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#REDIRECT[[Petroleum crude oil]]
 
{{Image|LucasGusher SpindletopTexas.JPG|right|300px|The famous Lucas Gusher oil well of 1901 in Spindletop, Texas.}}
 
'''Petroleum crude oil''', or simply '''crude oil''', is a naturally occurring, [[flammability|flammable]] liquid found primarily in underground [[Geology|geological]] formations and consists of a complex mixture of [[hydrocarbon]]s of various [[molecular weight]]s plus other [[Organic chemistry|organic compound]]s.
 
The [[Latin]] word '''''petroleum''''' was first used to describe petroleum crude oil  by the [[Germany|German]] mineralogist [[Georg Bauer]] (also known as Georgius Agricola) in the treatise ''De Natura Fossilium'', published in 1546<ref>{{cite book |author=Bauer Georg|title=De Natura Fossilium |year=1546}} Translated in 1955 by Mark C. Bandy and Jean A. Bandy </ref> The [[Greek language|Greek]] word for petroleum is ''πετρέλαιον'', meaning "rock oil".
 
The first oil well drilled at [[Spindletop]] in southeast [[Texas]], known as the "Lucas Gusher", was completed when petroleum crude oil gushed forth on January 10, 1901. The oil reservoir underneath Spindletop was formed by a salt dome (see the "Crude oil sources" section below) and become known as the oil well that started the birth of the oil industry in Texas. It initially produced about 100,000 [[U.S. customary units|barrel]]s per day (16,000 cubic [[metre]]s  per day), more than the combined production from all of the oil wells then existing in the United States.
 
== Composition of crude oil ==
{{main|Hydrocarbons}}
{| border="0" width="400" align="right"
|
{| class = "wikitable" align="center"
|-
! Hydrocarbon !! Average<br />Weight %
|-
|[[Hydrocarbon|Paraffin]]s||align="center"|30
|-
|[[Hydrocarbon|Naphthene]]s||align="center"|49
|-
|[[Hydrocarbon|Aromatic]]s||align="center"|15
|-
|[[Asphalt (petroleum)|Asphaltics]]||align="center"|6
|}
|
{| class = "wikitable" align="center"
|-
! Element!!Weight %
|-
|[[Carbon]] ||align="center"|83 to 87
|-
|[[Hydrogen]] ||align="center"|10 to 14
|-
|[[Nitrogen]] ||align="center"|0.1 to 2.0
|-
|[[Oxygen]] ||align="center"|0.1 to 1.5
|-
|[[Sulfur]] ||align="center"|0.5 to 6.0
|-
|Metals ||align="center"|less than 1000 ppm
|}
|}
 
Both crude oil and [[natural gas]] are predominantly mixtures of [[hydrocarbons]]. At typical ambient conditions of pressure and temperature, the lower molecular weight hydrocarbons [[methane]], [[ethane]], [[propane]] and [[butane]] occur as gases, while the higher molecular weight ones ([[pentane]] and higher) are in the form of liquids or solids. However, in the underground [[oil reservoir]]s the proportion which is gas or liquid varies depending on the subsurface conditions, and on the [[phase diagram]] of the petroleum mixture.<ref name="Hyne 2001">{{cite book|author=Norman J. Hyne|title=Nontechnical Guide to Petroleum Geology, Exploration, Drilling, and Production|edition=|publisher=PennWell|date=2001|pages=pages 1-4|id=ISBN 0-87814-823-X}}</ref>
 
Crude oil consists mostly of hydrocarbons with small amounts of other [[Organic chemistry|organic chemical compounds]] that may contain [[nitrogen]], [[oxygen]] or [[sulfur]]. It may also contain trace amounts of metals such as [[iron]], [[nickel]], [[copper]] and [[vanadium]]. The exact [[Chemical element|elemental]] composition varies widely from formation to formation but the proportion of [[chemical element]]s vary over fairly narrow limits.<ref name="Speight"> {{Cite book|author=James G. Speight|title=The Chemistry and Technology of Petroleum|edition=|publisher=Marcel Dekker|year=1999|pages=pages 215-216|id=ISBN 0-8247-0217-4}}</ref> The distribution of the different types of hydrocarbons in petroleum also varies considerably from one crude oil reservoir to another which means that the properties of the various crude oils are quite different.<ref name="Hyne 2001"/>
 
The average elemental composition of petroleum crude oil and the average distribution of the different hydrocarbons in the various crude oils are shown in the adjacent tables.
 
