Fossils

[.... callchet ....]

When I worked in the coal mines, I used to see tons of huge fossils mined. Whole trees and many of whatever .

[Orrex]

1. Spring

Sometimes in the spring we'd hike down to the meadow to pick berries.

[slackmaster]

2. I have a big jar with lumps of coal in it

Since I live in Southern California, the stuff is not at all common. I'd like to see a whole tree of it.

[Javaman]

3. I would have loved to see that. wonder if there are any photos on the net. nt

[phantom power]

4. did you ever have paleontologists checking them out?

[Dogmudgeon]

5. It's pretty common

http://www.smm.org/buzz/blog/huge-underground-fossil-rainforests-discovered-illinois-coa">Huge underground fossil rainforests discovered in Illinois coal mine.

Coal is made of compressed buried plants. So it makes sense.

--p!

[Fledermaus]

6. Lycospid trees... All pictures are looking up at the roof of the mine.

http://www.isgs.uiuc.edu/research/coal/fossil-forest/people-places.shtml

[.... callchet ....]

8. Very dangerous conditions ! !

One of those pictures taken actually inside the coalmine showed roof bolts. One of those roof bolts had lost some of the material that was between it

and the existing roof. That was a deadly condition. That area had no support and would be subject to caving in. A Federal mine inspector would have

quarantined that area, issued a citation and had additional supports installed. If you have any contact with those people, advise them of this

condition immediately. I went to the web sight but could find no link to the coalmine.

[Citizen Number 9]

7. Cool.

And they all got burned up, releasing the energy of the sun that fell on the earth millions of years ago.

[.... callchet ....]

9. To be recycled

and burned again in another few million years. Energy and matter cannot be destroyed, just changed.