Coal is a combustible rock of organic origin composed mainly of carbon (50-98%), hydrogen (3-13%) and oxygen with lesser amounts of nitrogen, sulphur and other elements. Some water is always present, as are grains of inorganic matter that form an incombustible residue known as ash.
In New South Wales, black coal is mined near the eastern and western edges of the Sydney-Gunnedah Basin where the seams are relatively close to the surface. Mining along the western edge, where most of the production is from underground mines, is in the Wollongong-Appin-Bulli area and in the Lithgow-Mudgee area. Mines near the eastern edge of the basin are spread along the Hunter Valley from Newcastle in the south to Muswellbrook in the north. Further north mining also occurs at Whitehaven near Gunnedah. Southern Coalfield mines such as Appin, Tahmoor and Metropolitan produce mainly coking coal. Mines such as Ulan and Springvale in the Western Coalfield and Mandalong and Westside in the Newcastle Coalfield produce mainly thermal coal.
Petrolum petroleum includes only crude oil carbon hydrogen nitrogen oxygen sulfur and metals
The range of compounds found in natural gas is methane ethane, propane, butane, carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen sulphide. The largest reserves of natural gas that are found in Australia are Gippsland Basin in Victoria, the Copper Basin in central Australia and towards the Northwest Shelf region of Western Australia. The range of compounds found in natural gas is methane ethane, propane, butane, carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen sulphide. The largest reserves of natural gas that are found in Australia are Gippsland Basin in Victoria, the Copper Basin in central Australia and towards the Northwest Shelf region of Western Australia. Methane | CH4 | 70-90% | Ethane | C2H6 | 0-20% | Propane | C3H8 | | Butane | C4H10 | | Carbon Dioxide | CO2 | 0-8% | Oxygen | O2 | 0-0.2% | Nitrogen | N2 | 0-5% |