{{Image|Example Cycloalkanes.png|right|225px}}
{{Image|Example Aromatics.png|right|325px}}
;The hydrocarbons in crude oil:
{{main|Hydrocarbons|Petroleum refining processes|Petrochemical}}
Petroleum is a mixture of a very large number of different [[hydrocarbon]]s. The most common hydrocarbons found in petroleum crude oil are linear or branched [[Hydrocarbons|alkane]]s (also called ''paraffins''), [[Hydrocarbons|cycloalkane]]s (also called ''cyclic paraffins'' or ''naphthenes''), [[Hydrocarbons|aromatic hydrocarbon]]s, or much more complicated chemicals like [[asphaltene]]s which may have a [[molecular weight]] of 800 to 2500.<ref>{{cite book|author=Oliver Mullins and Eric Sheu (Editors)|title=Structure & Dynamics of Asphaltenes|edition=1st Edition|publisher=Springer|year=1999|id=ISBN 0-306-45930-2}} (See Chapter 1, page 17)</ref><ref>Note: There are many other values in the technical literature for the molecular weight of asphaltenes and there does not appear to be a consensus as to which values are more correct.</ref> .
 
The alkanes present in crude oil are [[saturation (chemistry)|saturated]] hydrocarbons, with linear or branched chains,  which contain only [[carbon]] and [[hydrogen]] atoms and have the general formula of C<sub>n</sub>H<sub>2n+2</sub>. They generally have from 4 to 40 carbon atoms per molecule, although some molecules may be present that have less than 5 or more than 40 carbon atoms.
 
The cycloalkanes are also saturated hydrocarbons, but they  have one or more rings of carbon atoms to which hydrogen atoms are attached. The general formula for cycloalkane having a single ring of carbon atoms (with no side chains) is C<sub>n</sub>H<sub>2n</sub>. Cycloalkanes have similar properties to alkanes but have higher boiling points.
 
The upper adjacent diagram depicts the chemical structure of [[cyclopentane]] and [[cyclohexane]] as some examples of cycloalkanes having a single ring.
 
The aromatic hydrocarbons have one or more rings of six carbons, called [[benzene ring]]s, to which<br /> hydrogen atoms are attached. The general formula of the aromatic hydrocarbons having a single ring (and having no side chains) is C<sub>n</sub>H<sub>n</sub>.
 
The lower adjacent diagram depicts the chemical structures of [[benzene]] as an example of an aromatic hydrocarbon having a single ring with no side chains, as well as the structures of [[toluene]] and [[o-Xylene]] as examples of aromatic hydrocarbons having a single benzene ring with one and with two side chains.
 
==Formation of crude oil==
 
According to generally accepted theory, petroleum is derived from ancient [[biomass]].<ref>Keith A. Kvenvolden (2006), ''Organic geochemistry – A retrospective of its first 70 years'', Organic Geochemistry, '''37''' pp. 1–11.</ref>  The theory was initially based on the isolation of molecules from petroleum that closely resembled known biomolecules.
 
More specifically, crude oil and [[natural gas]] are products of [[diagenesis|heating]] of ancient [[Organic  chemistry|organic materials]] (i.e. [[kerogen]]) over [[geologic time scale|geological time]]. Formation of petroleum occurs from [[hydrocarbon]] [[pyrolysis]], in a variety of mostly [[endothermic]] reactions at high temperature and/or pressure. Today's oil formed from the preserved remains of prehistoric [[zooplankton]] and [[algae]], which had settled to a sea or lake bottom in large quantities under [[anoxic waters|anoxic conditions]]. Over geological time, the organic matter mixed with mud, and was buried under heavy layers of [[sediment]] resulting in high levels of [[heat]] and [[pressure]]. This process caused the organic matter to change, first into the waxy material known as [[kerogen]], which is found in various [[oil shale]]s around the world, and then with more heat into liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons via a process known as [[catagenesis (geology)|catagenesis]].
 
