coal measures

plural noun

, Geology.

1. coal-bearing strata.
2. (initial capital letters) in Europe, a portion of the Carboniferous System, characterized by widespread coal deposits.

Coal Measures

plural noun

1. a series of coal-bearing rocks formed in the upper Carboniferous period; the uppermost series of the Carboniferous system

Word History and Origins

Origin of coal measures¹

First recorded in 1655–65

Example Sentences

From anti-coal measures to minimum wage hikes it was a great night for liberals.

From The Daily Beast

The iron ores of the Coal Measures have given rise to great manufactures of steel, from cutlery to machinery and armour-plates.

From Project Gutenberg

Slowly this sea shallowed, giving rise to the alternating estuarine marine and freshwater deposits of the Coal Measures.

From Project Gutenberg

Judging from observations made in Cattaraugus County, in 1818, the coal measures have been completely swept from this area.

From Project Gutenberg

Here we have the coal-sandstone and the slate clay, with slate, &c., alternating with the coal-measures.

From Project Gutenberg

It is particularly abundant in the coal measures and is incidental to the shales or slates and clays that underlie the coal.

From Project Gutenberg