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Encyclopedia of Geochemistry pp 1–16Cite as

Coal

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:

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Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

Definition

Coal is a naturally occurring sedimentary carbonaceous rock composed of at least 50% organic matter by weight, and 70% carbonaceous material by volume, mostly from the diagenesis (chemical and physical alteration) of plant material in buried peat (Schopf 1956, 1966; Alpern and DeSousa 2002). Coal is a solid hydrocarbon . It is a rock that can burn. Coal does not have a distinct chemical formula, although it is dominated by complexly bound C, H, O, N, and S. Coal has an organic matrix but also contains inorganic (mineral) and fluid components. The chemical variability in coal is a result of (1) variability in the soils and weathered surfaces upon which the peat accumulated, (2) different types of plants and plant remains in peat, different types of peat mires, (3) the depositional history of the peat mire, (4) the syndepositional environments lateral to the peat which contributed inorganic sediment to the mire, (5) burial environments and history, (6) the long...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kentucky Geological Survey, University of Kentucky, 228 Mining and Mineral Resources Building, Lexington, KY, USA

    Stephen F. Greb & Cortland F. Eble

  2. Center for Applied Energy Research, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA

    James C. Hower

Authors
  1. Stephen F. Greb
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  2. Cortland F. Eble
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  3. James C. Hower
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Correspondence to Stephen F. Greb .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth, Cornell University Department of Earth, Ithaca, New York, USA

    William M. White

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Greb, S.F., Eble, C.F., Hower, J.C. (2017). Coal. In: White, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geochemistry. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39193-9_153-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39193-9_153-1

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