Coal

Let’s imagine for a moment that there was no coal.

Hey, who turned out the lights? And why isn’t the
refrigerator working, or the TV? Much of the
electricity we use comes from coal.

Coal is a black rock. It produces energy when it

burns. The Chinese were mining and using coal for
fuel over 3,000 years ago. It once powered the
world’s industry. It helped make the United States a
wealthy nation. Coal-burning trains carried people
and products across the country. Today, coal-
burning power plants produce electricity for many
homes and businesses.

WHAT IS COAL?
Coal is mostly made up of the element carbon. When
carbon burns, it releases a large amount of energy as
heat. That’s what makes coal such a useful fuel.

Coal is a fossil fuel. That means it comes from the remains

of ancient life buried deep in Earth’s crust. The coal we
use today started out as plants that grew in swamps
millions of years ago. When the plants died, they settled
to the swamp bottom. Over time, layers of mud and rock
formed. They compressed and hardened the plant
material. Heat and pressure caused chemical changes.
Gradually, the once-living matter became coal.

COAL MINING
Coal deposits are found in many parts of the world. Taking
these deposits from the ground is called coal mining.
Some coal deposits lie close to Earth’s surface. They can
be mined by scraping away the dirt and rock. This is called
surface mining, or strip mining.

Other deposits lie deep underground. Miners must drill and

blast deep holes in order to reach them. They bring
machinery down to dig out the coal. This is called
underground mining, or deep mining. Underground mines
can be more than 1,000 feet (300 meters) deep. Their
tunnels can be several miles long.

Deep mining is a dangerous job. Cave-ins, fires, and

explosions are some of the dangers. Coal mining can also
release poisonous gases. In the 1800s, miners would bring
small birds into the mines as a safety alarm. If a bird died,
it showed that there was poisonous gas in the mine.
Today, miners use machines to test the air.

Surface mining is cheaper, easier, and safer than deep

mining. But it scars the land. It can also create pollution
and cause the soil to wash away.

HOW DO WE USE COAL?

A century ago, coal powered the steam engines that ran
most machinery. Once, most American homes and office
buildings were heated by coal-burning furnaces. Most of
these jobs are now done by oil or natural gas.

Five-sixths of the coal mined today in the United States is

used in electric power plants. Coal is also used in making
iron and steel and in the cement- and paper-making
industries.

PROBLEMS WITH COAL

Like other fossil fuels such as oil, coal is a nonrenewable
resource. This means that once it’s used up, it’s gone. But
the United States has a lot of coal. It would take hundreds
of years to use it all.

Burning coal causes air pollution. Chemicals in coal can

produce “acid rain.” Acid rain kills plants and pollutes
rivers. However, machines called scrubbers can keep most
of this pollution from getting into the atmosphere.

Burning coal also releases gases that cause global

warming. These gases trap heat from the Sun. The
trapped heat warms up the planet. Global warming could
cause icecaps to melt and change Earth’s climate. Burning
all of the coal available to us would be bad for the
environment.
Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.