Geologists often refer to the temperature range in which oil forms as an "oil window". Below the oil window minimum temperature oil remains trapped in the form of kerogen, and above the window maximum temperature the oil is converted to [[natural gas]] through the process of [[thermal cracking]]. Although this temperature range is found at different depths below the surface throughout the world, a typical depth for the oil window is 4 – 6 km.  Sometimes, oil which is formed at extreme depths may migrate and become trapped at much shallower depths than where it was formed, as in the case of the [[Athabasca Oil Sands]].
 
== Crude oil sources ==
 
{{Image|Crude Oil Traps.png|right|446px|The three basic forms of structural crude oil traps.}}
;Conventional crude oil reservoirs:
Three conditions must be present for oil reservoirs to form, as depicted in the adjacent drawing:
 
:* A reservoir of hydrocarbon material must exist and must have been buried deep enough for subterranean heat and pressure to have transformed it over a long period of time into crude oil.
:* A [[porous]], [[permeability (fluid)|permeable]] reservoir rock for the crude oil to accumulate in.
:* A non-porous, non-permeable cap rock that acts to seal and to prevent the accumulated crude oil from migrating upward and escaping to the surface.
Because most hydrocarbons are lighter than rock or water, they often migrate upward by permeating through porous, permeable rock layers until either reaching the surface or becoming trapped by non-porous, impermeable rocks above. When hydrocarbons are accumulated in a such a trap, an oil reservoir forms from which the oil can be extracted by drilling and pumping as also shown in the adjacent drawing.
 
;Unconventional oil reservoirs:
Oil-eating bacteria [[biodegradation|biodegrades]] oil that has escaped to the surface. [[Oil sands]] are reservoirs of partially biodegraded oil still in the process of escaping and being biodegraded, but they contain so much migrating oil that, although most of it has escaped, vast amounts are still present—more than can be found in conventional oil reservoirs. The lighter fractions of the crude oil are destroyed first, resulting in reservoirs containing an extremely heavy form of crude oil, called crude bitumen in Canada, or extra-heavy crude oil in Venezuela. These two countries have the world's largest deposits of oil sands.
 
On the other hand, [[oil shale]]s are source rocks that have not been exposed to heat or pressure long enough to convert their trapped hydrocarbons into crude oil. Technically speaking, oil shales are not really shales and do not really contain oil, but are usually relatively hard rocks called [[marl]]s containing a waxy substance called [[kerogen]]. The kerogen trapped in the rock can be converted into crude oil using heat and pressure to simulate natural processes. The method has been known for centuries and was patented in 1694 under British Crown Patent No. 330 covering, "A way to extract and make great quantityes of pitch, tarr, and oyle out of a sort of stone." Although oil shales are found in many countries, the United States has the world's largest deposits.<ref name=Lambertson>{{cite news | title=Oil Shale: Ready to Unlock the Rock | first=Giles | last=Lambertson | publisher=Construction Equipment Guide | url=http://www.cegltd.com/story.asp?story=10092 | date=February 16, 2008}}</ref>
 
==Classification of crude oils==
 
The [[petroleum industry]] generally classifies crude oil by the geographic location of the reservoir from which it is produced (e.g. [[West Texas Intermediate]], [[Brent oilfield|Brent]], or [[Oman]]), its [[API gravity]] (an oil industry measure of density), and by its sulfur content. Crude oil may be considered ''light'' if it has a low density or ''heavy'' if it has a high density and it may be referred to as ''sweet'' if it contains relatively little sulfur or ''sour'' if it contains substantial amounts of sulfur.
 
''Light'' crude oil is more desirable than ''heavy'' oil since it provides a higher yield of gasoline and  ''sweet'' oil is more desirable than ''sour'' oil because it has fewer environmental problems and requires less refining to meet sulfur content standards of refined fuels. Each crude oil has a unique composition and set of physical properties which are delineated by [[crude oil assay]]s performed in petroleum laboratories.
 
