Coal, Oil & Natural Gas Study Guide
Compare/contrast coal and oil
-Compare Both form from dead plants and animals. Non re-newable. Energy source. Give off heat. -Contrast Oil forms from dead plankton. Different methods of extraction. Oil is liquid, coal is solid.
2 elements found in oil
1. carbon 2. hydrogen
What are three ways miners get oil/natural gas out of the Earth?
1. derrick- structure built to support drilling equipment 2. platform (offshore)- structure to support derrick & drilling equipment in offshore drilling; also includes living quarters for up to 50 workers 3. pipeline- used to transport oil. separate pipelines are used for oil & gas if both are present
Explain the four processes of extracting oil on land
1. fault trap- formed by movement of rocks on a fault line- impermeable rock prevents oil from escaping, so miners easily extract it from the surface 2. anticline trap- rocks that were previously even become bent, and oil finds its way in. After that, oil will flow to the top of the arch & get stuck 3. salt dome trap- found in gulf coast, texas, utah & colorado. salt is able to flow w/ high heat & pressure, so miners use it to flow through layers of the Earth for an oil trap 4. stratigraphy- it's the study of rocks & their location (rivers) Found in shale and limestone, but very hard to find. porous layers hold oil under nonporous layers (strata) of rock
5 types of coal in order
1. peat 2. lignite 3. bituminous 4. sub-bituminous 5. anthracite
2 ways coal is used today
1. produces electricity 2. bituminous which makes coke in steel production
2 ways coal was used in the past
1. provide heat in caveman times 2. fuel boilers on steam-powered trains
Disadvantages of each mining technique
1. surface- rain & nearby rivers can absorb harmful pollutants, & surface habitats and land will be disrupted 2. quarrying- disrupt habitats & pollute rain/streams/rivers 3. underground- air-born illnesses and cancers
Two problems associated with offshore drilling
1. weather conditions can affect operations 2. high risk of oil spills
Who changed the way we use oil?
Edwin Drake
Explain the energy cycle in fossil fuels
Fossil fuel's energy comes from the sun. Plants use energy in sunlight to make glucose. Some of it is stored as glycogen. If plant/animal/plankton dies, energy still remains in their bodies; so if the conditions are right, it can make oil, coal, or gas.
Where is natural gas found?
above oil deposits, because it's less dense
How was coal formed?
as vegetation dies in swampy areas, it sinks to the bottom and begins to get pressurized and compressed under Earth's surface. This process can take millions of years.
Which coal is produced east of the Mississippi?
bituminous
What element is coal made out of?
carbon
2 pollutants produced when burning coal
carbon monoxide & carbon dioxide
Liquid form of petroleum
crude oil
What are the two elements lost as coal forms?
hydrogen and carbon
What was oil's original use?
medicine
Products refined from crude oil
methane, propane, plastic, lubricants, gasoline, jet fuel
What does it mean if coal is soft, medium, or hard?
moisture content- hard means it's been pressurized and compacted longer, soft means it hasn't been as much
Which coal has the most carbon? Which has the least?
most-anthracite least-peat
How do miners extract oil from beneath the ocean floor?
off-shore drilling
What minerals do miners extract from each mining area?
open pit-marble, limestone, & granite underground-salt, marble, & uranium
What type of rock is coal?
sedimentary
Which coal is soft? Medium? Hard?
soft-peat & lignite medium-bituminous & sub-bituminous hard-anthracite
3 types of mining
surface, quarrying, underground
What does the carbon level in coal mean?
the efficiency of the coal
How do geologists find oil and natural gas?
they study rock formations and study patterns of seismic waves from underground explosions
