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Pranati K., Julie M., Kirsten C., Veronica G., Elise H.
What are Fossil Fuels?
Combustible deposits in the Earth's crust, that are composed of the remnants
of prehistoric organisms that existed quite a long time ago. Most of the coal that we use today formed millions of years
ago. Fossil fuels are resources that are nonrenewable. That means that once they are all burned up and used, the
reserves will be empty and the world will have no more fossil fuels. Because the world will eventually run out of fossil
fuels, it is important to conserve them.
Different types of fossil fuels are coal, oil, and
natural gas. Coal has been used in homes
for several years as a source of heat. Coal was used a lot during the Industrial
Revolution, for example, coal was the energy source that powered the first steam engines.
Oil, or petroleum, and natural gas have been used in replace of coal because they are easier to transport. Oil is used to produce products like fertilizers, plastics and other everyday things. Natural gas is used mostly to heat homes and for industries like electric power generation.
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How fossil fuels are formed...
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Fossil fuels formed about
three hundred million years ago. During that time period, a lot of vegetation
grew. When those plants died, some of them fell into swamps which slowed the
decomposition process. Over time, the plants piled up and layers of sediment
were deposited on top of the plants. As a result of heat and pressure, the non-decomposed
plants turned into carbon rich rock, which is COAL.
OIL formed when aquatic organisms died and
settled in the sediment a long time ago. The oxygen-deficient water also slowed
the decomposition process. Due to extensive heat and pressure, hydrocarbons (oil)
were formed.
NATURAL
GAS was formed in the same manner as oil was except at higher temperatures.
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