What is Coal?
[[File:Coal bituminous.jpg|thumb|200px|A piece of bituminous coal]] [[File:Coal anthracite.jpg|thumb|200px|A piece of high-quality anthracite coal]] '''Coal''' is a hard [[Rock (geology)|rock]] which can be burned as a [[fossil fuel]]. It is mostly [[carbon]] but also contains [[hydrogen]], [[sulphur]], [[oxygen]] and [[nitrogen]]. It is a [[sedimentary rock]] formed from [[peat]], by the pressure of rocks laid down later on top. [[Peat]], and therefore coal, is formed from the remains of [[plant]]s which lived millions of years ago in [[tropical]] [[wetland]]s ([[coal swamps]]), such as those of the late [[Carboniferous]] period (the [[Pennsylvanian]]). [[Charcoal]] is made by wood heated in an airless space. Coal can be burned for [[energy]] or [[heat]]. About two-thirds of the coal [[Coal mining|mined]] today is burned in [[power station]]s to make [[electricity]]. Like [[petroleum|oil]], when coal is burned its carbon joins with oxygen in the air and makes a lot of [[carbon dioxide]], which causes [[climate change]]. Many people die early because of illnesses from [[air pollution]] from coal. Most countries are turning to other sources of energy, such as [[solar power]] and [[wind power]]. But new [[coal power]] plants are still being built in some parts of the world, such as China. Coal can be roasted (heated very hot in a place where there is no [[oxygen]]) to produce [[Coke (fuel)|coke]]. Coke can be used in [[metallurgy|smelting]] to [[reduction (chemistry)|reduce]] metals from their [[ore]]s. [[File:Tagebau Garzweiler Panorama 2005.jpg|center|1000px|thumb|Opencast coal mine in Garzweiler, Germany. High resolution panorama.]] == History == [[File:British.coalfields.19th.century.jpg|thumb|right|150px|British coalfields in the nineteenth century.]] Coal was the most important fuel of the [[Industrial Revolution]].<ref>{{cite web |title=History KS3 & KS4/GCSE: The importance of coal in the Industrial Revolution |url=https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/clips/zgtk2hv |website=BBC Class Clips Video |language=en