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Why is peat classified as a fossil fuel?

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  1. Apr 17, 2009 #1

    misgfool

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    Why is it classified as a fossil fuel?
     
    misgfool, Apr 17, 2009
  2. jcsd
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  3. Apr 17, 2009 #2

    Xnn

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    Re: Peat

    Because it is dug up from the ground.

    Fossils (from Latin fossus, literally "having been dug up")
     
    Xnn, Apr 17, 2009
  4. Apr 17, 2009 #3

    misgfool

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    Re: Peat

    So uranium is a fossil fuel?
     
    misgfool, Apr 17, 2009
  5. Apr 17, 2009 #4

    mgb_phys

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    Re: Peat

    Fossil fuel usually means the buried remains of living stuff - peat is 10,000 old trees.
     
    mgb_phys, Apr 17, 2009
  6. Apr 17, 2009 #5

    misgfool

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    Re: Peat

    So how old does ex-living stuff have to be to become a fossil?
     
    misgfool, Apr 17, 2009
  7. Apr 18, 2009 #6

    Evo

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    Re: Peat

    Peat is not a fossil fuel, not by definition, although some people are now trying to call it an "un-renewable" fuel source, although it does renew. Political agencies are now classifying peat as a fossil fuel because in some areas it is possible to use up a local supply faster than it can renew. It is a classification for economic purpopses. That doesn't change the fact that it is not the same.

    Peat is what you had millions of years *before* it became a fossil fuel, such as coal.

    http://www.scienceonline.co.uk/energy/nonrenewable.html

    What is peat?

    http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache...f+fossil+fuels+peat&cd=14&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 24, 2017
    Evo, Apr 18, 2009
  8. Apr 18, 2009 #7

    misgfool

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    Re: Peat

    That's actually a good answer.
     
    misgfool, Apr 18, 2009
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