what is petroleum.ppt

*Houston Geological Society Academic Liaison Committee HGS Petroleum Exploration Methods What Geologists and Geophysicists do to find oil and gas Cerro Azul #4 blow-out, Veracruz, Mexico February 1916 HGS Petroleum Exploration Methods Part I: What is petroleum and where is it found? What is Petroleum? A natural, yellow-to-black, flammable, liquid hydrocarbon found beneath the earth’s surface The Origin of Petroleum Organic-rich Source Rock Thermally Matured Organic Matter Oil Kerogen Types TOC 2.12 WT.% TOC .38 WT.% Types of Petroleum Oil and gas are formed by the thermal cracking of organic compounds buried in fine-grained rocks Algae = Hydrogen rich = Oil-prone Wood = Hydrogen poor = Gas-prone What is Petroleum? What is it used for? What is Petroleum? Detergents - Cosmetics Fertilizers - Weed Killers Medicine - Antiseptics - Anesthetics Plastics - Synthetic Fibers Synthetic Rubber Rust Preventatives Liquid Petroleum Gas More Than 3,000 Products Petroleum—Where is it found? Basins are containers for sediment Earth’s basins contain sediment/rocks, air, or water Basins: Forces that shape the earth’s crust Plate Tectonics * * *Houston Geological Society Academic Liaison Committee