Then came the chemical action of nature; in the depths of the seas the vegetable accumulations first became peat; then, acted upon by generated gases and the heat of fermentation, they underwent a process of complete mineralization.

然后是大自然的化学作用；在海洋深处， 植物堆积物首先变成泥炭；然后，在产生的气体和发酵热量的作用下，它们经历了完全矿化的过程。