Question

Which type of coal is mostly found in India?
A. Anthracite
B. Bituminous
C. Lignite
D. Peat

Answer 1

Hint: Coal is the most abundant fossil fuel in India. It is widely used in India for fulfilling its energy needs. There are four forms of coal depending on its quality- Peat, Lignite, Bituminous and Anthracite.

Complete answer:
In India, Coal is used for power generation, to supply energy to industries as well as for domestic purposes. For its commercial energy requirements, India is highly dependent on coal. Coal is formed through the compression of plant material over millions of years. Depending on the degrees of compression and the depth and time of burial, coal can be found in various forms. The first form of Coal is formed by decaying plants in swamps and it is called Peat, it has low carbon and high moisture contents and also low heating capacity.

The second one is Lignite which is low-grade brown coal, soft with high moisture content. Coal that is buried deep and is subjected to high temperatures is called Bituminous coal. This type of coal is mostly used for commercial purposes and is thus popular for it. High-grade bituminous coal, which is Metallurgical coal, has a special value for the smelting of iron in blast furnaces. The fourth one is Anthracite which is of the highest quality.

Therefore, Bituminous coal is the coal that is mostly found in India, and Option B is the correct answer.

Note: In India, Gondwana and Tertiary deposits of coal occur in the two main geological ages. Damodar valley is the major resource of Gondwana coal, which is metallurgical coal. Jharia, Raniganj, Bokaro are important coalfields. The Godavari, Mahanadi, Son, and Wardha valleys also contain coal deposits. Tertiary coals can be found in the northeastern states of Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland.