How did earths deposit of coal form?

Answer 1

Coal is basically a metamorphosed swamp. The higher the metamorphism, the higher the grade of coal.

So areas that are rich in coal were once warm, moist swamps. Thess swamps were then burried and heated to form coal.

Answer 2

Coal (IPA: /ˈkəʊl/) is a fossil fuel extracted from the ground by underground mining or open-pit mining (surface mining). It is a readily combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock. It is composed primarily of carbon along with assorted other elements, including sulfur. Often associated with the Industrial Revolution, coal remains an enormously important fuel. It is the largest single source of fuel for the generation of electricity world-wide, and a vital component in the reduction of iron ore.

You could get more information from the link below...

Answer 3

The other answers are fairly incomplete - I got this straight from Wikipedia with a little editing to make it a quicker read.

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Coal is formed from plant remains that have been compacted, hardened, chemically altered, and metamorphosed by heat and pressure over geologic time.

Coal was formed in swamp ecosystems which persisted in lowland sedimentary basins. These swamp environments were formed during slow subsidence of passive continental margins, and most seem to have formed adjacent to estuarine and marine sediments suggesting that they may have been in tidal delta environments.

When plants die in these peat swamp environments, their biomass is deposited in anaerobic aquatic environments where low oxygen levels prevent their complete decay by bacteria and oxidation. For masses of undecayed organic matter to be preserved and to form economically valuable coal the environment must remain steady for prolonged periods of time, and the waters feeding these peat swamps must remain essentially free of sediment.

Eventually the coal forming environment ceases. In the majority of cases this is abrupt, with the majority of coal seams having a knife-sharp upper contact with the overlying sediments. This suggests that the onset of further sedimentation quickly destroys the peat swamp ecosystem and replaces it with meandering stream and river environments during ongoing subsidence.

Answer 4

Coal Formation starts with accumulation of organic matter (bits of dead plants) in a low oxygen setting such as a peat bog. The organic matter accumulates and forms a bed of peat. The peat bed gets buried by other sediments and under heat and pressure begins to transform to a low grade coal - a Lignite. More heat and pressure further metamorphose the lignite into Bituminous coal. Even more heat and pressure metamorphose the bituminous coal into a nice hard shiny Anthracite.

Peat exposed to heat and pressure from burial beneath other sediments becomes compressed and chemicaly changes into low grade coals such as this lignite, and under further heat and pressure is converted to higher grade coals. The pressure from overlying sediments that bury a peat bed will compact the coal. Peats transform to low grade lignites when they are compressed to about 20% of their original thickness. Lignite typicaly transforms to bituminous coal as it is compressed further and heated to between 100 and 200°C. This drives much of the water and other volitiles from the coal. Longer exposure to elevated temperature will further drive volatiles from the coal, and drive chemical reactions that produce anthracite. Anthracite coals are typicaly compressed to 5-10% of the orginal thickness of the peat bed, and contain less than 10% water and other volatiles ..

check the link below for graphs and more information ..

good luck

Answer 5

How Did Coal Form

Answer 6

Check out the definition of 'peat' in wikipedia, especially the section on 'peat formation'

Answer 7

prehistoric trees little one.....they fell and over the eons the pressure from the earth on them compressed them into coal....
shazbotbaru has left the theater...........

Answer 8

dead dinosaurs, dead tree ferns

decaying organic matter anyway