Transcript Coal - Pennsylvania State University

Coal and Plate Motion
Developed by:
2008-2009 TESSE Graduate Student Fellows
Penn State University
Examine the USA Coal Reserves
American Coal Foundation (2010)
Some Review...
What environmental conditions would
have been present in the states
containing coal reserves during the time
of coal formation?
Are such conditions present today in
Pennsylvania?
What made it possible for these
conditions to exist in the past?
Think about the following questions
while examining the Paleomaps
After marking the approximate location
of PA on each map, during which period
is it most likely that coal formed in
Pennsylvania and why?
Do the paleomaps give you any
indication as to when the coal reserves
to the west (near the Rocky Mountains)
formed?
Scotese (2003)
425 Ma – During the Silurian, Laurentia collided with Baltica, which closed the
northern branch of the Iapetus Ocean and formed a new continent. During this
time, coral reefs expanded and land plants began to colonize on the continents.
Scotese (2003)
390 Ma – The early Paleozoic oceans continued to close during the Devonian, forming
a “pre-Pangea”. Freshwater fish could migrate from continents in the southern
hemisphere to North America and Europe. Also, forests began to grow in the equatorial
regions of the Arctic.
Scotese (2003)
356 Ma – Pangea began to form during the Early Carboniferous as the Paleozoic oceans between
Euramerica and Gondwana began to close. These closures led to the formation of the Appalachian
and Variscan mountains. Meanwhile, an ice cap grew at the South Pole, and four-legged
vertebrates evolved in the coal swamps near the equator.
Scotese (2003)
306 Ma – The Late Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian Epoch) is known as the time of great coal
swamps. The land masses that make up modern North America and Europe collided with the
southern continents of Gondwana to form the western portion of Pangea. Widespread coal
swamps formed along the equator, while a lot of the southern hemisphere was covered in ice.
Scotese (2003)
100 Ma – During the Cretaceous a huge inland sea called the Western Interior Seaway cut through North
America. When the Pacific and North American plates collided, the Rocky Mountains began to form in the
western U.S. High sea levels led to flooding of the lowlands to the east of the Rocky Mountains. Waters
from the Arctic Ocean to the north and the Gulf of Mexico to the south met to form the seaway that grew
Now examine the Western Interior Seaway
Map and Climate of Cretaceous Period
Do these maps (in combination with the
paleomaps) give you any indication as
to when the coal reserves to the west
(near the Rocky Mountains) formed?
Do you see similarities or correlations
between landscape and presence of
coal amongst the maps?
Western Interior Seaway Map
Blakey’s Late Cretaceous Map (75 Ma)
Climate of Cretaceous Period
Scotese (2003)
What can you determine about the
Global Coal Reserves?