Oil and Gas
Development of Two Important Materials in Earth's Early History
According to scientists, Earth began its life 4.6 billion years ago, when cosmic dust collided to form increasingly large particles. These particles, after millions of years of colliding and increasing in mass, eventually formed the Earth, with a mass similar to what it is today (5.9736 x 1024 kg or 5,973,600,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg) . Soon, the Earth's atmosphere began to form, as well as various minerals within its core. Studying the Earth is a fascinating endeavor, yet one that comprises extensive research and writing. For the purposes of this paper, I will examine two elements that are of vital importance to human life today: oil and gas. In this study, I will thus speak both about the development of the two materials in the Earth's early history-how they developed, what factors contributed to this development, and when this development occurred -- and how oil and gas have affected our life throughout history and today. [1: "Early History of the Earth." Geography: Physical Geography. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. . ] [2: Cain, Fraser. "Earth's Mass." Universe Today. 2009. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. .]
Oil and Gas: Formation
Oil and gas have been thoroughly discussed and exploited in our modern world, for political and financial purposes. For example, many became rich overnight, especially in the Middle East today or in the United States in the 19th century, following oil deposit discoveries. The words oil, petroleum and hydrocarbon, so popular in our modern day, will be analyzed here to find meaning and provenance of popular use.
To begin understanding how oil and gas are formed, one must understand the concept of fossil fuels. These are energy sources that have formed from remains of dead organisms and include oil, gas, coal, and fuels derived from oil shale and tar sand. Differences between the different fossil fields arise from differences between the starting materials that form the fossil fuels. There are also changes that happen to those organisms buried within the earth, and this impact the fossil fuel formation as well. [3: "Oil...Black Gold...What's All the Fuss About?" Colorado Geological Survey, Vol.7 No.2. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. . ]
For example, petroleum, which means "rock-oil" (form the Latin petra (rock) and oleum (oil)), in liquid form, turns to oil as we know it, and comprises "a variety of hydrocarbon compounds," according to the Colorado Geological Survey. This description further goes on to state that compounds are "made up of different proportions of the elements carbon and hydrogen," that there are "gaseous hydrocarbons (natural gas), in which methane is the most common component" as well and that "hydrocarbon mixtures usually also contain minor amounts of nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur as impurities." [4: "Oil...Black Gold...What's All the Fuss About?" Colorado Geological Survey, Vol.7 No.2. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. . ]
The Colorado Geological Survey (CGS) also explains the process of formation through a set of four diagrams, included below in the footnotes, which illuminate the reader on the formation on oil and gas. The first step of this formation, the creation of oil, happens when land plant debris and sediment falls into water. The production of fossil fuels deposit requires accumulation of organic matter rich in carbon and hydrogen, but this debris must be buried quickly in order to be protected from the air. This process, though lengthy, is important because it ensures that the deposits will not be destroyed by biological decay or its reaction with oxygen. Land debris also mixes with the abundant life in the oceans of the Earth which, when it dies, settles on the sea floor. This is the setting in which oil forms, and most oils have formed from "accumulated marine microorganisms," according to CGS . [5: "How do coal and oil form?" Energy Discussion -- EarthSky. 2010. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. . ]
The next step is the continuation of the burial process, where organic matter constantly changes. For example, underwater pressures will increase also due to the sediments of rock and thus temperatures will increase as well. Over long periods of time chemical reactions take place, which break down the complex organic molecules into smaller hydrocarbon molecules, according to CGS. The survey goes on to state,
"As the petroleum matures, and as the breakdown of large molecules continues, successively "lighter" hydrocarbons are produced. Thick liquids give way to thinner ones, from which lubricating oils, heating oils, and gasoline...
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