Transcript Lab 5: Exploring for Petroleum

Lab 5: Exploring for Petroleum
Key Q: How is petroleum
found?
Petroleum & Natural Gas
• Petroleum (oil): liquid fossil fuel made of
hydrogen & carbon
• Natural gas: Gaseous fossil fuel made
mainly of methane
Forms from marine plants & animals that die-sinkbegin to decay-become buried. If temperature
conditions are right oil or natural gas will form, and
can collect underground in areas called reservoirs.
Formation of petroleum and natural gas
Reservoirs
Geology of Petroleum Deposits
• Three conditions must be present for oil &
natural gas reservoirs to form:
SRS: Source, Reservoir, Seal
– Source rock: rich in organic matter buried
deep enough for it to turn into oil; Source of
the oil
– Reservoir: porous sedimentary rock that the
oil can flow through & collect in.
– Seal: dense rock that stops the oil from rising
up to the surface.
Methods of Exploration
• Geologists map the rocks & project down
– Looking for SRS
• Seismic exploration
– Create a small explosion and study how
density difference cause waves to refract &
reflect
• Drill test wells
– Method is very expensive