Category FAQs Search : Ecosystem
Question: How peat is formed?
Answer: Peat formation is the result of incomplete decomposition of the remains of plants growing in waterlogged conditions. This may happen in standing water (lakes or margins of slow flowing rivers) or under consistently high rainfall (upland or mountain regions). As a result, partially decomposed plant remains accumulate and become compacted, forming peat that changes the substrate chemical and physical properties leading to a succession of plant communities.
This process is referred to as the hydrosere that begins classically in open water and proceeds through fen stages that are influenced by nutrient-rich ground water (and rainfall) to bog that receives nutrients and water supply only from rainfall.
(Source: International Peatland Society, 02 Feb 2021)
Source Link: https://peatlands.org/peat/peat-formation/