how coal is formed?

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like petroleum and natural gas,coal is fossil fuel-a fuel that comes from one living things.coal was formed from plants.it is made up largely of the element carbon,but it also contains hydrogen and small amounts of most other elements.the coal that is mined today began to ferm long before people appeared on the earth.giant ferns,reeds,and primitive trees grew in swamps.when the plants died,they fell into the swamps and began to decay.a thick layer of parially decomposed vegetation gradually was built up.as centuries passed,the plant material at the bottom was pressed tightly together by the weight of material above it.under this pressure it turned into a brown spongy peat.