What does the term 'fossil sunlight' mean in Geology?

May 10, 2018 12:02 am | Updated 12:02 am IST

 

This refers to the energy from the sun that is found captured inside fossils of various kinds over millions of years through the natural process of photosynthesis. Oil, coal, gas and other forms of fossil fuels, which were typically formed over many millennia from the remains of dead plants and animals that absorbed energy from the sun, begin to release the energy that is trapped inside them when they are burned for human uses. Since the process of energy storage usually takes millions of years to occur — while their exploitation by human beings is quite rapid — energy stored in fossil fuels is generally considered to be a non-renewable or limited resource.

 

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.