Coal

Is coal still being formed today?

Coal takes longer to form than any other rock type (Source: CribbVisuals/iStockphoto)

Is the process that is at the origin of coal still existent, why or why not, and where does proof of it exist?

Most of us rarely pick up a piece of coal these days, but if you do find a lump of the black rock, you'll be holding a piece of geological history.

"In general, a high quality black coal seam would take millions of years, if not hundreds of millions of years to form" says Dr Judy Bailey, coal geologist at the Discipline of Earth Science University of Newcastle