How Nature Makes Coal, Oil and Gas | EARTH .
Coal, as a solid, mostly sits where it was formed. Eventually, if the rocks above it are eroded so that it is exposed at the Earth''s surface, the coal itself may be eroded away, and either "eaten" by bacteria, or buried in new rocks. And, occasionally, a natural forest fire or a lightning strike may set coal on fire. This burning usually isn''t really fast, because after the coal ...