<p>The older rocks underlying the <a href="https://geography.name/the-geology-of-the-sahara/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Sahara</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>are mostly granite, schist, or gneiss, all mixtures of igneous and metamorphic rocks forged deep beneath the surface</p>
<p>This stable mass of rock has been covered over with younger sediments, laid down in horizontal, largely unaltered layers. <strong>Much of the Sahara is covered with limestone</strong>, made mostly of the skeletons of microscopic sea creatures raining down onto the bottom of a vanished sea.</p>
<p>Most of the limestone and sandstone covering the surface of the Sahara were deposited in the Mesozoic era (245–65 million years ago).</p>
</blockquote>
<p>From the <a href="https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1258/graphics/Africa_Coal.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer">picture below</a>, produced by the US Geological Survey, most of Africa's coal deposits are in the southern part of the continent. There appears to be a very minor coal deposit in western Algeria with other similar sized deposits in Niger, Mali and Sudan. Egypt's Sinai appears to have an exceedingly small deposit of coal from the Jurassic period.</p>
<p><a href="https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1258/graphics/Africa_Coal.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1258/graphics/Africa_Coal.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>In terms of hydrocarbon resources, the Sahara contains about <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/african-plate" rel="nofollow noreferrer">4 percent of the worlds current reserves of oil and gas</a>. In terms of energy resources, &quot;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_in_Africa" rel="nofollow noreferrer">North Africa is dominant in oil and gas</a>&quot;.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/ttPR1.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/ttPR1.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-06-20T22:53:37.970Z
Northwest Africa was busy colliding with Laurentia (esentally North America) during the Carboniferous when most of the coal deposits were laid down.
Spencer
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-06-19T04:37:10.177Z
2022-06-20T08:54:46.587Z
2022-06-20T08:54:46.587Z
Fred
<p>In Pangaea, northern Africa would have had humid onshore winds from the Tethys Ocean, making dense vegetation/rainforest biome likely.</p>
<p>Consequently, would we be likely to find coal underneath the Sahara desert?</p>

<earth-history><mining><resources><coal>
Is there likely to be coal under the Sahara?
Miner_Glitch
# Is there likely to be coal under the Sahara?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-06-19)

In Pangaea, northern Africa would have had humid onshore winds from the Tethys Ocean, making dense vegetation/rainforest biome likely.

Consequently, would we be likely to find coal underneath the Sahara desert?

**Tags:** earth-history, mining, resources, coal


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2022-06-19. Score: 11 | Accepted answer

The older rocks underlying the [Sahara](https://geography.name/the-geology-of-the-sahara/)

> are mostly granite, schist, or gneiss, all mixtures of igneous and metamorphic rocks forged deep beneath the surface
>
> This stable mass of rock has been covered over with younger sediments, laid down in horizontal, largely unaltered layers. **Much of the Sahara is covered with limestone**, made mostly of the skeletons of microscopic sea creatures raining down onto the bottom of a vanished sea.
>
> Most of the limestone and sandstone covering the surface of the Sahara were deposited in the Mesozoic era (245–65 million years ago).

From the [picture below](https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1258/graphics/Africa_Coal.png), produced by the US Geological Survey, most of Africa's coal deposits are in the southern part of the continent. There appears to be a very minor coal deposit in western Algeria with other similar sized deposits in Niger, Mali and Sudan. Egypt's Sinai appears to have an exceedingly small deposit of coal from the Jurassic period.

[![enter image description here](https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1258/graphics/Africa_Coal.png)](https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1258/graphics/Africa_Coal.png)

In terms of hydrocarbon resources, the Sahara contains about [4 percent of the worlds current reserves of oil and gas](https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/african-plate). In terms of energy resources, "[North Africa is dominant in oil and gas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_in_Africa)".

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/ttPR1.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/ttPR1.png)

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Northwest Africa was busy colliding with Laurentia (esentally North America) during the Carboniferous when most of the coal deposits were laid down.  

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