How Coal Is Formed
Coal is a very important fossil fuel. Without coal, steel would never have been invented and could have changed my life dramatically. The reason for this is because I am from Pittsburgh. At one point in time Pittsburgh was the leading producer of steel, and even had the nickname “The Steel City.” During the early 1900’s, steel factories were the main source of an income for people living in Pittsburgh. Working in these steel factories has been a part of my family’s past, since three generations of my family have been part of the steel industry. Therefore coal is somewhat a part of me and learning about what coal and how it is formed fascinates me.
The first step in the formation of coal is the build up decomposed plant debris known as peat. Peat is a complex hydrocarbon that is the building block for coal. There are several factors that influence the formation of peat. The first two factors are “the evolutionary development of plant life” and the climate conditions. Conditions have to be warm enough to produce plants, and have a sufficient amount of moisture to allow plants to decompose and protect the peat. The last factor consists of the physical circumstances of the area, which include locations of bodies of water and “rates of subsidence or uplift” (Coal 2005). During a particular humid climate of the Carboniferous Period (360 to 286 million years ago), large tropical trees, ferns, and other plants constructed the great amount of areas that make up the coal beds of today (Peat 2005).
The best conditions for coal to form are slow, constant subsidence, levees, beaches, and bars which give protection, and a limited supply of sediments that would stop peat formation (Coal 2005). With these conditions, the plant matter is able to build up. Bacterial decay through microorganisms begins to occur and peat is formed.
Note that much of plant matter that lies on the surface of the Earth is never converted to peat because of organic decomposition and natural fires (Coal 2005). When this occurs closer to the surface and oxygen is available, an aerobic process occurs producing gaseous and liquid products.
Baseball players and fans call it Tommy John surgery, after the pitcher who was the first to have the surgery 29 years ago. By any designation, it is one of the major advancements in sports medicine in the last quarter century. Technically it is a ulnar collateral ligament replacements procedure.
If you are a pitcher it usually takes 12-15 months with lots of rehabbing in between and about 6 months if you’re a position player. Dr. James Andrews is the most common name you’ll find that operates on baseball players that need Tommy John surgery.
The Industrial Revolution was not only a turning point in the progress of human history, but the start of a great change in the Earth’s environment. Technological advances in industry and mass migration into urban areas led to a rising demand for energy sources, a demand met by fossil fuels. Casper, J. (2010) describes coal as ‘symbolic of the beginning of the Industrial Revolution’, the increased combustion of these ‘dirty’ fossil fuels further polluted the air and enhanced the volume of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. Changes in land use attributed to population rise, reduced the amount of photosynthesising biomass on Earth, diminished an important ‘carbon sink’ and concluded to enhance the Greenhouse Effect.
Coal mining in the United States is a major industry. In 2012, the coal mining industry employed nearly 90,000 people [1]. The Black Mesa Complex in Northern Arizona consists of two seperate coal mines, the Kayenta mine and the Black Mesa coal mines. Both mines are owned and operated by Peabody Western Coal Company (PWCC). The mines are located 10 miles southwest of Kayenta, AZ. The Kayenta mine is 40,000 acres (62.5 square miles), employs 430 workers [2], and is the 27th largest mine in the United States, producing nearly 7.5 million short tons of coal per year [1]. The Black Mesa mine is located a few miles to the west of the Kayenta Mine. Operations at the Black Mesa coal mine haulted in 2005 when a court order shut down the powerplant that the coal from the mine fed. While the mine was active it produced 5 million tons of coal per year [3] and employed 360 workers [4].
You’ve all seen them, the enormously large muscle-heads at the gym, the participates of the World’s Strongest Man Competition, the amazing offensive tackles, and the lightning fast runners. They were all unnaturally strong, and looked like gods. You tend to obsess over how beautiful their bodies are, how strong they are, or how fast they can run. All you can think about is reaching that level of athletic excellence, and nothing will hold you back. At times like these some people tend to take the quick fit to get closer to their idols, in the form of steroids. But what individuals tend not see is the horrible side effects that accompany the use of these anabolic steroids. These powerful drugs have both positive and negative results from their use. Along with increased strength and size, users of steroids suffer from a wide range of sicknesses such as cancer, shrinkage of testicles, bad acne, hair loss, damage organs, intense mood swings, and impotence.
