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Fossil Fuels : Coal, Oil And Natural Gas

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The three type of major fossil fuels are coal, oil and natural gas. These fossil fuels are considered non-renewable energy because of the length of time it will take for the natural processes to create these resources. It will take millions of years for them to form. Most of our coal was formed about 300 million years ago, when a majority of the earth was covered by steamy swamps. As the plants and the trees died, the remaining of the plants and trees sank to the bottom of the swap which accumulated layers upon layers. These layers eventually formed a soggy, dense material called peat. Over the millions of years, the earth’s surface, seas, and great rivers changed and caused deposits of sand, clay and other sedimentary rocks were formed. The pressure caused the weight to squeeze water from the peat. The deeper burial and heat associated with it steadily changed the material to coal. Scientists have also estimated that 3 to 7 feet of compacted plant matter is required to form 1 foot of bituminous coal. (COAL: Ancient Gift Serving modern Man, 2005).

Oil and natural gas were also formed more than 300 million years ago. Some scientists believe that diatoms, and many other animals that lived in the sea, could convert sunlight directly into stored energy. When they died, they would sink to the sea floor where they were eventually buried under sediment and other rocks. As they became buried deeper within the sea, the heat and pressure began to rise and the carbon eventually
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