Flowing Resources

Oil and natural gas are 2 valuable resources found within the Earth’s interior. Although both are fluids their extraction from the Earth is still considered a form of mining.

Process of Getting Oil Natural gas and oil are created in a complex process that takes millions of years. The deposits we mine today were formed when plankton accumulated in shallow seas during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic Eras!

How it all Happens: Organic material trapped for millions of years in sedimentary rocks that have formed above it. Trapped organic material decomposes very slowly, due to the limited oxygen.

Bacteria transforms organic material into methane and a complex hydrocarbon called kerogen. If temperatures rise to 100 C the kerogen turns into a unique product called… OIL!

If temperatures continue to rise to 150 C the kerogen is converted back into carbon dioxide. Oil is actually a freak of nature that occurs when conditions are just right.

Alberta Oil Sands The Alberta oil sands are unique because the oil is not found underground, rather it is mixed in with sand and shale. This makes extraction very difficult, costly and wasteful.

Process of Extracting Oil from Oil Sands Hot water is pumped into the deposit through one well and extracted through another. The oil becomes a liquid as is heated and can be more easily removed.

kwoRivP17Ahttp:// kwoRivP17A en/campaigns/Energy/tarsands/ en/campaigns/Energy/tarsands/

What the Frack? “Fracking” or hydraulic fracturing, is the process of extracting natural gas from shale rock layers deep within the earth. Fracking makes it possible to produce natural gas extraction in shale plays that were once unreachable with conventional technologies Wwe-uBMhttp:// Wwe-uBM

Environmental Issues with Extraction Read the “Environment Watch” section on page 97 of the text and answer the following questions. 1. Explain why the cold climate is detrimental in recovery for this region. 2. Describe some of the devastating effects on the environment, people and livestock. 3. Are the economic benefits of oil production more important than the preservation of the environment?

Oil Assignment Choose 1 of the following scenarios and write an opinion based letter to the government: 1. You have been chosen to be the spokesperson for an Alberta based environmental organization. The main goal is to reduce the use of oil and natural gas in favour of green energy alternatives. You must write a letter to the government of Canada explaining the negative impacts of fracking and the oil sands on the Earth (this is geography after all), as well as the overall negative social impacts due to the environmental degradation. Your objective is to get the government to reduce the use of oil/natural gas, be sure to include an explanation of the extraction process.

2. You have been chosen to be the spokesperson for an Alberta based oil corporation. Your company is facing significant backlash due to the negative environmental effects on the Earth. In order to ensure government support, you must write a letter to the Canadian government explaining the environmentally sound process of oil/natural gas extraction. Your objective is to convince the government to continue to use oil/natural gas so that you corporation will be profitable.

The letter should be at least 1 full page and should address both physical geography aspects of the oil and gas industry as well as the social impacts. There are positive and negative aspects for both sides, make sure your arguments are convincing!