fossil fuels

• examples of fossil fuels are coal,oil and natural gas
• fossil fuels are formed from the remains of plants and animals 200-300 million years ago
• fossil fuels come from the earths crust
• coal is the most widely used igneous rock because it is cheap and has a high energy content
• the energy in coal comes from the energy in trees that was formed years ago
• peat,lignite and coal are all formed from the remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago
• lignite is brownish black with a waxy texture and can be easily scratched by a fingernail
• hard coals are darker than lignite and harder to scratch
• anthracite is very hard and shiny
• fossils are found in sedimentary rocks such as sandstone or limestone
• coal is burnt to make 3 things: electricity, steel and cement
• electricity is made from burning coal in power stations
• methane is highly flamable and is a greenhouse gas
• methane is made out of 1 carbon atom and 4 hydrogen atoms
• natural gas is used to heat homes and cook food
• oil is formed when the remains of dead plants and animals get buried under layers of mud and rock
• oil is made by the remains of dead plants and animals being buried under layers of mud and rock over millions of years