How Coal was Formed

Coal is a black or brown-black rock that can be burnt to produce energy. It is burnt in power stations around the world to produce much of the world's electricity.

The energy in coal comes from the energy stored by plants that lived hundreds of millions of years ago, when the earth was partly covered with swampy forests. For millions of years, a layer of dead plants at the bottom of the swamps was covered by layers of water and dirt, trapping the energy of the dead plants. The top layers squashing down over many years helped the dead plants turn into what we today call coal.

 

How Oil and Gas were Formed

Oil is a thick, black or dark liquid that can be turned into petrol (gasoline) and other products. It can then be burnt in engines to power cars, trucks and buses. Natural gas is a colourless gas (like air) that can be burnt in homes for cooking and heating.

Millions of years ago before the dinosaurs, there were plants and animals living in the sea. As they died they settled on the bottom of the sea and slowly built up in thick layers. Over thousands of years, the remains become covered by mud and sand. The mud and sand gradually change to rock over a long period of time. The sea and rock are very heavy and squeeze down on the dead plants and animals. Over millions of years of being squashed the dead plants and animals change — some into oil (petrol) and some into tiny bubbles of natural gas. These are trapped beneath the rock.

  

 

Thanks to the US Energy Information Administration for this information.