So coal had to have been formed more than 250 million years ago, like millions of years before the 250 million years ago. Takes awhile to form coal from vegetation.
I was curious about that too, so checked some dates. The Carboniferous started around 350 million years ago, and ended 50 million years later, so there would have been 50-100 million years for the coal to have formed from the vegetation.
Many of the earth’s coal beds were laid down during the Missippian and Pennsylvanian periods which preceeded the Permian by many millions of years. The Gread Dying was at the end of the Permian and followed by the Triassic.
My hypothesis is that a giant meteor/asteroid struck in Siberia, driving down into a magma pool and setting off the formation of the Siberian Trapps, could also have set fire to coal beds. Now, everybody happy?? At any rate, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Catastrophism pingees and special thanks to SC for all your hard work.