Natural gas is sometimes located above oil pools, or by itself. It is valuable because it doesn’t release copious amounts of smoke and it discharges energy. Natural gas is used to heat our homes and cook our food. "Coal is a very complex and diverse energy resource that can vary greatly, even within the same deposit…” (Utah Mining Association) There are four types of coal: lignite, subbituminous, bituminous, and anthracite. Lignite is a brownish – black coal with high moisture and ash content.
When the lignite is put under more pressure, it forms a subbituminous coal. This kind of coal is a dull black color, and heats better than a lignite. When the subbituminous coal is put under even more pressure; it forms a bituminous, or soft, coal. It has a higher heating value than the lignite and the subbituminous. The last type, anthracite, is a “hard coal”. It has the highest energy content and is used for heating and electricity.
“Coal formed from the dead remains of trees, ferns and other plants that lived 300 to 400 million years ago. In some areas, such as portions of what-is-now the eastern United States, coal was formed from swamps covered by sea water. The sea water contained a large amount of sulfur, and as the seas dried up, the sulfur was left behind in the coal” (Fossil Energy Office of Communications).
America has more coal than any other resource. In fact, 38 out of the 50 states have coal. Coal has the longest history from the other resources. “Natural gas and crude oil can be found in many places around the world, such as the Middle East (about 70 per cent of the world's known resources of oil), the USA and under the North Sea off the coast of the UK” (Science online). However, our fossil fuels take millions of years to form, so they cannot be replaced very easily. We are running out of our non-renewable energy.
Works Cited
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Shepherd, Roy. "Fossil Fuels." Fossil Fuels - Coal, Oil, Gas
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