Peat

Peat, compact, dark brown organic material with high carbon content, built up by the partial decay and carbonization of vegetation in the acid water of bogs. In the northern hemisphere, peat-forming vegetation consists mostly of mosses. Salt peat is a kind of peat that develops in salt marshes from the partially decayed portions of such plants as the cordgrasses. The formation of peat represents the first stage in the transformation of vegetation into coal. Peat bogs are distributed throughout the world. Extensive deposits are found in the northern United States, Canada, Russia, the Scandinavian countries, England, and Ireland. Dried peat, often compressed into briquettes, is used in many European countries, particularly Ireland, as a fuel, although it is not as efficient as coal because of its large content of water and ash. Peat and commercial preparations of partly decayed vegetable matter that are also called peat have excellent moisture-retaining qualities and are used as mulching and soil-improving material for plants.