ABSTRACT
In the chemical and geological senses, coal is an organic natural product or, more correctly, an organic rock formed from partially decomposed (and decomposing) plant debris (and, in some cases, animal debris) which had collected in regions where waterlogged swampy conditions prevailed (Terres, 1931; Lowry, 1945; Francis, 1961; Lowry, 1963; Murchison and Westoll, 1968; Elliott, 1981; Bend et al., 1991; Bend, 1992). These conditions prevented complete decay of the debris (to carbon dioxide and water) as it accumulated and was subsequently metamorphosed to eventually lead to the material now known as coal.
