top of page
Latin Scientific
Coal Deposits of Latin America
 Coal Formation 

Coal is an organic rock which is combustible as a fossil fuel. It is naturally formed from prehistoric carbon rich forests and swamp environments, whereby organic matter is piled up & compressed by its own weight and geological forces over millions of years. These compressive forces metamorpose the organic material initially into peat and further into varying ranks of coal.

 Coal Ranking 

Coal is classified into different ranks depending on its metamorphism, which is determined by its time of burial & the amount of pressure & heat exerted upon it. Metallurgical and thermal coal are considered the most valuable in industrial value due to their purer content, useability & cleaner burning capacity. The highest rank is Anthracite with the lowest grade of Peat. The ranks from highest to lowest include:

​

  1. Anthracite

  2. Bituminous Coal - Metallurgical Coal

  3. Bituminous Coal - Thermal Coal

  4. Sub-Bituminous Coal

  5. Lignite or Brown Coal

  6. Peat 

 Coal Deposits of Latin America

Coal is found, used and exploited in all countries of Latin America, minus a few islands in the Caribbean. The ages of coal deposits range greatly from  323 million years ago in the Pennysilvanian Carboniferous, through the Permian, Cretaceous, Paleogene to the Miocene around 5 million years ago. 

The largest producers & exporters of coal in Latin America are: 

​

  1. Colombia: 89.4 million tonnes in 2017. (5th largest in world)

  2. Brazil: 8.1 million tonnes in 2016

  3. Mexico: 8.0 million tonnes in 2016

 # 1 Colombian Coal - Cerrejon Formation 

The majority of coal across Colombia comes from the Cerrejon formation, which was a neotropical forest 60-58 million years ago in the early Paleocene. In general it is thermal coal & on average has low sulphur content of 0.7%, low moisture content of 11% & low ash content of 7.5%. The Cerrejon formation is distributed  laterally across much of Colombia in varying altitudes from near sea level to over 200m above sea level and into Venezuela. 

 # 2 Brazillian Coal 

Brazilian coal deposits are generally located in Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina & Parana states of southern Brazil. Generally coal deposits are thermal coal, with a high ash & high sulphur content. The ages of coal are on the most part the oldest in Latin America from the Pennysilvanian Carboniferous and Permian periods. 

 # 3 Mexican Coal  

Coal deposits are found across much of Mexico. The three most important coal bearing areas of `Mexico are located in the Coahuila, Sonora & Oaxaca states. Coal from these areas are sub-bituminous to bituminous types, with alternating high to low ash & sulphur content. The general age of these coal deposits ranges from Cretaceous to the Paleogene period. 

 All Enquiries   info@latinscientific.com 
 Copyright © 2020 Latin Scientific 

Background Image: Carboniferous Environment for Coal Formation, Field Museum Library, Chicago

bottom of page