They were surprised to find coal in arctic because ordinarily coal was supposed to be found in warm or hot environments and not cold region like the arctic.
The arctic is located at the far northern part of the world which is characterized by its extreme cold weather.
A limited vegetation of plants such as grasses, mosses and lichens are found in this region irrespective of the extreme cold weather through out the year.
Coal is a type of fuel gotten from fossils and deposits of plant vegetation.
Scientist has discovered that continents do move over time through a process called continental drift. This is the reason why limited vegetaion is found in the arctic leading to the formation of coal.
Learn more here:
https://brainly.com/question/22647554
