Article
Article
Torbanite
Article By:
Breger, Irving A. Formerly, Office of Energy Resources, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia.
Last reviewed:December 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.701200
A variety of coal that resembles a carbonaceous shale in outward appearance. It is fine-grained, brown to black and tough and breaks with a conchoidal or subconchoidal fracture. The name torbanite is derived from the initial discovery site of the material in 1850 at Torbane Hill, Linlithgowshire, Scotland. Torbanite is synonymous with boghead coal and is related to cannel coal. It is derived from colonial algae identified with the modern species of Botryococcus braunii Kütz and antecedent forms.
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
