The New Childrens Encyclopedia

RICHES FROM THE EARTH

43

FOSSIL FUELS

Coal, oil, and natural gas

are fossil fuels. These vital

resources formed from the

remains of animals and plants

that lived millions of years

ago. Over time, the vast pressure

and temperature under the ground

changed the remains into coal, oil,

and natural gas. Fossil fuels now

provide most of the world’s power. O Oil exploration destroys habitats
in wilderness areas, decimating local
populations of animals and plants.

O Oil spills from tankers

spread over vast distances

in ocean currents. These

environmental disasters

devastate marine wildlife

such as fish and seabirds.

O Burning fossil fuels in car engines

and power plants pumps huge volumes

of carbon dioxide into the air, which is

leading to global warming.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

Coal This hard black

solid forms when peat

deposits become buried

underground. Peat is a

rich type of soil formed

from plants and their

decaying remains. Over

millions of years, the

weight of the top

layers of peat pushes

down on the lower

levels. This squeezes

the peat, which first

turns into a mineral called

lignite and eventually into coal.

Oil This thick black liquid forms

from the remains of marine animals

and plants that lived millions of years

ago. The dead bodies were buried

under the seafloor and then slowly

transformed into crude oil, which

became trapped in layers of rock.

EARTH

 STRIKE IT LUCKY An oil worker guides
a giant hydraulic pump into position to extract
the crude oil from an oil well.

Compressed peat

Decaying plants forms lignite

form peat

Seam of coal

Oil rig

Oil

reservoir

Rock layer traps the

Decaying remains decaying remains

of marine life