Explain the process of carbonisation and how coal is formed? [5 MARKS]
Process : 3 Marks
Carbonisation : 1 Mark
Coal formation : 1 Mark
About 300 million years ago the earth had dense forests in low lying wetland areas. Due to natural processes, like flooding, these forests got buried under the soil. As more soil got deposited over them, they were compressed. The temperature also rose as they sank deeper and deeper. Under high pressure and high temperature, dead plants got slowly converted to coal. As coal contains mainly carbon, the slow process of conversion of dead vegetation into coal is called carbonisation.
Since most of these substances were organic in nature, their decomposition led to large reserves of coal that we find today.