Fossil Fuels: A Brief Introduction

Fossil fuels are natural resources, such as coal, oil and natural gas, containing hydrocarbons. These fuels are formed in the Earth over millions of years and produce carbon dioxide when burnt.Fossil fuels are fuels that are produced from fossilised organic material like dead sea life forms. Crude Oils and Natural Gas were formed by the deposit of the dead marine organisms on the sea bed, together with sand, silt and other sediments which formed the rocks under the sea. The formation of layers of rocks continued to take place and to build up containing the organic matter of the marine organisms and to create high pressure and temperature.
In the absence of oxygen, and under the effect of the combined factors of pressure, temperature, catalysis and time, the chemical components of these marine substances have undergone break-down and transformation into HYDROCARBON compounds trapped in small pores (pockets) in the rocks, the result of which was the formation of crude oil and natural gas within the rocks.

Different types of fossils fuels were formed depending upon the combination of animal and plant debris that was present, how long the material was buried, and what temperature and pressure existed when they were decomposing

-Coal
coal is formed with the decay of the earth. Coal is also found in mines.coal forms from the remains of plants which died in prehistoric swamps and wetlands. Organic plant matter at various stages of decay form peat, which, under certain pressure, time and heat conditions experiences slow rates of bacterial decay and eventually goes on to form coal

-Oil (petroleum)
Petroleum Oil is a liquid fossil fuel that is formed from the remains of marine microorganisms deposited on the sea floor.Oil was formed from the remains of tiny sea animals and plants that died millions of years ago. The organic material was then broken down into hydrogen and carbon atoms and a sponge-like rock was formed, full of oil

-Natural Gases
Natural Gases is a gaseous fossil fuel that is versatile, abundant and relatively clean compared to coal and oil. If heat is greater than 300 degrees C, the liquid petroleum is further broken down to form natural gas. If heat is too great, even the natural gas is broken down to form carbon dioxide, which has no value as a fuel