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It is generally accepted that most coals formed from plants that grew in and adjacent to swamps in warm, humid regions. Material derived from these plants accumulated in low-lying areas that remained wet most of the time and was converted to peat through the activity of microorganisms. (It should be noted that peat can occur in temperate regions [e.g., Ireland and the state of Michigan in the United States] and even in subarctic regions [e.g., the Scandinavian countries].) Under certain conditions this organic material continued to accumulate and was later converted into coal. Much of the plant matter that accumulates ...(100 of 6066 words)