Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds
From the Old English term col, which has meant mineral of fossilized carbon since the 13th century
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel Production
Alumina Refineries, Electricity Generation, Liquid Fuel, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Paper Industry
Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite
Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
Archaeological Significance
Coal forms from the accumulation of plant debris in a swamp environment which is buried by sediments such as mud or sand and then compacted to form coal.
Analcime, Apatite, Barite, Calcite, Chalcopyrite, Chlorite, Chromite, Clausthalite, Clay Minerals, Crandallite Group, Dolomite, Feldspar, Galena, Gypsum, Marcasite, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Siderite, Sphalerite, Zircon
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Deposits in Western Continents
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
Deposits in Oceania Continent
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
Learn more about Properties of Coal
What is Coal? In this section, we will learn more about properties of Coal i.e. physical and thermal properties. Physical properties of Coal include Color, Streak, Hardness, Structure, Cleavage, Fracture, Luster, Specific Gravity etc. The strength of Coal is -. Streak of Coal is black while its cleavage is . Luster of Coal is dull to vitreous to submetallic and its fracture is conchoidal. Coal is opaque in nature. Know all about Coal, What is Coal, its composition, features, facts and reserves in next sections.
Know about Composition of Coal
What is Coal composed of? Get to know about composition of Coal here. Coal definition gives information about the Formation of Coal and its composition.The composition of Coal can be further divided into mineral and compound content. The mineral content of Coal rock includes Analcime, Apatite, Barite, Calcite, Chalcopyrite, Chlorite, Chromite, Clausthalite, Clay Minerals, Crandallite Group, Dolomite, Feldspar, Galena, Gypsum, Marcasite, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Siderite, Sphalerite, Zircon and The compound content of Coal rock includes Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur. Almost all rocks undergo transformation process. Know all about Coal rock in next section.