- Anywhere we find coal, we’re looking at ancient swamp!
- As the dense plant life died, it was buried and pressed into Carbon rich soil that eventually became solid coal.
- This super slow process is continuing and someday the Florida Everglades will be a big coal mine too!
- Because coal is found as solid layers between rocks, we can dig or mine it out of the ground.
- SURFACE MINING – in this method, the rocks above coal are completely removed and the coal is dug up with large equipment.
- UNDERGROUND MINING – tunnels are dug into mountains or difficult terrain to remove coal.
Location of 200+ US Coal Mines
Mines in the western US tend to be large strip mines while those in eastern Appalachian mountains are mostly underground.
Solid coal is easily loaded into containers that can be transferred from trucks to trains to large ships.
- Not all countries in the world are on top of an ancient swamp, so distribution of coal isn’t equal.
- Geology meets politics because of this and countries who don’t have any are keen to make friends with those that do.
- Current top producers:
- #1 – China
- #2 – US
- #3 – India
- When giant holes are dug to extract coal, the entire ecosystem is disturbed.
- Filling the holes back in costs a lot of time and money, and mine companies often go bankrupt before completing the land restoration.
- Weak spots in miles long underground mine tunnels can collapse, trapping miners and causing sinkholes at the surface.
- When piles of coal jostle around, small bits break off as dust which can blow into the wind creating a dense black cloud.
- These heavy particles can lodge in the lungs of people who are around it regularly leading to lifelong health complications.
- The ash left after burning coal is super lightweight and highly toxic.
- Every powerplant has a COAL ASH POND to store this nasty stuff, which can leak into and pollute waterways.
- Coal accounts for roughly 11% of all the energy consumed in the US.
- Grey sliver of pie chart
- Coal is mostly burned in large powerplants to generate electricity for our homes, factories and businesses.
- There are over 200 coal powerplants in the US.
- Each one burns thousands of tones of coal per year creating significant air pollution AND a toxic coal ash pond.
China uses the majority of the world’s coal by a landslide.
South Africa is the most reliant on coal with it accounting for over 80% of their energy.
What do you think about coal as an energy source?
What’s next?
I’m lost😱
I need some background information:
I need practice 🤔
I understand Coal, but need to learn about the other Fossil Fuels:
Let’s move on👍
I understand all of the Fossil Fuel forms, let’s move onto how they impact the environment!