Book 24, Question 101
What is peat, and how does it turn into coal?
Peat is dark, spongy material made from partly rotted plants that pile up in wet bogs. Canada has huge peatlands. If peat is buried under layers of sand and mud for millions of years, heat and pressure squeeze out water and turn it into a softer brown coal, then into harder, black coal. Much of the world’s coal formed about 300 million years ago, before dinosaurs lived.
More fun facts
- Millions of years ago, dead plants and algae sank to the bottom of wetlands.
- As they were squeezed and heated in the earth, they first became peat.
- Peat is a spongy material made of partly rotted plants.
- Over much more time, peat changes into coal.
- The lowest quality coal, lignite, has the least carbon.
- Anthracite has the most carbon and gives off the most heat when burned.
Sources: National Geographic Education
Questions kids ask
Will we ever run out of coal?
Coal takes millions of years to form, so there is a limited amount. That makes it nonrenewable.