What is Coal ?

By definition coal is; a combustible black or dark brown rock consisting mainly of carbonized plant matter, found mainly in underground deposits and widely used as fuel. The energy we get from coal today comes from the energy plants absorbed from the sun millions of years ago. Coal formation began during the Carboniferous period, known as the first coal age, which spanned 360 to 290 million years ago. Living plants store solar energy through a process we know as photosynthesis. When plants die, the energy is released as the plants decay. Under conditions favorable to coal formation, the decaying process is interrupted. Therefore, preventing the release of the stored solar power. This energy is then locked into the coal.