coal seam

noun

: a bed of coal usually thick enough to be profitably mined

Examples of coal seam in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Researchers analyzed evidence of Middle Jurassic paleo-wildfires in a coal seam in a paleomire in the Ordos Basin. Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 10 Jan. 2024 In the decades since, silica dust has become a major problem as Appalachian miners cut through layers of sandstone to reach less accessible coal seams in mountaintop mines where coal closer to the surface has long been tapped. Leah Willingham and Matthew Daly, Anchorage Daily News, 25 July 2023 In a string of towns running along a coal seam, the sparkle of small-town drag queens and kings colors a way of life rooted in soot, family and a conservative understanding of the world. Carolyn Kaster, Fortune, 3 July 2023 Origin Energy is one of three energy companies that operate coal seam gas wells in the region, and released a statement saying the gas was naturally occurring. Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 26 Apr. 2016 What does the surface look like during a coal seam fire? Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 15 Aug. 2011 Most of the coal fires in Borneo start when local farmers and plantation owners burn brush to clear land for planting, accidentally igniting a coal seam just under the surface. Kristin Ohlson, Discover Magazine, 3 Jan. 2011 If a coal seam burns through the road, asphalt could crack open and sink, swallowing people and cars and unleashing a hellish scenario that might finally make people pay attention to what is going on beneath their feet. Kristin Ohlson, Discover Magazine, 3 Jan. 2011 Bomfleur was looking at several such cocoons that had been collected in 2005, from a coal seam beneath an Antarctic mountain. Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 4 Dec. 2012

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'coal seam.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1756, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of coal seam was in 1756

Dictionary Entries Near coal seam

Cite this Entry

“Coal seam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coal%20seam. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on coal seam

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!