WTF is a Fossil Fuel? 🪨

Morning Fossils!

So… Fossil fuels.

Stuff like:

The things that make your car go, heat your house, and… keep your refrigerator running.

But what actually is a fossil fuel?

So it's 300 million years ago.

During a time known as the carboniferous period.

When the world looked a bit like this:

Basically, just a swampy forest full of weird bugs, various microorganisms, trees, and other large leafy plants.

But the thing is, nothing lives forever.

So when these things died, they sank to the bottom of the swamp.

And these dead things kept dying and layering on top of each other.

Gradually piling up in thick layers of spongy material called peat.

And this peat kept building up and up.

Until eventually, it was covered in a layer of sediment.

And sediment can get really heavy.

So over a long ass time, (like MILLIONS of years).

This sediment builds up, compacting the peat more and more…

Creating a TON of pressure.

And as you get more pressure…

You get more heat.

And as the peat slowly cooks, it leaves behind the raw ingredient of all life on earth… CARBON.

Aka pure delicious coal!

Nice!

But what about the other fossil fuels?

Well, they basically have the same story.

Oil comes from compacted plankton and algae from the ocean.

And natural gas, same as oil, but just more heat and pressure!!!

Stay Cute,
Reece, Henry & Dylan 🌈

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