GEOL 100 Chapter 18.4: GEOL 100 Chapter 18.: Coal and Coal-Bed Methane
Document Summary
Development of coal begins with the accumulation of plant matter and other organic materials on the surface. Progressive burial, compaction, and heating change the coal to improve its quality. Formation requires that plants accumulate on the surface in sufficient amounts so that the plant matter is much greater than the input of sand, clay, or other sediment. Organic material is compressed and partially decomposed plant matter including peat. Peat: water soaked mass of relatively unconsolidated plant remains found in bogs. Once peat is dried it can be burned as a fuel resource. Pressure that accompanies burial squeezes water and other impurities out. May be more than 50% water by weight. Increasing weight of overlying rock layers compresses lignite with more burial. Higher temperature drives off sulfur and volatile chemical components. Contain relatively more carbon and less water than lignite. Maturation: the process by which coal changes as it is buried.
