Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 2.1
The area of peat land in some countries of the world (
after
Mesri and Ajlouni, 2007).
Country
Peat land (km
2
)
Percentage of land area
Canada
1,500,000
18
USSR (former)
1,500,000
USA
600,000
10
Indonesia
170,000
14
Finland
100,000
34
Sweden
70,000
20
China
42,000
Norway
30,000
10
Malaysia
25,000
Germany
16,000
Brazil
15,000
Ireland
14,000
17
Uganda
14,000
Poland
13,000
Falklands
12,000
Chile
11,000
Zambia
11,000
26 other countries
220 to 10,000
Scotland
10
15 other countries
1 to 9
Figure 2.1
Distribution of peat land in Malaysia: (a)West Malaysia; (b) East Malaysia (
after
Huat, 2004).
in many cases, is basin peat, formed when lakes and marshes become filled with
dead plants growing around them, which then turns into land. This type of peat is
characterized by the spongy formation of plant fibre.
All present-day surface deposits of peat in Europe, Asia, Canada and the USA are
believed to have accumulated since the last ice age and have therefore been formed
