cannel coal

views updated May 08 2018

cannel coal Fine-grained, tough, compact and uniform bituminous coal, which is dark grey to black with a dull, greasy lustre and conchoidal fracture. It has a high percentage of volatiles, high ash content, and burns with a smoky, luminous flame. It is a sapropelic coal formed mainly of lycopod spores and algae with fossils of water-dwelling animals. It is found chiefly in Lancashire, England; the local name was ‘cannel’ meaning ‘candle coal’.

A Dictionary of Earth Sciences AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY

cannel coal

views updated Jun 11 2018

can·nel coal / ˈkanl/ • n. a hard, compact kind of bituminous coal.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

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