Hydrocarbon
Formation
| Step
1 |
The
oil and gas that we use
today began as microscopic
plants and animals in the
oceans, millions of years
ago. After dying, the carbon
based life forms would then
sink to the bottom of the
ocean, where they piled upon
each other to form the
sediment layers.
|
|
Step 2
|
As
more and more biomass
began to pile upon each
other, the pressure and
temperatures of the dead
organisms began to
increase. With time, the
carbon lifeforms began
to "cook" into
hydrocarbons. The lower
temperatures and
shallower depths
produces heavier oils,
while the higher
temperatures and lower
depths produced natural
gasses.
|
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Step 3
|
As the strati-graphic
formations shift, the oil, gas, and
water composites migrate through the
different geological layers through
the source of porous rocks, such as
sandstone and limestone. The liquids
and gases migration patterns depend on
the density and pressure differences
in the environment. The flux of the
hydrocarbons is closed by a cap (shale
rock) due to its' low porosity
qualities. Different strati-graphic
formations allow for differentiation's
in hydrocarbon reserve locations,
qualities, and quantities.
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