Bagaimana petroleum dibentuk

Petroleum is a fossil fuel derived from ancient fossilized organic materials, such
as zooplankton and algae.[53]Vast quantities of these remains settled to sea or lake
bottoms, mixing with sediments and being buried underanoxic conditions. As further
layers settled to the sea or lake bed, intense heat and pressure build up in the lower
regions. This process caused the organic matter to change, first into a waxy material
known as kerogen, which is found in various oil shales around the world, and then
with more heat into liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons via a process known
as catagenesis. Formation of petroleum occurs from hydrocarbon pyrolysis in a
variety of mainlyendothermic reactions at high temperature and/or pressure.[54]
There were certain warm nutrient-rich environments such as the Gulf of Mexico and
the ancient Tethys Sea where the large amounts of organic material falling to the
ocean floor exceeded the rate at which it could decompose. This resulted in large
masses of organic material being buried under subsequent deposits such as shale
formed from mud. This massive organic deposit later became heated and
transformed under pressure into oil.[55]
Geologists often refer to the temperature range in which oil forms as an "oil
window"[56]below the minimum temperature oil remains trapped in the form of
kerogen, and above the maximum temperature the oil is converted to natural gas
through the process of thermal cracking. Sometimes, oil formed at extreme depths
may migrate and become trapped at a much shallower level. TheAthabasca Oil
Sands are one example of this.
An alternative mechanism was proposed by Russian scientists in the mid-1850s, the
hypothesis of abiogenic petroleum origin, but this is contradicted by geological
andgeochemical evidence.[57]
Abiogenic (formed by inorganic means) sources of oil have been found, but never in
commercially profitable amounts. The controversy isn't over whether naturally
forming oil reserves exist, said Larry Nation of the American Association of
Petroleum Geologists. It's over how much they contribute to Earth's overall reserves
and how much time and effort geologists should devote to seeking them out. [58]

Petroleum also known as crude oil or simply oil) is a fossil fuelthat was formed
from the remains of ancient marine organisms.
Millions of years ago, algae and plants lived in shallow seas. After dying and
sinking to the seafloor, the organic material mixed with other sediments and
was buried. Over millions of years under high pressure and high temperature,
the remains of these organisms transformed into what we know today as fossil
fuels. Coal, natural gas, and petroleum are all fossil fuels that formed under
similar conditions.
Today, petroleum is found in vast underground reservoirs where ancient seas
were located. Petroleum reservoirs can be found beneath land or the ocean
floor. Their crude oil is extracted with giant drilling machines.
Crude oil is usually black or dark brown, but can also be yellowish, reddish, tan,
or even greenish. Variations in color indicate the distinct chemical compositions
of different supplies of crude oil. Petroleum that has few metals or sulfur, for
instance, tends to be lighter (sometimes nearly clear).
Petroleum is used to make gasoline, an important product in our everyday lives.
It is also processed and part of thousands of different items, including tires,
refrigerators, life jackets, andanesthetics.
When petroleum products such as gasoline are burned for energy, they release
toxic gases and high amounts of carbon dioxide, agreenhouse gas. Carbon helps
regulate the Earths atmospheric temperature, and adding to the natural
balance by burning fossil fuels adversely affects our climate.
There are huge quantities of petroleum found under Earths surface and in tar
pits that bubble to the surface. Petroleum even exists far below the deepest
wells that are developed to extract it.
However, petroleum, like coal and natural gas, is a non-renewable source of
energy. It took millions of years for it to form, and when it is extracted and
consumed, there is no way for us to replace it.
Oil supplies will run out. Eventually, the world will reach peak oil, or its highest
production level. Some experts predict peak oil could come as soon as 2050.

Finding alternatives to petroleum is crucial to global energy use, and is the focus
of many industries.
Formation of Petroleum
The geological conditions that would eventually create petroleum formed
millions of years ago, when plants, algae, and planktondrifted in oceans and
shallow seas. These organisms sank to the seafloor at the end of their life
cycle. Over time, they were buried and crushed under millions of tons of
sediment and even more layers of plant debris.
Eventually, ancient seas dried up and dry basins remained, calledsedimentary
basins. Deep under the basin floor, the organic material was compressed
between Earths mantle, with very high temperatures, and millions of tons of
rock and sediment above. Oxygen was almost completely absent in these
conditions, and the organic matter began to transform into a waxy substance
calledkerogen.
With more heat, time, and pressure, the kerogen underwent a process
called catagenesis, and transformed into hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbons are
simply chemicals made up of hydrogen and carbon. Different combinations of
heat and pressure can create different forms of hydrocarbons. Some other
examples are coal,peat, and natural gas.
Sedimentary basins, where ancient seabeds used to lie, are key sources of
petroleum. In Africa, the Niger Delta sedimentary basin covers land in Nigeria,
Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea. More than 500 oil deposits have been
discovered in the massive Niger Delta basin, and they comprise one of the most
productive oil fields in Africa.