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Coal Geology

Coal: how it forms, where it's found, what it means to geologists.
Coal in a Nutshell
What coal is, where and how it forms, and the story it tells geologists.
Coal in the Home
Americans don't burn coal at home any more, but it still works for most of the world.
The Carboniferous Coal Forests
An online exhibit from the Hooper Virtual Natural History Museum.
Coal in Appalachian Railroad Modeling
Now this is a specialist site: Dan Bourque covers the basics of coal mining and shipping so your model train will look exactly right.
Coal in the Carboniferous
Monte Hieb wrote this long, illustrated treatment of how coal formed during the Carboniferous Period. Follow the links to his fossil photos.
Atlas of Coal Macerals
Look on the left sash for the Coal Macerals tutorial, from John Crelling of Southern Illinois University.
Coal Glossary
About 200 different terms from the U.S. Department of Energy.

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