this post was submitted on 30 Mar 2024
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No Stupid Questions

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I just realised that I have never seen or used it, neither crude oil of course, but there are more variants of it than this natural mineral that powers a lot of the world.

What led to you seeing or touching coal?

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[–] thirdBreakfast@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago

Yes, in a shallow tourist mine in Australia. Apparently coal starts to flake easily once it's been exposed to air for a bit, so they kept a big chunk in a large jar of water that you could take out and handle. It felt like a light wet rock.

The sample, and the coal at the workface of the mine was stereotypicaly black. We wore hats with lights on, and when we emerged back out to the daylight I had an overwhelming urge to speak in a Monty Python type Yorkshire accent and go home and have my back scrubbed clean of the coal dust by my swarthy tired looking wife while I sat in a tub in front of the fire in the kitchen and our urchins played in the street.

I don't want to give the impression I'm a big fossil fuel tourist, but I've also seen blobs of crude oil on beaches near Mediterranean sea oil terminals.

Sadly, I didn't try to set fire to them on either of these occasions, which I now regret.

Saw a big chunk washed up on a beach.

[–] wratanar@lemmings.world 2 points 7 months ago

Yes. We still heated our house with wood and coal in the 90s. I remember a big truck brought coal for us before winter. We even had a dedicated coal room in the cellar.

[–] Matriks404@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Yeah, used it for heating, just until few years ago when we switched entirely to central heating, mainly because it become illegal to use coal for heating in my area.

[–] SpruceBringsteen@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago

Western PA, literally everything is near an abandoned coal mine. The woods near my house growing up had sink holes all over the place and coal just sitting on the sides of the hill where it had been dumped and abandoned.

[–] Rentlar@lemmy.ca 2 points 7 months ago

I can't remember a specific time if I've touched coal. I know I've done a geology course at one point, and visited various museums with large rock collections.

I've definitely seen coal in person protruding from the top of passing railcars... here's a picture of one I took in South Surrey earlier this month:

picture of coal train

[–] 21Cabbage@lemmynsfw.com 2 points 7 months ago

A gas station in a mining town I visited had little statues carved out of coal.

[–] dream_weasel@sh.itjust.works 1 points 7 months ago

I had a hookah for a long time, so yes.

[–] rikudou@lemmings.world 1 points 7 months ago

My neighbour used it for heating in winter when I was a kid.

[–] oDIRECTORo@lemmy.radio 1 points 7 months ago

Yes, in west Virginia... The shits everywhere.

[–] Siegfried@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago

I use it and see it often for argentinian style barbecues.

[–] Krudler@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago

As a kid, we used to go along the train tracks and pick up pieces of coal that tumbled out of the cars.

Coal heating was very common especially in the more remote regions of my area, until the late '70s.

[–] Mubelotix@jlai.lu 1 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

I see coal everyday. It powers my pen

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