What makes petroleum and natural gas

Stage 1 - All of the oil and gas we use today began as microscopic plants and animals living in the ocean millions of years ago. As these microscopic plants and animals lived, they absorbed energy from the sun, which was stored as carbon molecules in their bodies. When they died, they sank to the bottom of the sea. Over millions of years, layer after layer of sediment and other plants and bacteria were formed.

Bitumen continues to bubble up through the ground today. A petroleum play is a group of oil fields in a single geographic region, created by the same geologic forces or during the same time period.

A petroleum play may be defined by a time period Paleozoic play , rock type shale play , or a combination of both. Saudi Arabia 2. Venezuela 3.

Canada 4. Iran 5. Iraq Source: U. Energy Information Administration. Leading Petroleum Producers 1. Russia 3. United States 4. China Source: U. Leading Petroleum Consumers 1. United States 2. China 3. Japan 4. India 5. Also called a fractionating column. Also known as petroleum or crude oil. Abbreviated bbl. Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. Peat can be dried and burned as fuel.

Also called an oil reservoir. Also called an electrical grid. Also called a nodding donkey, thirsty bird, rocking horse, or grasshopper pump. The ratio is the amount of proven reserves to the current extraction rate, expressed in years. Also called reflection seismology. Also called oil sands. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.

Andrew Turgeon Elizabeth Morse. Mary Crooks, National Geographic Society. Jeannie Evers, Emdash Editing. Caryl-Sue, National Geographic Society. For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service.

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Because these basic resources are such a large part of our daily lives, it is important that we manage them responsibly to ensure future generations have what they need. Human civilization heavily impacts the environment and the rich natural resources we depend on. All communities face the challenge of managing resources responsibly, not only for themselves, but for the sake of the world around them. Learn more about how individuals and communities can manage their resources to support themselves and the world around them.

Economies are often molded by the location and cultures of which they are apart. This explains why distinct regional economies develop to serve the unique needs of people. Use these resources to teach students about the regional economies found throughout the world. However, over time, there has been a shift in demand for cheaper and cleaner fuel options, such as the nonrenewable energy source of natural gas, and renewable options like solar power and wind energy.

Each energy resource has its advantages and disadvantages. Explore nonrenewable and renewable options with this collection on energy resources. Different regions have access to different renewable or nonrenewable natural resources such as freshwater, fossil fuels, fertile soil, or timber based on their geographic location and past geologic processes.

For example, the Great Plains region of the United States is known for its abundance of fertile soil. As a result, its main industry is agriculture. Corn, soybeans, and wheat are globally exported from this region and serve as the main economy. On the other side of the spectrum, the desert southwestern region of the United States depends on the Central Arizona Project canals to transport water from the Colorado River in order to support agriculture and urban areas.

Use these materials to explore the interconnected nature of resources and their distribution. The Industrial Revolution was the transition from creating goods by hand to using machines. Its start and end are widely debated by scholars, but the period generally spanned from about to According to some, this turning point in history is responsible for an increase in population, an increase in the standard of living, and the emergence of the capitalist economy.

Teach your students about the Industrial Revolution with these resources. The fossil record helps paleontologists, archaeologists, and geologists place important events and species in the appropriate geologic era. It is based on the Law of Superposition which states that in undisturbed rock sequences the bottom layers are older than the top layers.

Therefore, some discovered fossils are able to be dated according to the strata, a distinct layer of rock, that they are found in. Another common way that fossils are dated, is through radiocarbon dating. The development of this type of dating, in the s, transformed paleontology and enhanced the accuracy of the fossil record.

With every new fossil discovery, our understanding of the environment in a particular time becomes richer.

Use these resources to teach middle schoolers more about the fossil record and radiocarbon dating. See how hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, releases petroleum or natural gas trapped in shale rock formations. This map illustrates offshore oil production for and the top 10 platform spills.

Join our community of educators and receive the latest information on National Geographic's resources for you and your students. Skip to content. Twitter Facebook Pinterest Google Classroom. Encyclopedic Entry Vocabulary. Oil, that is. Black gold. Texas tea. Photograph by Rebecca Hale. API gravity. Also called horizontal drilling. Also called wildcatting. Fossil fuels formed from the remains of ancient plants and animals.

Industrial Revolution. Also called crude oil. Also called substratum. Also called boreal forest. Media Credits The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. Media If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. Text Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service.

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