Some of the common petroleum crude oils (many of which are known as ''benchmark crude oils'') are:
 
* '''''West Texas Intermediate''''' is a very high-quality, sweet, light oil. It is a [[North America|North American]] oil.
* '''''Brent Blend''''' is a blend of 15 oils from the [[Brent oilfield|Brent]] and [[Ninian]] oil fields in the [[East Shetland Basin]] of the [[North Sea]].
* '''''Dubai Crude''''' is a [[Middle East|Middle Eastern]], sour oil from [[Dubai]].
* '''''Arabian Crude''''' is a Middle Eastern oil from [[Saudi Arabia]].
* '''''Tapis Crude''''' is a [[Far East|Far Eastern]] oil from [[Malaysia]].
* '''''Minas Crude''''' is a Far Eastern oil from [[Indonesia]].
* '''''Pembina''''' encompasses crude oils from Western [[Canada]].
* '''''Russian Export Blend''''' is a mixture of several crude oils exported by [[Russia]].
 
== Products produced from crude petroleum ==
 
{{main|Petroleum refining processes|Petrochemicals}}
The petroleum crude oil is refined in [[Petroleum refining processes|petroleum refineries]] to produce various fuels as well as a number of other products.
 
;Fuels:
* [[Liquified petroleum gas]], commonly referred to as LPG
* [[Gasoline]], also called [[petrol]], in various grades
* [[Jet fuel]] in various grades
* [[Kerosene]]
* [[Diesel fuel]]
* [[Fuel oil]]
 
;Other products:
* [[Solvents]] for various industrial and other uses
* [[Lubricant]]s such as [[motor oil]]s and [[Grease (lubricant)|greases]]
* [[Wax|Petroleum wax]]
* [[Sulfur]], a byproduct of [[Hydrodesulfurization|sulfur removal]] from fuels. 
* [[Asphalt (petroleum)|Asphalt]]
* [[Petroleum coke]], used in specialty carbon products or as a solid fuel.
* [[Petrochemical]] feed stocks:
** [[Benzene]], [[toluene]] and [[xylene]]s
** [[Petroleum naphtha]] and [[fuel oil]]s as feedstocks for steam-assisted [[thermal cracking]] plants referred to as ''[[steam cracker]]s'' that produce intermediate petrochemical feedstocks
 
== Crude oil statistics  ==
 
The three tables below provide the 20008 statistics for the production, consumption and proven reserves of petroleum crude oil of the top nations in each of those categories. The corresponding total world quantities of each category were (See table footnotes for measurement definitions and conversions):
 
* Production: 73,780,000 bbl/day (11,730,000 m<sup>3</sup>/day)
* Consumption: approximately 73,780,000 bbl/day (11,730,000 m<sup>3</sup>/day)
* Proven reserves: 1,332,000,000,000 bbl (211,790,000,000 m<sup>3</sup>)
 
As noted in the table footnotes, Canada's proven reserves include the petroleum in their [[Athabasca Oil Sands]]. The proven reserves of Venezuela probably include their oil sands also, but that is not explicitly stated in the referenced data sources.
 
