Fossil Fuels And Alternative Methods Of Generating...

FOSSIL FUELS AND ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF GENERATING ELECTRICITY What are fossil fuels? Fossil fuels are natural resources created under the Earth’s surface from the remains of ancient organisms. These organisms include plants and animals and other organic matter. How are fossil fuels formed? Millions of years ago most of the land on Earth was covered with swamps and forests. As trees and plants died, they would sink to the bottom of the swamps. As more trees and plants died their remains would bury dead plants and organic matter underneath them creating layers of dead plants. As the layers of rotting material build up in the forests and swamps it is compressed by the heavy weight of the plants and water. This weight with high temperatures removes the moisture from the organic decaying matter. This creates peat. Over millions of years peat was covered by sand and clay and other minerals. These sediments changed into rocks called sedimentary rocks. Rock continued to pile up and compress the peat. This caused the water to be squeezed from the peat. Over millions of year this process turned peat into fossil fuels such as natural gas, oil and coal. Three examples of fossil fuels Three examples of fossil fuels include: †¢ Coal †¢ Oil †¢ Natural gas How are these fossil fuels used in Australia? COAL Coal is used to produce 80% of the nation’s electricity use. This is achieved by the burning of the coal to generate steam to power the turbines to create electricity. CoalShow MoreRelatedNuclear Energy Is Essential For The Modern World1400 Words   |  6 PagesAmerica and the rest of the modern world towards future, more efficient ways to generate electricity. Nuclear power plants do not produce smoke or carbon dioxide, unlike the alternative use of traditional fossil fuel power plants, posing threats to environmental safety. 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