oil and gas, part 2

in the US, most coal mining is done ____

in the Appalachian region

both underground and surface mining pose unique problems and ___

environmental hazards

what kind of problems does underground mining cause:

leaves large void spaces in the subsurface, subsidence, and high risk of cave-in’s

very dangerous

what kind of problems does surface mining cause:

extremely large amounts of material is removed, altering the landscape

less dangerous, but ad for the environment

coal is often rich in ___

metallic sulfide minerals, which isn’t good

why isn’t it good that coal is rich in metallic sulfide minerals?

when coal is burned, the sulfide ions will combine with oxygen and form SO2. this will then bond with water in the atmosphere forming sulfuric acid H2SO4, which is acid rain. the acid rain will rain out the heavy metals

mostly significant, coal releases. CO2 when burned, and contributes to the earth’s ongoing climate change

what is petroleum?

a general term used to describe the organic compounds that make up crude oil and natural gas

oil and gas are sometimes referred to as __

hydrocarbons

why are oil and gas referred to as hydrocarbons?

because their molecular building blocks consisting almost entirely of C and H

define crude oil:

a term used to describe unrefined oil that is a mixture of hydrocarbons that are in a liquid state

how does petroleum form?

organic matter breaks down in a complex manner, and then this organic matter migrates and then accumulates in other places

what is a source rock:

the rock formation that most petroleum originates from and is often an organic-rich marine shale

as microscopic marine organisms that live in the water column die, they accumulate on the __

ocean floor. this layer of organic matter is then buried

the oil window is:

the burial depth and temperature that oil is most likely to form

burial depth of ~7,500 – 15,000ft

you can also have___alongside the oil window

gas window

15,000 – 40,000ft

oil and gas originates in sedimentary environments, so sedimentary rocks and their sequences are the focus of ___

oil and gas exploration

oil and gas have a ___ ___ and will migrate towards the surface until they hit an impermeable layer that they accumulate at

oil and gas

what is a petroleum trap?

the impermeable layer that stops the migration of oil & gas which it accumulates at (usually a shale)

what is a petroleum reservoir?

the permeable rock that oil & gas can migrate through (usually a sandstone)

oil and gas are extracted via __

drilling and then pumping out the petroleum

oil and gas deposited are:

difficult to locate in the subsurface

different instruments are sent down the well, measuring various properties and plotted geographically as __

well logs

the burning of hydrocarbons releases a variety of pollutants:

H2O, CO2, and CCO

what are some direct hazards to the environent:

oil spills from well blowouts and leaks, environmental damage from drilling, induced seismicity and leaking of drilling fluids

_____ has greatly increased since the industrial revolution and the rapid increase in the global population

the demand for energy

fossil fuels are unevenly distributed and their distribution has ____

direct implications on costs and dependence

possible solutions to the oil crisis and conservation:

electric vehicles

revamping public transportation

increasing the efficiency of gas cars

reducing the amount of flights a person takes per year