Oil Formation Video
1. The process that forms oil requires a lot of time. How long ago did the oil we extract today start forming?
The oil we extract today started forming 200 million years ago.
2. What was the earth like at this time?
The earth had continents that shifted around and the whole earth was covered in water.
3. We call it oil now, but what was that slimy black stuff before it became oil?
The slimy black stuff before it became oil was microorganisms called phytoplankton.
4. The video lists several processes or conditions required to change your answer to question 3 into oil. I can think of five - can you get them all?
- phytoplankton die and sink to the seafloor as it is collected at the bottom of the seafloor
- then mixes with other sediments with no oxygen so it does not decompose
- heat is then created by the pressure of bedrocks between 150 degrees
- then it raps the "lighter"( less dense) oil
5. Besides oil, what other fossil fuel can be formed by this process with only one minor variation?
The other fossil fuel can be formed by this process with only one minor variation is natural gasses.
Bonus: But wait, we call oil a non-renewable resource. If we can just make more oil by this process, why do we call i "non-renewable"?
We call oil a "non-renewable" resource because it takes a lot of time for phytoplankton to die and sink to the bottom of the floor, then it would have to be compacted with layers so it can produce heat. This takes years and years, thats why we call it a "non-renewable" resource.
The oil we extract today started forming 200 million years ago.
2. What was the earth like at this time?
The earth had continents that shifted around and the whole earth was covered in water.
3. We call it oil now, but what was that slimy black stuff before it became oil?
The slimy black stuff before it became oil was microorganisms called phytoplankton.
4. The video lists several processes or conditions required to change your answer to question 3 into oil. I can think of five - can you get them all?
- phytoplankton die and sink to the seafloor as it is collected at the bottom of the seafloor
- then mixes with other sediments with no oxygen so it does not decompose
- heat is then created by the pressure of bedrocks between 150 degrees
- then it raps the "lighter"( less dense) oil
5. Besides oil, what other fossil fuel can be formed by this process with only one minor variation?
The other fossil fuel can be formed by this process with only one minor variation is natural gasses.
Bonus: But wait, we call oil a non-renewable resource. If we can just make more oil by this process, why do we call i "non-renewable"?
We call oil a "non-renewable" resource because it takes a lot of time for phytoplankton to die and sink to the bottom of the floor, then it would have to be compacted with layers so it can produce heat. This takes years and years, thats why we call it a "non-renewable" resource.