Question

why coal and petroleum are called fossil fuels?

Answer 1

Coal, Oil and Gas are called "fossil fuels" because they have been formed from the fossilized remains of prehistoric plants and animals. Fossil fuels are a nonrenewable energy source since they take millions of years to form. ... The plants that turned into fossils stored energy from the sun by photosynthesis.

Answer 2

Because they are formed from dead plants and animals, these dead plants decompose in the soil by decomposing organisms, then it takes millions of years in their formation, these dead plants compress and create as fuel, that is why we call them fossil fuels, as they're made from fossils.