The Fantastically Strange Origin of Most Coal on Earth (2016)
3 hours ago
- #microbial evolution
- #Carboniferous period
- #coal formation
- Coal formation was exceptionally high during the Carboniferous period due to the lack of wood-decomposing microbes.
- Ancient trees with shallow roots grew tall but fell easily, accumulating in swamps without decomposing because lignin- and cellulose-eating bacteria and fungi had not yet evolved.
- This resulted in massive burial of wood, compressed over time into peat and then coal, locking carbon away instead of releasing it into the atmosphere.
- Approximately 90% of today's coal originates from this single geological period, significantly impacting modern pollution and energy use.
- Modern wood-eating microbes, like Trichonympha in termite guts, now decompose wood efficiently, recycling carbon and nutrients, highlighting the profound ecological impact of microbial evolution.