G8_The Story of Coal and the Carbon Cycle_Approaching_02

This large hunk of coal you are holding is really neat. It is hard to believe it is over 300 million years ago. This old coal mine you are standing in is an exciting place to visit. At first, you had second thoughts. Now you are glad your parents suggested it. Unlike a typical museum, this museum is very interactive. You get to go down into a once very active coal mine.

Going down into the mine is literally like going back in time hundreds of millions of years. At 300 feet below the surface, you finally reach the bottom of the mine. The tour guide explained the area and climate were much different back then. Currently, the region is covered by rolling hills in Earth’s temperate zone. 

It is hard to believe that the area was once a low-lying swampy area. The guide also explained how the region was once located near the equator. This tropical climate allowed dense forests to flourish. These forests are believed to have existed for hundreds of thousands of years.

In the layer of shale just above the coal seam, the guide pointed out the fossilized imprints of plants. The guide continued his explanation on how coal was formed in what he called “coal forests”.