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Derpherpaflerp t1_j6ckzed wrote

Reply to comment by MrDoPhi314 in Mysterious shipwreck identified as Dutch warship that sank after surprise attack in 1672 - identified as the Dutch warship Klein Hollandia by ArtOak

The seas probably lack oxygen there which means no bacteria/animals could live there. Quick Google, Wikipedia tells me the Baltic sea is indeed quite a dead sea.

Interestingly enough this is also the cause of coal/gas/oil in our ground. Without an anoxic environment carbon waste decays and does not transform into our carbon deposits which we use for energy nowadays. Thus big carbon deposits in the ground point to anoxic environments in the past.

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KruppeTheWise t1_j6dzsho wrote

I thought the vast majority of coal was formed from trees that fell before there was anything that could break down the lignin in their cells?

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Derpherpaflerp t1_j6e9jma wrote

True, I thought that was the case as well but that hypothesis is being challenged recently. Both ideas are also not mutually exclusive. In swamps around the world you can still see the preservation of carbon life forms.

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