Fossil fuels www.bp.com/bpes/ysienergy

Where do coal, oil and gas come from?

• Coal, oil, and gas are fossil fuels, and can be burnt.

• They are very important because we use them in so many ways.

The big three: coal, oil and gas

Fossil fuels www.bp.com/bpes/ysienergy

How did they get in the ground in the first place?

• You probably know that fossils are very old dead plants and animals found in the ground.

• Well that’s what fossil fuels are: dead things that have been buried under rock for millions of years.

Billions of skeletons

Fossil fuels www.bp.com/bpes/ysienergy

How do we get coal out of the ground?

Coal is formed like this:

• Dead plant material gathers as trees die near the coast.

• The sea floods the swamp so it is covered with sand and mud.

• Over time weight and heat change the plant material into coal.

Swamp Sea Dead plant material Layers of sand and rock

Old king coal

Fossil fuels www.bp.com/bpes/ysienergy

How do we get oil and natural gas out of the ground?

Layers of mud and sand

Gas

Layers of rock

Slime becomes oil

1. Long ago millions of tiny sea plants and animals died.

2. Their bodies sank and turned into a slime, which was buried by mud and sand.

3. The mud and sand became rock after millions of years, and the slime became oil and gas, trapped between layers.

Valuable oil and precious gasThis is how oil and gas are formed:

Fossil fuels www.bp.com/bpes/ysienergy

How else can electricity be made?

Coal is made into all sorts of products: steel, medicines, plastics, dyes and tar for roads. Coal also helps to make something we use all the time: electricity. Here’s how:

1. Coal is burned to heat water.

2. Steam makes a turbine spin.

3. A generator makes electricity.

4. Electricity travels along cables.

What’s the big deal with coal?

Fossil fuels www.bp.com/bpes/ysienergy

Oil and natural gas are fuels. When they are burned they give off heat. They can be used to make engines work, or to heat homes and offices.

What else is oil used for?

Oil can also be made into many things: plastic, paints, cleaning products and even clothes!

Why all the fuss about oil and gas?

Fossil fuels www.bp.com/bpes/ysienergy

How is global warming affecting

the Earth?

1. Burning them causes pollution – this can make people and animals ill and damage buildings.

2. Burning them contributes to global warming – this is affecting the whole planet.

Something to think about…There are two big challenges with fossil fuels: