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Oil and Gas Deposits: Fossil Fuels

Oil and gas deposits form from the remains of ancient plants and animals buried in sedimentary rock layers. Over millions of years, the organic material is transformed into hydrocarbons that migrate upward until trapped beneath an impermeable cap rock. Common traps include anticlines, faults, salt domes, and stratigraphic changes. Oil is found in porous and permeable reservoir rocks like sandstone and limestone beneath the cap rock.

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58 views7 pages

Oil and Gas Deposits: Fossil Fuels

Oil and gas deposits form from the remains of ancient plants and animals buried in sedimentary rock layers. Over millions of years, the organic material is transformed into hydrocarbons that migrate upward until trapped beneath an impermeable cap rock. Common traps include anticlines, faults, salt domes, and stratigraphic changes. Oil is found in porous and permeable reservoir rocks like sandstone and limestone beneath the cap rock.

Uploaded by

CHO ACHIRI HUMPHREY
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Oil and Gas Deposits

 Oil and Gas are considered Fossil Fuels. Consist of mixtures of


hydrogen and carbon, referred to as liquid hydrocarbons.

Fossil Fuels:
 Non-renewable fuels that formed long ago from the
remains of plants and animals.

 The origin of fossil fuels, starts with photosynthesis. Note that if


the reaction runs in reverse, it produces energy and releases
carbon dioxide and water.

Reference:
Pages
Oil and Gas Deposits
The Formation of Oil and Gas Involves Several Steps:
1) Organic matter must be produced in great abundance.
2) This organic matter is buried rapidly before oxidation takes place.

3) Slow chemical reactions transform the organic material into the


hydrocarbons found in petroleum.

4) As a result of compaction, the oil and natural gas are forced out and
migrate into porous and permeable rock, such as sandstone and
limestone. This is called a reservoir rock.

5) The reservoir rock is capped by impermeable rocks, such as shale,


to prevent the oil and gas from leaking out to the surface. This
impermeable layer is called a cap rock. Such a geologic structure
forms what is called an oil trap.
Oil and Gas Deposits
 Because oil and natural gas have a low density they will
migrate upward and accumulate in the reservoir rock if
a cap rock is present to trap the oil and gas.
 Oil traps that form as a result of geologic structures like folds and
faults, called structural traps.
 Natural gas will occur above the oil, which in turn will overly
water in the pore spaces of the reservoir rock. This occurs
because the density of natural gas is lower than that of oil, which
is lower than that of water.
Four common types of oil traps include:
1) Anticline Trap 3) Salt Dome Trap

2) Fault Trap 4) Stratigraphic Trap


Oil and Gas Deposits
Anticline Trap:

 If a permeable rock like sandstone or limestone is located


between impermeable rock layers like shale and the rocks are
folded into an anticline, oil and gas can move upward in the
permeable reservoir rocks, and accumulate in the upper region of
the anticline.

Well

Impermeable
Gas Cap Rock
Oil

Permeable
Reservoir
Water Water Rock
Oil and Gas Deposits
Fault Trap:

 If faulting can shift permeable and impermeable rocks so that the


permeable rocks always have impermeable rocks above them,
then an oil trap can form. Note that both normal faults and
reverse faults can form this type of oil trap. Since faults are often
exposed at the Earth's surface, the locations of such traps can
often be found from surface exploration.
Impermeable
Cap Rock
Well Well
Permeable
Reservoir Impermeable
Rock Gas
Cap Rock
Oil Oil
Water
Water
Oil and Gas Deposits
Oil can also be extracted from solid rocks:
1) Oil Shale
 shale that contains abundant organic matter that has not
decomposed completely. Oil can be extracted from oil shales, but
they must be heated to high enough temperatures to drive the oil
out. Since this process requires a lot of energy, recovering oil
from oil shales is not currently cost-effective, but may become so
as other sources become depleted.
Oil in the Water
2) Tar Sands Pore Space

 sandstones that have thick


accumulations of viscous oil in their
pore spaces. Extraction of this oil also
requires heating the rock and is
therefore not currently cost effective.
Sample Problem

Oil is generally considered a non-renewable resource.


Explain why oil sometimes may be considered a renewable
resource.

In which rock type would oil and gas be found?


(A) igneous
(B) metamorphic
(C) sedimentary
(D) volcanic

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