Question
Coal, oil, and natural gas are fossil fuels. While oil and natural gas form from the remains of ancient marine plants and animals, coal forms from the remains of ancient land plants.
In the United States, most oil and natural gas deposits began to form 100–200 million years ago. Coal deposits are older, forming 350 million years ago during the Carboniferous Period. At this time, many parts of the United States were covered by swamps.
Swamps created the ideal conditions for coal formation: lots of plants and low oxygen levels. Too much oxygen speeds up the decay of dead plants, leaving nothing behind to become coal. Less oxygen allows thick layers of plant remains to build up. After hundreds of millions of years of heat and pressure, these layers can become coal.
A map of the United States showing the distribution of different types of coal: anthracite, bituminous, subbituminous, and lignite. The map highlights the areas where these types of coal are found, with anthracite located primarily in Pennsylvania, bituminous found in the Appalachians and the Midwest, subbituminous found in the Rocky Mountains, and lignite found in the Great Plains
Credit: United States Energy Information Administration (April 2024)
This map shows the locations of major coal deposits in the United States. Each color represents a different type of coal. These types are distinguished by the amount of time, heat, and pressure required for them to form.
Use the map to answer Questions 1–3 below.
1
Fill in the blanks to complete the sentences. Not all answer choices will be used.
Anthracite coal forms under the greatest pressure and heat. According to the map, anthracite is the
form of coal in the United States.
2
Memphis, Tennessee is marked with a star on the map. If you were able to visit Memphis 350 million years ago, what kind of landscape would you see?
A
Prehistoric forest
B
Desert
C
Swamp
D
Rocks and sand underwater
3
Now find Minneapolis, Minnesota on the map. It is north of Memphis and marked with a star. If you were able to visit Minneapolis 350 million years ago, would you see the same landscape you identified in Question 2? Briefly justify your answer.
Since coal is nonrenewable, it cannot be replaced as fast as it is used. Recent studies indicate that the United States has about 470 billion tons of coal beneath its surface. That’s about 940 trillion pounds of coal. About three-quarters of these reserves are found in six states: Montana, Illinois, Wyoming, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania. Almost all coal used in the United States is burned for electricity.
4
How might human activity affect the location of coal deposits?
A
Coal deposits will eventually expand into coastal areas
B
Coal will be found in fewer places as humans use up deposits
C
Coal deposits will move towards cities where more people live
D
Coal is a natural resource that cannot be affected by human activity
5
Which two factors make coal nonrenewable?
It is only found underground
It produces harmful air pollution
It takes hundreds of millions of years to form
It is constantly washed away by rivers and oceans
It only forms under specific environmental conditions
In the United States, most oil and natural gas deposits began to form 100–200 million years ago. Coal deposits are older, forming 350 million years ago during the Carboniferous Period. At this time, many parts of the United States were covered by swamps.
Swamps created the ideal conditions for coal formation: lots of plants and low oxygen levels. Too much oxygen speeds up the decay of dead plants, leaving nothing behind to become coal. Less oxygen allows thick layers of plant remains to build up. After hundreds of millions of years of heat and pressure, these layers can become coal.
A map of the United States showing the distribution of different types of coal: anthracite, bituminous, subbituminous, and lignite. The map highlights the areas where these types of coal are found, with anthracite located primarily in Pennsylvania, bituminous found in the Appalachians and the Midwest, subbituminous found in the Rocky Mountains, and lignite found in the Great Plains
Credit: United States Energy Information Administration (April 2024)
This map shows the locations of major coal deposits in the United States. Each color represents a different type of coal. These types are distinguished by the amount of time, heat, and pressure required for them to form.
Use the map to answer Questions 1–3 below.
1
Fill in the blanks to complete the sentences. Not all answer choices will be used.
Anthracite coal forms under the greatest pressure and heat. According to the map, anthracite is the
form of coal in the United States.
2
Memphis, Tennessee is marked with a star on the map. If you were able to visit Memphis 350 million years ago, what kind of landscape would you see?
A
Prehistoric forest
B
Desert
C
Swamp
D
Rocks and sand underwater
3
Now find Minneapolis, Minnesota on the map. It is north of Memphis and marked with a star. If you were able to visit Minneapolis 350 million years ago, would you see the same landscape you identified in Question 2? Briefly justify your answer.
Since coal is nonrenewable, it cannot be replaced as fast as it is used. Recent studies indicate that the United States has about 470 billion tons of coal beneath its surface. That’s about 940 trillion pounds of coal. About three-quarters of these reserves are found in six states: Montana, Illinois, Wyoming, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania. Almost all coal used in the United States is burned for electricity.
4
How might human activity affect the location of coal deposits?
A
Coal deposits will eventually expand into coastal areas
B
Coal will be found in fewer places as humans use up deposits
C
Coal deposits will move towards cities where more people live
D
Coal is a natural resource that cannot be affected by human activity
5
Which two factors make coal nonrenewable?
It is only found underground
It produces harmful air pollution
It takes hundreds of millions of years to form
It is constantly washed away by rivers and oceans
It only forms under specific environmental conditions
Answers
Answered by
GPT-4o mini
1. Anthracite coal forms under the greatest pressure and heat. According to the map, anthracite is the **least common** form of coal in the United States.
2. If you were able to visit Memphis 350 million years ago, you would see a **C) Swamp**. This is because the conditions for coal formation included the presence of swamps with lots of plants and low oxygen levels.
3. If you were to visit Minneapolis, Minnesota 350 million years ago, you would likely see the same landscape you identified in Question 2, which is a **swamp**. This conclusion is justified because, during that time, much of the continental U.S. was covered by similar swampy environments conducive to the formation of coal.
4. Human activity might affect the location of coal deposits in the following way: **B) Coal will be found in fewer places as humans use up deposits.** As coal is extracted and consumed, the remaining reserves will diminish, leading to fewer locations where coal can be found.
5. The two factors that make coal nonrenewable are:
- **It takes hundreds of millions of years to form.**
- **It only forms under specific environmental conditions.**
2. If you were able to visit Memphis 350 million years ago, you would see a **C) Swamp**. This is because the conditions for coal formation included the presence of swamps with lots of plants and low oxygen levels.
3. If you were to visit Minneapolis, Minnesota 350 million years ago, you would likely see the same landscape you identified in Question 2, which is a **swamp**. This conclusion is justified because, during that time, much of the continental U.S. was covered by similar swampy environments conducive to the formation of coal.
4. Human activity might affect the location of coal deposits in the following way: **B) Coal will be found in fewer places as humans use up deposits.** As coal is extracted and consumed, the remaining reserves will diminish, leading to fewer locations where coal can be found.
5. The two factors that make coal nonrenewable are:
- **It takes hundreds of millions of years to form.**
- **It only forms under specific environmental conditions.**