Most nonrenewable energy sources are fossil fuels: coal, petroleum, and natural gas. Carbon is the main element in fossil fuels. For this reason, the time period that fossil fuels formed (about 360-300 million years ago) is called the Carboniferous Period.
All fossil fuels formed in a similar way. Hundreds of millions of years ago, even before the dinosaurs, Earth had a different landscape. It was covered with wide, shallow seas and swampy forests.
Plants, algae, and plankton grew in these ancient wetlands. They absorbed sunlight and created energy through photosynthesis. When they died, the organisms drifted to the bottom of the sea or lake. There was energy stored in the plants and animals when they died.
Over time, the dead plants were crushed under the seabed. Rocks and other sediment piled on top of them, creating high heat and pressure underground. In this environment, the plant and animal remains eventually turned into fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and petroleum). Today, there are huge underground pockets (called reservoirs) of these nonrenewable sources of energy all over the world.
However, burning fossil fuels is harmful to the environment. When coal and oil are burned, they release particles that can pollute the air, water, and land. Some of these particles are caught and set aside, but many of them are released into the air.
Burning fossil fuels also upsets Earth''s "carbon budget," which balances the carbon in the ocean, earth, and air. When fossil fuels are combusted (heated), they release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a gas that keeps heat in Earth''s atmosphere, a process called the "greenhouse effect." The greenhouse effect is necessary to life on Earth, but relies on a balanced carbon budget.
The carbon in fossil fuels has been sequestered, or stored, underground for millions of years. By removing this sequestered carbon from the ground and releasing it into the atmosphere, Earth''s carbon budget is out of balance. This contributes to temperatures rising faster than organisms can adapt.
Coal is a black or brownish rock. We burn coal to create energy. Coal is ranked depending on how much "carbonization" it has gone through. Carbonization is the process that ancient organisms undergo to become coal. About three meters (10 feet) of solid vegetation crushed together form 0.3 meter (one foot) of coal!
Peat is the lowest rank of coal. It has gone through the least amount of carbonization. It is an important fuel in areas of the world including Scotland, Ireland, and Finland.
Anthracite is the highest rank of coal. Anthracite forms in regions of the world where there have been giant movements of the earth, such as the formation of mountain ranges. The Appalachian Mountains, in the eastern part of the United States, are rich in anthracite.
Underground mining is used when the coal is located below the surface of Earth, sometimes 300 meters (1,000 feet) deep—that''s deeper than most of the Great Lakes! Miners take an elevator down a mineshaft. They operate heavy machinery that cuts the coal out, and brings it above ground. This can be dangerous work because cutting coal can release dangerous gases. The gases can cause explosions or make it hard for miners to breathe.
Almost 20 percent the electricity in the United States comes from coal. It gives power to our lights, refrigerators, dishwashers, and most other things we plug in. When coal is burned, it leaves "byproducts" that are also valuable. We use the byproducts to make cement, plastics, roads, and many other things.
When coal is burned, it releases many toxic gases and pollutants into the atmosphere. Mining for coal can also cause the ground to cave in and create underground fires that burn for decades at a time.
Petroleum is trapped by underground rock formations. In some places, oil bubbles right out of the ground. At the LaBrea Tar Pits, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., big pools of thick oil bubble up through the ground. Remains of animals that got trapped there thousands of years ago are still preserved in the tar!
Most of the world''s oil is still deep under the ground. We drill through the earth to access the oil. Some deposits are on land, and others are under the ocean floor.
There are advantages to drilling for oil. It is relatively inexpensive to extract. It is also a reliable and dependable source of energy and money for the local community.
Oil provides us with thousands of conveniences. In the form of gasoline, it is a portable source of energy that gives us the power to drive places. Petroleum is also an ingredient in many items that we depend on.
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