Definition of coal measures in English English dictionary
Major division of Upper Carboniferous (323-290 million years ago) rocks and time in Great Britain. The Coal Measures account for much of England's coal production. The deposits consist largely of bituminous coal, though anthracite coals occur in southern Wales. Though local variation in the coal seams occurs, great uniformity is evident on a regional scale, and some coal beds can be identified throughout Great Britain and even on the European continent