Environmental Geology: Fossil Fuels

Coal

- Carbon-rich sedimentary rock that burns to create energy - from PLANTS that have been buried and compressed in SWAMPS

Arab Oil Embargo: Early 1970s

- Gas prices skyrocketed, uncertain supply - Wake-up call: too much reliance on foreign oil

How is organic matter turned into petroleum?

- Heat and pressure - Time (millions of years!)

2008 Crisis

- Huge gas price increase in U.S - Less car driving during period of expensive gas (temporary change)

Oil problems

- Natural oil seeps = natural pollution - Oil spills (constant leaks, but big spills are the problem): cause local biological catastrophes

Keystone XL Pipeline Controversy

- Strip-mining uses lots of water and piles up tailings (waste left after the mining process) - Dirty, difficult to refine, and produces CO2 pollution

Renewable energy types

- Water energy (Mechanical energy of falling water turns turbines) - Wind energy (Mechanical energy of blowing wind turns turbines) Neither require combustion (burning up of resource)

Petroleum problems

- using up valuable resource - release of CO2 into atmosphere - Oil spills - Production of ground ozone

-How many barrels we have left in U.S -How many we use per year

-21 billion -7.5 billion

Natural gas supplies how much of US energy? Current reserves?

25% 200 trillion square feet (and declining)

1 barrel of oil =

42 gallons

Percentage of our energy that comes from fossil fuels

83%

Source rock

A rock rich in organic matter which, if heated sufficiently, will generate oil or gas. (most commonly shale, dark in color because of organic matter, not permeable)

ANWR and NPRA

ANWR: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: 8 billion barrels NPRA: National Petroleum Reserve: 7 billion barrels

Permeable rock

Allows oil to migrate through and collect (sandstone is the best reservoir rock)

Tar Sands

Bitumen -thick, viscous, goopy "tar" - found in Canada... Keystone XL Pipeline from Alberta to U.S - mined, not drilled

Burning old organic matter releases

Carbon dioxide

Oil - Conservation efforts

Carpooling, energy-efficient transit systems, fuel-efficient automobiles, better insulation= less heating required, alternative energy

Industrial revolution fueled by

Coal (easy to harvest, but not very efficient or clean)

Light oil (conventional)

Easier to harvest, naturally rises to surface, thin fluid

Economic reserves vs. Sub-economic reserves

Economic: profitable Sub-economic: currently unprofitable because more difficult to acquire

Fossil fuels used for:

Energy (heating hot water), transportation (cars, planes, trains), petrochemicals (plastics, rubber, solvents, fertilizers)

Natural gas

Gaseous hydrocarbons (Methane, propane)

Heavy oil

Harder to harvest, cold, sticky, viscous

Anticline

High point where oil and gas collects

Peat

Immature coal that burns readily

Oil Shales

Immature hydrocarbons - rock with high level of KEROGIN (solid, organic-rich) - Precursor to oil, but can't be drilled... must be mined

How oil gets to surface

It is naturally buoyant, so it rises through porous, permeable rocks. If there is no cap rock, it bubbles up as a seep. If there is an impermeable cap rock, it is trapped and can be drilled out.

Oil

Liquid hydrocarbons (gasoline, etc.)

"Clean" Coal

Lower-grade coal: Less sulfur, but still lots of carbon dioxide emitted

Petroleum

Made from carbon from previously living creatures (Old decomposed ORGANIC matter, mostly from PLANKTON sediments built up on seafloor)

Fracking

Making cracks in an impermeable rock to pull out oil (increasing porocity) - Side effect: tiny earthquakes - Bigger concern: Chemical use

Middle East

More than half of world's supply of oil -Over 600 billion barrels - Geopolitical connection

Are fossil fuels renewable?

No - they take millions of years to form, and once they're gone, they're gone forever

Industrial Revolution (1770s-1880s)

People started using fossil fuels to run machinery, drastically improving standards of living and lengthening lifespans, but also dramatically raising CO2 levels in atmosphere

Impermeable rock

Prevents oil from bubbling out to surface in a seep (shale is the best cap rock)

Coal pros and cons

Pros: Cheapest energy source, massive amount of coal reserves that could fuel U.S for hundreds of years Cons: Huge source of pollution, release of toxic metals,soot, sulfur gases that lead to acid runoff

Alaskan Oil

Prudhoe Bay: 13 billion barrels of reserves total, 11 billion of which we've used up

Enhanced Oil Recovery

Pumping water, steam, CO2, or natural gas into a well to increase pressure so heavy oil can be drilled

Oil and gas found together

Since gas is lighter, it floats to the top. Lighter oil then sits below gas and heavier oil stays at the bottom

Peak oil

When we've used half of what is available on earth - Some people debate we've already reached it

Fossil Fuels

carbon-rich remains of ancient life -oil, natural gas, coal, etc.

Electricity process

heat energy -> mechanical energy -> electric energy

Oil seep

oil naturally rising to the surface

Consumption of fossil fuels is...

rising, especially in wealthier countries, because standards of living are rising