The exact origins of Jujitsu are unclear, as most of its history was passed on in the oral tradition. The few early written references show that its origins date back to Japanese mythology, where it is said that the gods, Kajima and Kadori, used Jujitsu to discipline the lawless and wild inhabitants of the Eastern provinces. Therefore, by definition, the art is nearly 2000 years old, however records do exist which show that the art was being practiced as far back as the 8th Century, over twelve hundred years ago. Jujitsu was formalised and most popular during the Edo period of Japan. This was the era of the Samurai. Jujitsu was the Samurai’s main set of combat techniques, after the sword. Jujitsu was a part of the Samurai’s fighting skills, something he could use when he was unable to use his favourite weapon.
Therefore, “baseball is America’s sport and has been played longer than football, basketball or any other professional sport” (Baseball). However, baseball comes with some dangerous injuries. Each year out of “627,000 baseball injuries occurring each year, 117,000 of them occur in children age 5 to14 year olds, according to American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons and the University of North Carolina” (Baseball). According to Cooper University Hospital, “baseball has the highest rate of death among children of that age group, with three to four deaths per year” (Baseball). Tommy John surgery repairs and injured elbow ligament (Tommy). However, Tommy john Surgery is most commonly done on college and pro athletes, especially pitchers (Tommy). The surgery is names after former Los Angeles Dodger pitcher Tommy John (Tommy). Although in 1974, he underwent the first surgery of this type (Tommy). This injury is also known as UCL, ulnar collateral ligament (To...
While some athletes will argue that steroids give them an extra edge against their competition, many studies have shown that the risks of steroid use deeply outweigh the benefits, especially in adolescents. Anabolic and androgenic steroids, which are the most commonly used, have adverse effects on the entire body. The most harmful of these effects are damages to the brain. When injected or taken orally, steroids have dangerous mental effects, such as extreme mood swings, violence, steroid withdrawal, and depression leading to suicide (National Institute on Drug Abuse). This is more intensified in adolescents ("Dangers of steroid abuse for teenage boys"). These mental effects would not only impair their body but would hurt their personal life and relationships with others. These negative effects are not worth the extra "edge" an athlete receives from steroids.
Athletes should not take steroids or supplements as they can lead to addiction and severe health problems and other side effects. Some of the health problems include sterility, heart or liver disease, kidney damage, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure and cancer in males and females. Other common side effects are increased aggressiveness and paranoia. The list can go on and on. Female users face even more problems than male users. In females, many physical changes may occur such as growth of facial and body hair, deepening of the voice, diminished breasts, and abnormal menstrual cycles. If taken by to early, anabolic steroids may stunt growth, by fusing the growth plates. ...
Before I can tell you the effects steroids have had in sports you first understand a few post and side effects of steroids. Anabolic steroids or anabolic androgenic steroids are types of synthetic drugs that are designed to act like the effects of the hormone, testosterone. In a few studies, some volunteers reported “aggression or undesirable, explicit behaviors” resulting from the anabolic steroid use.
“[Thirty percent] of college and professional athletes have used or currently use steroids, as do 10-20% of high school athletes” (“Anabolic Steroids”). These numbers are alarming, but there are two main reasons why this is occuring: people tend to belief steroids will improve their appearances, and athletes believe their athletic abilities will increase. However, most are not aware of the effects steroid use has on the body. Steroid use has dramatic effects on the user’s body and mind in many different ways.
...nge of external and internal motion while strengthening the muscles of the shoulder. When rest and physical therapy fail to correct an injury, surgery may be required. Common surgical procedures include labrum repairs, posterior capsular release, anterior capsular placation, or rotator cuff surgery. Many athletes are focusing on just one sport and training year round resulting in an increase in over-use injuries. It is recommended that athletes not play one sport year round to prevent overuse. Breaks should be taken and pitchers should not pitch on multiple teams.
Even though Kempo is a martial art style that combines the Five Animals of Shaolin Kung Fu., everyone should join because it helps people learn self-defense, improve self-confidence, become physically fit, have mutual respect for others, and it is cheap at most if not all kempo academies.
As a result of this process, the mine sites "do not develop normal soil structure or support the establishment of a plant cover". Many mine sites have...
Fuels like coal, and oil that once were a fine innovation in creating energy are now rapidly deleting and one day will be gone forever; energy that won’t last is often referred to as non-renewable energy. Besides being set up to fail and become inefficient in the future, fossil fuel energy is not clean to use and poses several environmental complications. Coal, for instance is “the dirtiest of all fossil fuels. Coal combustion not only produces sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides that contribute to acid rain and snow, it generates millions of tons of particulates that cause asthma and other respiratory diseases.” As with all usage of fossil fuels, it creates enormous amounts of carbon dioxide, which contributes to greenhouse gas. Not only are fossil fuels dirty, they also pose as a security risk and unforgiving on the American wallet. (Saini)