{| border="0" align="center"
|
{| class="wikitable" align="center"
|+Crude Oil Producers (2008)<sup> </sup><ref name=EIATop15>[http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/country/index.cfm Country Energy Profiles] [[Energy Information Administration]], [[U.S. Department of Energy]]</ref>
!Producing Nation
!bbl/d !!m<sup>3</sup>/d
|-
|[[Saudi Arabia]]
|10,782,000
|1,729,000
|-
|[[Russia]]
|9,790,000
|1,557,000
|-
|[[United States]]
|8,514,000
|1,354,000
|-
|[[Iran]]
|4,174,000
|663,700
|-
|[[China]]
|3,973,000
|631,700
|-
|[[Canada]]
|3,350,000
|532,700
|-
|[[Mexico]]
|3,186,000
|506,600
|-
|[[United Arab Emirates]]
|3,046,000
|484,300
|-
|[[Kuwait]]
|2,741,000
|435,800
|-
|[[Venezuela]]
|2,643,000
|420,200
|-
|[[Norway]]
|2,466,000
|392,100
|-
|[[Brazil]]
|2,396,000
|381,000
|-
|[[Iraq]]
|2,385,000
|379,200
|-
|[[Algeria]]
|2,180,000
|346,600
|-
|[[Nigeria]]
|2,169,000
|344,900
|}
|
{| class="wikitable" align="center"
|+Crude Oil Consumers (2008)<sup> </sup><ref name=EIATop15/>
!Producing Nation
!bbl/d !!m<sup>3</sup>/d
|-
|[[United States]]
|19,498,000
|3,100,000
|-
|[[China]]
|7,850,000
|1,248,000
|-
|[[Japan]]
|4,785,000
|760,800
|-
|[[India]]
|2,940,000
|467,500
|-
|[[Russia]]
|2,900,000
|461,100
|-
|[[Germany]]
|2,569,000
|408,500
|-
|[[Brazil]]
|2,520,000
|400,700
|-
|[[Saudi Arabia]]
|2,297,000
|365,200
|-
|[[Canada]]
|2,260,000
|359,300
|-
|[[Republic of Korea]]
|2,175,000
|345,800
|-
|[[Mexico]]
|2,128,000
|338,400
|-
|[[France]]
|1,986,000
|315,800
|-
|[[Iran]]
|1,755,000
|279,000
|-
|[[United Kingdom]]
|1,710,000
|271,900
|-
|[[Italy]]
|1,639,000
|260,600
|}
|
{| class="wikitable" align="center"
|+Crude Oil Proven Reserves (2008)<sup> </sup><ref name=CIAWorldFactbook>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2178.html?countryName=World&countryCode=xx&regionCode=oc&#xx Proved Reserves of Oil by Country] CIA World Factbook</ref>
!Producing Nation
!bbl!!m<sup>3</sup>
|-
|[[Saudi Arabia]]
|264,300,000,000
|42,023,700,000
|-
|[[Canada]]
|178,600,000,000
|28,297,400,000
|-
|[[Iran]]
|136,200,000,000
|21,655,800,000
|-
|[[Iraq]]
|112,500,000,000
|17,887,500,000
|-
|[[Kuwait]]
|101,500,000,000
|16,138,500,000
|-
|[[United Arab Emirates]]
|97,800,000,000
|17,887,500,000
|-
|[[Russia]]
|79,000,000,000
|12,561,000,000
|-
|[[Venezuela]]
|78,270,000,000
|12,444,900,000
|-
|[[Libya]]
|45,000,000,000
|7,155,000,000
|-
|[[Nigeria]]
|38,500,000,000
|6,121,500,000
|-
|[[Kazakhstan]]
|30,000,000,000
|4,770,000,000
|-
|[[Qatar]]
|27,090,000,000
|4,307,300,000
|-
|[[United States]]
|20,970,000,000
|3,334,200,000
|-
|[[China]]
|19,600,000,000
|3,116,400,000
|-
|[[Algeria]]
|14,790,000,000
|2,351,600,000
|}
|}
'''Footnotes for the above tables''':
#bbl/d and m<sup>3</sup>/d are the liquid volume measures of '''''barrels per day''''' and '''''cubic metres per day''''', respectively. 1 bbl = 0.1590 m<sup>3</sup> and 1 m<sup>3</sup> = 6.289 bbl
#Proved reserves are those quantities of petroleum crude oil, which, by analysis of geological and engineering data, can be estimated with a high degree of confidence to be commercially recoverable from a given date forward, from known reservoirs and under current economic conditions.
#Canada's crude from oil sands is included in its proven reserves. On that basis, it has the world's second largest oil reserves after Saudi Arabia.
#Canada's production of crude oil from conventional sources is declining, but its production from oil sands is increasing.
#In the terminology of the oil industry, ''production'' refers to the quantity of crude oil extracted from reserves, not the literal creation of the product.
 
==History==
 
;Early history
Petroleum, in one form or another, has been used since ancient times.  About 2400 years ago (450 BC), [[Herodotus]] describes the oil pits at Ardericca (near Babylon) and the pitch (asphalt) spring of [[Zacynthus]].<ref name=EB1911>[http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/PER_PIG/PETROLEUM_Lat_Petra_rock_and_ol.html Petroleum] Article originally appearing in Volume V21, Page 321 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica (which is now in the public domain).</ref> Natural [[Asphalt (petroleum)|asphalt]] deposits in pits were used as mortar for bricks and walls, and for the construction of Babylonian towers as well as for waterproofing boats.  Large quantities of asphalt were also found on the banks of the Issus River (a tributary of the [[Euphrates River]]).<ref  name=Wells>[http://www.nd.edu/~jwells1/Petroleum.doc History of Petroleum] Joseph Wells, [[University of Notre Dame]].</ref> Ancient [[Persian Empire|Persian]] tablets indicate that petroleum was used for medicinal and lighting purposes by the upper levels of their society.
 
