■ FORMATION OF COAL.
#Economicgeography
◇ Most of the world’s coal was formed in Carboniferous age (350 million years ago.)
◇ Name Carboniferous refers to coal-bearing strata.
◇ Coal formed millions of years ago when the earth was covered with huge swampy (marshy) forests.
◇ As plants grew, some died and fell into the swamp waters.
◇ New plants grew up to take their places and when these died more grew.
◇ In time, there was thick layer of dead plants rotting in the swamp.
◇ Surface of the earth changed, and water and dirt washed in, stopping the decaying process.
◇ More plants grew up, but they too died and fell, forming separate layers.
◇ After millions of years many layers had formed, one on top of the other.
◇ Weight of the top layers and the water and dirt packed down the lower layers of plant matter.
◇ Heat and pressure produced chemical and physical changes in the plant layers which forced out oxygen and left rich carbon deposits. In time, material that had been plants became coal.
#Economicgeography
◇ Most of the world’s coal was formed in Carboniferous age (350 million years ago.)
◇ Name Carboniferous refers to coal-bearing strata.
◇ Coal formed millions of years ago when the earth was covered with huge swampy (marshy) forests.
◇ As plants grew, some died and fell into the swamp waters.
◇ New plants grew up to take their places and when these died more grew.
◇ In time, there was thick layer of dead plants rotting in the swamp.
◇ Surface of the earth changed, and water and dirt washed in, stopping the decaying process.
◇ More plants grew up, but they too died and fell, forming separate layers.
◇ After millions of years many layers had formed, one on top of the other.
◇ Weight of the top layers and the water and dirt packed down the lower layers of plant matter.
◇ Heat and pressure produced chemical and physical changes in the plant layers which forced out oxygen and left rich carbon deposits. In time, material that had been plants became coal.