Fossils Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Fossils - Essay Example Lastly, energy can be converted when nuclear reaction occurs – when subatomic particles that make up atoms nuclei rearranges. They may either combine (fission) or split apart (fusion) (D. Yogi Goswami, 2008). This paper discusses basic facts of fossil energy and compares it with other forms of energy. Fossil fuel covers a wide range of fuels used in many different ways and in different forms. Fossil fuels refer to fundamentally any carbon based substance used by human beings as a source of energy advantage. They possess their name of fossil fuel because they are usually formed from remains of dead organisms (plants and animals) fossils form when animals or plants dies and their remains get covered with earth sediment over time. As more layers begin to cover these remains, they start acting like a press. The pressure and heat over time change these organic remains to the hydrocarbons called fossil fuels (Snedden, 2006). There are three main forms of fossil fuels: natural gas, oil and coal. All three were formed hundreds millions years ago before the dinosaurs time. The age they got formed is referred to as the Carboniferous Period, part of Paleozoic Era. "Carboniferous" derive its name from carbon, which is the basic element in all fossil fuels. The Carboniferous Era occurred from around 360 to 286million years ago (Snedden, 2006). In that period, the land was concealed with swamps filled with big trees, ferns and other leafy plants. The water and all seas were occupied with algae – the green organism that forms on stagnant water (Snedden, 2006). Algae is in fact millions of small plants. In many countries, the most well recognized fossil fuel is coal. It used to be a source power since the onset of the industrial revolution. Nevertheless, its application as a source of power has changed over time. Initially, people used coal to