In about 325 BC, [[Alexander the Great]] used flaming torches of petroleum tar or oil to scare his enemies and, in about the first century AD, Plutarch refers to the petroleum found near Ecbatana (Kirkuk) in what is now [[Iraq]]. In the fourth century (347 AD), the [[China|Chinese]] are reported to have drilled holes up to 800 feet deep to extract oil by using drill bits attached to bamboo poles.<ref name=SJ>[http://www.sjgs.com/history.html The History of the Oil Industry] from the website of the San Juaquin Geological Society</ref><ref name=GeoHelp>[http://www.geohelp.net/world.html History of the World Petroleum Industry (Key Dates)]</ref>
 
Petroleum ("burning water") was known in [[Japan]] during the 7th century, while in [[Europe]] the gas springs of the north of [[Italy]] led to the adoption in 1226 by the municipality of [[Salsomaggiore]] of a salamander surrounded by flames as its emblem.<ref name=EB1911/>
 
[[Marco Polo]] refers to the oil springs of [[Baku]] (in what is now [[Azerbaijan]]) towards the end of the 13th century. In 1436, the medicinal properties of the oil found at [[Tegernsee]] in the [[Bavaria|Bavarian Alps]] gave it the name of "St. Quirinus's Oil". The oil at [[Pechelbronn]] in [[Alsace]] (now in the northeastern part of [[France]]) was discovered in 1498, and the "earthbalsam" of [[Galicia (East Central Europe)|Galicia]], an  area in East-Central Europe, was known in 1506. In 1595, [[Sir Walter Raleigh]] wrote of the lake of pitch (asphalt) in [[Trinidad]].<ref name=EB1911/> Also in the 1500s, oil from seeps in the [[Carpathian Mountains]] of [[Poland]] was burned in street lamps of the Polish town of [[Krosno]].<ref name=GeoHelp/> In 1594, oil wells were dug by hand at Baku up to 115 [[U.S. customary units|feet]] (135 [[metre]]s) deep.<ref name=SJS/>
 
;More recent historical timeline <ref name=EB1911/><ref name=GeoHelp/><ref name=SJS/>
'''''1735''''': Oil sands are mined and the oil extracted at Pechelbronn in Alsace.
 
'''''1814''''': One of the first oil wells to produce oil that was marketed was drilled to a depth of 500 [[U.S. customary units|feet]] (150 metres) near [[Marietta, Ohio]]. The well was actually drilled for salt water and it just happened to produce about 1 barrel per week of byproduct crude oil which was marketed.
 
'''''1818''''': In southeastern [[Kentucky]], another salt water well, known as the ''Beatty well'' and located on the banks of the south fork of the [[Cumberland River]], produced upwards of 100 barrels (16 m<sup>3</sup>) per day. By 1820, oil from this well was being shipped to several other southern states as well as to [[Europe]].
 
'''''1848''''': First modern oil well is drilled in Asia, on the [[Aspheron Peninsula]] north-east of Baku, by Russian engineer [[F.N. Semyenov]].
 
'''''1849''''': [[Abraham Gesner]], a physician and geologist from [[Nova Scotia]], [[Canada]]  developed a process for distilling kerosene from crude oil. About 7 years later, the [[kerosene lamp]] was developed, proving clean burning light.
 
'''''1854''''': First oil wells drilled to about 30 to 40 metres (100 to 130 feet) deep in Europe at [[ Bóbrka]], near Krosno in Poland by [[Ignacy Łukasiewicz]], a Polish pharmacist. That was followed in 1857 by oil wells drilled in the [[Carpathian Bend]] area northeast of [[Bucharest]], [[Romania]].
 
