Coal

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/coal

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific classification?A combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock
2. What is the formation zone?Formed in ancient swamp environments from accumulated plant debris
3. What is coal and how does it form?Coal is a black rock made from ancient plant material. It starts as peat in swampy, oxygen‑poor places and hardens over millions of years into different types of coal.
4. How did coal help the Industrial Revolution?Coal powered steam engines that ran factories, trains, and ships. This made production faster and helped cities grow and trade expand.

Coalification: The geological process of transforming peat into coal under heat and pressure over millions of years.
Anoxic Environment: An environment lacking sufficient oxygen, which prevents the complete decomposition of organic matter.
Lithostatic Pressure: The pressure exerted by the weight of overlying rocks and sediments.
Thermodynamic Efficiency: The ratio of useful energy output to the total energy input in a system, like a power plant.