Decomposition of plant matter in the Carboniferous period wasnt hindered by the lack of microbes of fungi, rather the plant matter was covered by shallow seas a

Decomposition of plant matter in the Carboniferous period wasnt hindered by the lack of microbes of fungi, rather the plant matter was covered by shallow seas and swamps. It was the water that inhibited the breakdown. You can see the same process going on today in peat bogs. I speak as an expert. I spent one summer between grade school and high school cutting peat in a peat bog. It wasnt wet like the Everglades, but you could squeeze a handful of peat and see the water drip out.