Designing a system of mining to suit the split seams in the Northumberland coal field. Analysing the small detail reveals how it was formed.

Earth's physical resources: extracting coal and oil - for iPod/iPhone

Coal formation

Most people throw coal on the fire and put petrol in their cars without really thinking about it. But, looking at sediment deposits can reveal what type of environments created our coal and oil hundreds of millions of years ago. The five video tracks in this album examine the role of geology in determining the global distribution and availability of these valuable resources. They look at the formation of coal and how to mine it safely, the extraction of crude oil from the Athabasca oil sands and Colorado oil shale, and how we discovered reservoirs of oil in Jurassic rocks under the North Sea. This material forms part of S278, Earth's physical resources: origin, use and environmental impact.

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Earth's physical resources: extracting coal and oil - for iPod/iPhone