How oil was formed in nature

Often called oil "black gold", as it brings a good profit to those who extract it. Many are wondering how the oil was formed and what its composition is. Further we will try to understand this.

Main Components

The composition of oil includes the following components:

- Hydrocarbon. This component is divided, in turn, into naphthenic, methane and aromatic elements.

- Asphaltic resin. The group of these elements is divided into substances soluble in gasoline. They are called asphaltenes. And also on insoluble elements (resins).

- The ashes. These are various chemical substances formed during the combustion of oil.

Purpose

This product is of two types. Namely, there is crude and refined oil. In the first case, we mean the substance that was formed in nature. Among other things, it includes fragments of rocks, gases, water and salt. Due to the fact that these components do not bring anything useful to humans and harm the equipment of oil producers, they get rid of them by cleaning oil.

From this mineral it is made plastic, cleaning agents, paints, explosives. Solar oil and gasoline are also produced from oil. Even car tires produce from this mineral. Some of the medicines are also made from oil.

This fossil is fuel raw materials. And this is what transforms the energy. Namely, mechanical, thermal, etc. If the oil reserves are exhausted, then people will have to look for a replacement. This substance will most likely replace hydrogen contained in water. But mankind still has to learn how to obtain energy from hydrogen. To date, scientists are working on this issue.

How did the oil form?

Let us consider this point in more detail. There are two theories about how oil was formed. Today they have their opponents and supporters among scientists.

Theory No. 1 is called biogenic. According to her, the process of oil formation was carried out from the organic remains of various animals and plants for many millions of years. This theory was first put forward by the famous Russian scientist MV Lomonosov.

Human civilization is much faster than the rate of oil production. Therefore, it is a non-renewable natural resource. According to the biogenic theory, oil in the near future will dry up. Some scientists predict that the extraction of "black gold" will last no more than 30 years.

Another theory is much more optimistic and provides hope to the largest oil companies. They call it abiogenic. The founder of this theory was D.I. Mendeleev. Once, after visiting Baku, he met the famous geologist Herman Abich, who shared his thoughts on how oil was formed. Abich noted that all the large deposits of this fossil are located mainly near the cracks and faults of the earth's crust.

Taking into account this information, Mendeleev created his own theory about how oil forms in nature. It says that the surface waters that penetrate deep into the crust of the earth through cracks, react with metals and their carbides. As a result, hydrocarbons are formed. They rise gradually over the same cracks in the earth's crust. Over time, in these places, an oil field is formed. This process lasts no more than 10 years.

This theory of how oil formed on the earth gives the right to assert to scientists that the stock of this substance will last for many centuries. That is, deposits of this mineral can be restored if a person stops producing for a while. It is absolutely impossible to do this in conditions of constant population growth. One hope remains for new deposits. To date, work is being done to identify the latest evidence of the truth of the abiogenic theory. A well-known Moscow scientist has shown that if any hydrocarbon that possesses a polynaphthenic component is heated up to 400 degrees, then pure oil will be released. This is a reliable fact.

Petroleum products

In the laboratory, this product can be obtained. This has been learned since the last century. Why do people extract oil deep underground, and do not get it by synthesis? The fact is that it will have a huge market value. It is not profitable to produce it at all.

The fact that this product can be obtained under laboratory conditions, confirms the above abiogenic theory. It has recently been supported by many.

From what is formed natural gas

Consider for comparison the origin of this mineral. The dead living organisms, having descended to the bottom of the sea, were in an environment where they did not disintegrate either as a result of oxidation (there is practically no air and oxygen) or under the influence of microbes. As a result, sludge formed from them. Thanks to geological movements, they descended to great depths, penetrating into the earth's interior. Over the course of millions of years, these deposits have been subjected to high temperatures and pressures. As a result, a certain process was carried out in these sediments. That is, the carbon that was contained in the sediments was converted into compounds called hydrocarbons. This process is not significant in the formation of this substance.

High molecular weight hydrocarbons are liquid substances. Of these, oil was created. But low-molecular hydrocarbons are substances of gaseous type. In nature, there are a lot of them. Just from them natural gas also turns out. Only this requires higher pressures and temperatures. Therefore, wherever oil is extracted, natural gas is always present.

Over time, many deposits of these minerals have gone to considerable depth. For millions of years they were blocked by sedimentary rocks.

Determining the price of oil

Let us also consider this terminology. The price of oil is the availability of a cash equivalent of the supply-demand ratio. There is a certain relationship. That is, if the supply falls, then before the leveling out with demand, the cost increases.

The price of oil also depends on the quotation of futures or contracts for a given product of one sort or another. This is an essential factor. Thanks to the operational quotation of oil, it is sometimes advantageous to trade futures on stock indices. The cost of this product is indicated in an international format. Namely, in US dollars per barrel. So, the cost of 45.50 on UKOIL means that 1 barrel of the specified Brent product costs $ 45.50.

The price of oil is a very important indicator for the Russian stock market. Its importance has a great influence on the development of the country. In general, the dynamics of this indicator is determined from the economic situation in the United States. This is important to know in deciding the question of how the price of oil is formed. To effectively predict the dynamics of the stock exchange, you need to review the cost of a given mineral for a certain time (per week), and not just what price is today.

The result

All of the above contains a lot of useful information. Having read this text, everyone will be able to understand the solution of the question of how oil and gas form in nature.