Book ChapterIn the Burning Hills and Smoky Mountains of southern Utah (USA), coal deposits exposed to the surface have been ignited by lightning and have been burning for periods of years to over a century. We examined one of these sites, where the below-ground combustion of this low-sulfur coal releases gases to the atmosphere from vents above the burning seam. The surrounding vegetation is cold-desert shrub, typical of the region and consisted of both C3 and C4 perennial species
