Coal Formation

Coal was formed during the Pennsylvania period in West Virginia. Coal is the remains of swamp plants approximately 300-400 years old. Dead plants are buried in swamp and lack oxygen; this causes the plants to form peat instead of rotting. Sediment covered and compressed the peat. Peat is the precursor to coal, which then becomes lignite, or brown coal, often used to generate electric power. Lignite forms bituminous/black coal, which becomes anthracite coal, also known as hard coal. This then becomes coke, a coal product. The key factors in this process are the lack of oxygen and compression.