Petroleum Petroleum is an oil that is found underground.

Petroleum means “rock oil” or “oil from the earth.”

Petroleum is a Fossil Fuel. It was made from plants and animals. The energy in petroleum came from plants and animals. That energy came from the sun.

The plants and animals lived millions of years ago. They were alive before the dinosaurs! When they died, they were buried on the ocean floor.

Over the years, layers of mud built up, covering the dead plants and animals. Heat and pressure from these layers helped the remains turn into what we today call crude oil.

Petroleum is Non-Renewable. The petroleum we use today took millions of years to form. We can’t make more in a short time. That’s why we call it a non- renewable energy source.

Today, the oil is found underground. Petroleum is buried underground in tiny pockets in rocks. The oil is trapped in rocks almost like water is trapped in a wet sponge!

So how do we get petroleum out of the ground? We drill oil wells!

Pockets of oil that are deep underground are called deposits or reservoirs.

Oil wells pump out the oil and bring it to the surface. Some oil wells are more than two miles deep! Oil Well

Oil is found in two places: Underneath land. Underneath the ocean. (off-shore)

Land-Based Well

Off-Shore Well Oil rigs that can float are used to reach oil beneath the ocean. Most of these wells are in the Gulf of Mexico.

After the oil is drilled, it is sent to refineries. We move oil in big ships called tankers.

Sometimes we move oil in pipes under the ground.

We can’t use crude oil as it comes out of the ground. We must change it into the fuels that we can use.

A refinery is a factory that processes oil.

At the refinery, the crude oil is separated into many fuels and products. Diesel Gasoline Jet Fuel Propane

Over two-thirds of the petroleum mined is used to make gasoline, diesel fuel, and heating oil!

Products made from one barrel of crude oil One barrel of crude oil produces 19.7 gallons of gasoline!

We also burn oil to make electricity!

The demand for petroleum-based products is very high. Petroleum use impacts every part of our lives! Americans use more petroleum than any other energy source!

Texas produces the most oil!

Unfortunately, we use much more oil than we produce. The U.S. only produces about one-third the amount of oil that we use!

Petroleum makes our lives easier, but…

Petroleum damages the environment!  Drilling for oil disturbs fragile land and ocean environments.

 Transporting oil may endanger wildlife if it’s spilled on rivers and oceans.

 Even careless disposal of motor oil from our cars can pollute streams and rivers!

 Gasoline burned in our cars pollutes the air.

 Oil burned in factories causes pollution.

The petroleum industry works hard to protect the environment. Oil is drilled and transported as safely as possible, to avoid spills. Gasoline has been changed to burn cleaner.

Discussion Questions Where are most of the off-shore oil rigs located? What are some recent events that impacted oil production in this area? How did the disruption of oil production impact your life?