opposed to bituminous coal.

Made from dead plants and dinosaurs mostly.

Do your own homework.

Answer 6

it is a very old type of "COAL" aka "Hard Coal" used in blast furnaces.
Peat is almost coal and can be burned, very smokey
Butumanus is soft coal, easy to light but, burns fast.
Anthracite is hard coal, hard to light but burns very hot, and the longest