The Formation of Coal on the Plateau

The Formation of Coal on the Plateau. From the Heritage Center. During the Pennsylvanian Geological Period, the surface of the land was inundated with swamps in which fern-like plants of all sizes grew. Branches and leaves of the plants accumulated in the stagnant water and formed peat. This condition is depicted in a banner at the Heritage Center prepared by artist Mary Parrish of the Smithsonian Institution. Thereafter, the continents of the plant collided (Pangea) and the African Continent collided with the eastern coast of the North American continent, creating the Applachian Mountain range, which was the highest mountain range there has ever been., The build up on part of the mountain chain that became the South Cumberland Plateau reached 10,000 feet above sea level. The heat and pressure on the fern-like plants in the swamps created coal seams. In time, the build up eroded and returned the land surface to the level it had been during the Pennsylvanian Geological Period (2,000 feet above sea level). This left the Sewanee and Richland coal seams near the surface and in some cases, as outcrops. This may be seen on a graphic at the Heritage Center prepared by Bran Potter, professor of geology in the Forestry and Geology department at the University of the South, with the assistance of Nicole Nunley, laboratory coordinator at the department.