'''''1858''''': The first oil well in [[North America]] was drilled in [[Ontario]], Canada by [[James Miller Williams]], born in [[New Jersey]] and migrated to Canada. That was followed a year later in 1859 by the first oil well drilled in the United States. It was drilled 69 feet (21 metres) deep at [[Titusville]], [[Pennsylvania]] by [[Colonel Edwin Drake]] and initially produced 25 barrels (4 m<sup>3</sup>) per day which later decreased to 15 barrels (2 m<sup>3</sup>)per day.
 
'''''1859 to 1900''''': The production of crude oil worldwide increased greatly during this period of time. In the United States, oil production increased from about 2000 barrels (318 m<sup>3</sup>) in 1859 to about 57,000,000 barrels (9,000,000 m<sup>3</sup>) in 1900.
 
Then on January 10, 1901, the Lucas Gusher (see photo at the top of this article) was drilled by [[ Captain Anthony Lucas]] at Spindletop, Texas and was completed in 1901. Its initial production rate of about 100,000 barrels (16,000 m<sup>3</sup>) per day was far more than the combined production from all of the oil wells then existing in the United States and heralded the birth of the Texas oil industry.
 
Today, the petroleum industry is global in its scope. The largest volume products of the industry are [[fuel oil]]s and [[gasoline]] (petrol). Petroleum is also the raw material for many [[Petrochemical|chemical products]], including pharmaceuticals, solvents, fertilizers, pesticides, and plastics.
 
==Environmental effects==
 
The presence of oil has significant [[society|social]] and [[environment (biophysical)|environment]]al impacts from accidents and routine activities such as [[seismology|seismic]] exploration, [[drilling]], and generation of [[pollution|polluting]] wastes and [[greenhouse gas]]es.
 
;Extraction:
Oil extraction is costly and sometimes environmentally damaging, although oceanographer Dr. John Hunt of the [[Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution]] pointed out in a 1981 paper that over 70% of the reserves in the world are associated with visible [[seep|macroseepage]]s, and many oil fields are found due to natural [[seep]]s. Offshore exploration and extraction of oil disturbs the surrounding marine environment.<ref>[http://www.offshore-environment.com/discharges.html Waste discharges during the offshore oil and gas activity] by Stanislave Patin, translated by Elena Cascio.</ref>  Extraction may involve [[dredging]], which stirs up the seabed and kills the sea plants that marine creatures need to survive. But at the same time, [[offshore platform]]s also form micro-habitats for marine creatures.
 
;Oil spills:
 
Oil spills at sea are generally much more damaging than those on land, since they can spread for hundreds of [[nautical mile]]s in a thin [[oil slick]] which can cover beaches with a thin coating of oil. Such spills can kill sea birds, mammals, shellfish and other organisms it coats. Oil spills on land are more readily containable if a makeshift earthen [[dam]] can be rapidly [[bulldozer|bulldozed]] around the spill site before most of the oil escapes, and land animals can avoid the oil more easily.
 
Crude oil and refined fuel [[Oil spill|spills]] from [[tanker (ship)|tanker ship]] accidents have damaged natural [[ecosystem]]s in [[Alaska]], the [[Galapagos Islands]], [[France]] and many other places. The quantity of oil spilled from tanker ships during accidents has ranged from a few hundred tons to several hundred thousand tons (e.g., the tankers [[Atlantic Empress]] and [[Amoco Cadiz]]). Smaller spills have already proven to have a great impact on ecosystems, such as the oil spill from the [[Exxon Valdez tanker]].
 
Control of oil spills is difficult, requires ad hoc methods, and often a large amount of manpower. The dropping of bombs and incendiary devices from aircraft on the [[Torrey Canyon tanker]] wreck produced poor results.<ref>{{cite book |title=Oil and water - the Torrey Canyon disaster |author=Edward Cowan |year=1968 |publisher=Lippincott |id=}}</ref> Modern techniques would include pumping the oil from the wreck, like in the [[Prestige tanker]] oil spill or the oil spill from the [[Erika tanker]].<ref>[http://www.total.com/en/group/news/special_report_erika/erika_measures_total/erika_pumping_cargo_11379.htm Pumping of the Erika cargo]</ref>
 
==References==
{{reflist}}

Latest revision as of 14:56, 6 October 2009

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