BITUMINOUS COAL
Bituminous coal is a higher rank of coal above lignite (although there
is a transitional rank called sub-bituminous coal). Bituminous coals tend
to break and weather in a blocky fashion, are relatively sooty to the touch,
and are harder & heavier than lignite (but still relatively soft &
lightweight). Slightly discernible plant fossil fragments may be present
on bituminous coal bedding planes. Bituminous coals commonly have irregular
patches of shiny, glassy-textured organic matter.
Bituminous coal (5.5 cm across)