Formation

From OOGEEP

Crude oil and natural gas are called “fossil fuels” because they were created from biotic materials: tiny marine plants and animals. Millions of years ago, these plants and animals died and were buried by layers of sediment, water, and sand. Microorganisms fed on the decomposing organic material in a process called biogenesis. The pressure from the sediment layers and heat from beneath the earth’s crust “cooked” this biotic material within the rock layers and formed oil and natural gas deposits.

Contents 1 Career connection 2 True or false? 3 Graphic organizers: biotic materials flow chart 3.1 Directions 4 National standards 5 Resources 5.1 Web links 5.2 Printable documents

[edit] Career connection

Finding new oil and gas deposits is one part technology and three parts detective work. As a paleontologist, you will look for clues from tiny marine plant and animal fossils to find rock layers that contain oil and natural gas. You may work in a laboratory or outdoors on a drilling rig as the rock cuttings come to the surface.

[edit] True or false?

Crude oil and natural gas were formed naturally as the pressure from many layers of sediments and heat from the earth "cooked" ancient plant and animal life.

TRUE.

[edit] Graphic organizers: biotic materials flow chart

The process of turning biotic materials into energy and products can be visually organized by using a flow chart. Students practice creating a flow chart with an experiment.

[edit] Directions

1. Choose shapes to represent process and matter.
2. Discuss the meaning of arrows.

[edit] National standards

• Earth and space science
  • Explore earth's systems and geochemical cycles
  • Study energy sources
• Physical science
  • Identify properties and changes of properties of matter
  • Understand the transfer of energy
• Inquiry science
  • Conduct investigations
  • Use tools and techniques to gather and interpret data

[edit] Resources

[edit] Web links

• Essentials of Geology
• Animation about Oil Formation
• Absorb Chemistry: Oil Formation
• yTeach.com: Animation showing formation of crude oil and natural gas

[edit] Printable documents

• Formation experiment 1: It's a gas
• Formation experiment 2: Biotic materials
• In the Round: Vocabulary
• It's a Gas Week 1 photo
• It's a Gas Week 1 photo 2
• It's a Gas Week 3 photo

The roadmap
preceded by first	Formation	followed by Migration and trapping