The vast sea of coal reflects the sun, and the vegetation turns into dust and smoke for hundreds of millions of years. Appalachian miracles, who understands the mysteries?
Appalachian Coalfields: Earth's Great Treasure
When it comes to the world's largest coalfield, the Appalachian coalfield is at the top of the list. Its length is staggering, reaching 1,200 kilometers, equivalent to 1/4 of the distance between the north and south of the continent, and its width is between 50 and 300 kilometers, with an average thickness of 500 meters, and the thickest point can even reach 1,000 meters. On such a scale, people can't help but sigh at the magic of nature.
Abundant reserves and safe mining
Not only is the Appalachian coalfield staggering, with an estimated coal reserve of more than 300 billion tons, accounting for almost one-tenth of the world's coal reserves, but also a high level of mining security. The gas levels here are extremely low, well below average, and the coalfields are not completely buried deep underground, and some are even exposed to the surface. Even more impressively, more than 90% of bituminous coal is burned here, providing nearly half of United States' coal demand each year.
The Mystery of the Coal Field: How Do Plants Turn into Coal?
For hundreds of years, people have been curious about the rich coal deposits of the Appalachian Coalfields. Most scholars in the scientific community believe that coal is formed by plants after decay under high temperatures and pressures. In ancient times, plants died and accumulated in water, and after the action of anaerobic bacteria and long geological changes, they eventually formed the coal we see today.
Testimony of the Carboniferous-Permian
The Appalachian coalfield belongs to the Carboniferous-Permian coastal offshore coal measure, and the coal seams are mainly located in the Carboniferous. Most of these coal deposits were formed about 200 million years ago. At that time, a large number of plants grew on the earth, and the oxygen content was as high as 40%, twice as much as it is today. The Appalachian region is supposed to be a well-watered swamp, with many plants deposited after death, and over hundreds of millions of years of evolution to form the world's largest coal field.
The earth does not have a preference, and coalfields are found all over the world
While the Appalachian coalfields may seem like a huge gift from the earth to United States, this gift is not unique to United States. There are 7 major coalfields in the world, including the Dongsheng Yishenfu coalfield on the mainland. The Shenfu coalfield spans Inner Mongolia and Shaanxi, with a forecast reserve of 669 billion tons, which can meet the mainland's coal demand for 223 years. Its coal quality is rare in the world of high-quality thermal coal, laying a solid energy foundation for the development of the mainland.
The formation of the Appalachian coalfields is a masterpiece of nature for billions of years. It is not only a great treasure of United States, but also a testimony to the history of the earth. The Shenfu coalfield on the mainland, with its rich reserves and high-quality coal, also provides solid energy support for the development of the mainland. In the face of these gifts of nature, should we cherish them more and make more rational use of them? This is worth pondering and discussing in each and every one of us.
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