From the Earth: how resources are made

Coal is a natural resource millions of years in the making. Since over 40 percent of the world's electricity comes from burning coal, it remains an important, though sometimes controversial, energy source. The processes that transform organic remains into coal, coal mines, and the carbon cycle are important topics covered in this valuable volume. Readers will learn about the pollution attributed to the burning of coal as well as about coal alternatives....

Without iron ore, we wouldn't have steel, and without steel, we wouldn't have the magnificent skyscrapers, bridges, and many other structures that demand building materials of considerable strength. In fact, about 98 percent of all mined iron ore is used in the production of steel. Future architects and engineers will discover how the mineral substance iron ore forms, where it's found, and how it's transformed through smelting into a useful industrial...