Skip to main content. What Are Fossil Fuels? Natural Gas. The energy in fossil fuels comes from the sun, which drives photosynthesis to change carbon dioxide and water into the molecular building blocks of ancient plants and animals. Both plants and animals build their bodies using predominantly carbon and hydrogen atoms and it is the stored energy in the fossilized hydrocarbon-type compounds that serve as fuel when burned.
As the heat rises, the fossil molecules begin to break apart. Processing can take the form of crushing, grinding and milling. Coal is broken into smaller usable lumps for use in domestic settings and peat is often milled and compressed into briquettes for use in the home.
The oil that is pumped from the earth is extracted in the form of crude oil. This oil must be sent to a refinery where the different mixtures of fuels are separated by a processes called fractional distillation. The oil is separated into its different components such as petrol, diesel, kerosene, and residue.
These components can be processed further to make plastics. Energy: Fracking or hydraulic fracturing. Geoenergy Programme: Carbon Capture and Storage.
Fossil fuels Fossil fuels. Page Content. How does each form? Coal Hundreds of millions of years ago, even before the dinosaurs, there were huge plants and ferns that lived in swamp forests. Energy Information Administration Oil and Gas The oil and gas we use today was formed by the decay of microscopic plants and animals that lived in the ocean millions of years ago. Energy Information Administration Peat Peat is a very young form of coal, if left for a long period of time peat will eventually form coal.
How do we use fossil fuels? Fossil fuels and Ireland Ireland has a history of coal mining in areas of Leinster including Kilkenny, Carlow and Laois. Related processes There are several steps an energy source must go through before it becomes useful Exploration First the energy source must be found, geologists are constantly studying areas and their rocks to determine if deposits or wells are likely to occur.
Extraction Once a source is located it then needs to be removed from the Earth. Processing Processing can take the form of crushing, grinding and milling. Refining The oil that is pumped from the earth is extracted in the form of crude oil. Tile 1 Description. Tile 2 Description. Tile 3 Description. The modern oil industry was established in the s. The first well was drilled in Poland in , and the technology spread to other countries and was improved.
The Industrial Revolution created a vast new opportunity for the use of petroleum. Machinery powered by steam engines quickly became too slow, small-scale, and expensive. Petroleum-based fuel was in demand. The invention of the mass-produced automobile in the early 20th century further increased demand for petroleum. Petroleum production has rapidly increased. In , the U. By , that number was million barrels per year.
Today, the U. According to OPEC, more than 70 million barrels are produced worldwide every day. That is almost 49, barrels per minute. Although that seems like an impossibly high amount, the uses for petroleum have expanded to almost every area of life.
Petroleum makes our lives easy in many ways. In many countries, including the U. The United States consumes more oil than any other country. This is more than all of the oil consumed in Latin America 8. Petroleum is an ingredient in thousands of everyday items. The gasoline that we depend on for transportation to school, work, or vacation comes from crude oil.
A barrel of petroleum produces about 72 liters 19 gallons of gasoline, and is used by people all over the world to power cars, boats, jets, and scooters.
Diesel-powered generators are used in many remote homes, schools, and hospitals. Petroleum is found in recreational items as diverse as surfboards, footballs and basketballs, bicycle tires, golf bags, tents, cameras, and fishing lures. Petroleum is also contained in more essential items such as artificial limbs, water pipes, and vitamin capsules.
In our homes, we are surrounded by and depend on products that contain petroleum. House paint, trash bags, roofing, shoes, telephones, hair curlers, and even crayons contain refined petroleum. Carbon Cycle There are major disadvantages to extracting fossil fuels, and extracting petroleum is a controversial industry. Carbon constantly cycles between the water, land, and atmosphere. Carbon is absorbed by plants and is part of every living organism as it moves through the food web.
Carbon is naturally released through volcanoes, soil erosion, and evaporation. Not all of the carbon on Earth is involved in the carbon cycle above ground. Vast quantities of it are sequestered, or stored, underground, in the form of fossil fuels and in the soil. However, that budget is falling out of balance. Since the Industrial Revolution, fossil fuels have been aggressively extracted and burned for energy or fuel. This releases the carbon that has been sequestered underground, and upsets the carbon budget.
This affects the quality of our air, water, and overall climate. The taiga, for example, sequesters vast amounts of carbon in its trees and below the forest floor. Drilling for natural resources not only releases the carbon stored in the fossil fuels, but also the carbon stored in the forest itself. Combusting gasoline, which is made from petroleum, is particularly harmful to the environment. Every 3. Gasoline and diesel also directly pollute the atmosphere.
They emit toxic compounds and particulates, including formaldehyde and benzene. People and Petroleum Oil is a major component of modern civilization. In developing countries, access to affordable energy can empower citizens and lead to higher quality of life.
Petroleum provides transportation fuel, is a part of many chemicals and medicines, and is used to make crucial items such as heart valves, contact lenses, and bandages. Peak oil is the point when the oil industry is extracting the maximum possible amount of petroleum. After peak oil, petroleum production will only decrease. After peak oil, there will be a decline in production and a rise in costs for the remaining supply. Measuring peak oil uses the reserves-to-production ratio RPR. This ratio compares the amount of proven oil reserves to the current extraction rate.
The reserves-to-production ratio is expressed in years. The RPR is different for every oil rig and every oil-producing area. Oil-producing regions that are also major consumers of oil have a lower RPR than oil producers with low levels of consumption. The oil-rich, developing nation of Iran, which has a much lower consumption rate, has an RPR of more than 80 years.
It is impossible to know the precise year for peak oil. Some geologists argue it has already passed, while others maintain that extraction technology will delay peak oil for decades. Many geologists estimate that peak oil might be reached within 20 years. Petroleum Alternatives Individuals, industries, and organizations are increasingly concerned with peak oil and environmental consequences of petroleum extraction.
Alternatives to oil are being developed in some areas, and governments and organizations are encouraging citizens to change their habits so we do not rely so heavily on oil. Bioasphalts, for example, are asphalts made from renewable sources such as molasses, sugar, corn, potato starch, or even byproducts of oil processes. Although they provide a non-toxic alternative to bitumen, bioasphalts require huge crop yields, which puts a strain on the agricultural industry. Algae is also a potentially enormous source of energy.
Algae grows extremely quickly and takes up a fraction of the space used by other biofuel feedstocks. About 38, square kilometers 15, square miles of algae—less than half the size of the U. Algae absorbs pollution, releases oxygen, and does not require freshwater.
The country of Sweden has made it a priority to drastically reduce its dependence on oil and other fossil fuel energy by Experts in agriculture, science, industry, forestry, and energy have come together to develop sources of sustainable energy , including geothermal heat pumps, wind farms, wave and solar energy, and domestic biofuel for hybrid vehicles.
The pits have preserved fossils of saber-toothed cats, mastodons, turtles, dire wolves, horses, and other plants and animals that were trapped in the sticky substance 40, years ago. Bitumen continues to bubble up through the ground today.
A petroleum play is a group of oil fields in a single geographic region, created by the same geologic forces or during the same time period. A petroleum play may be defined by a time period Paleozoic play , rock type shale play , or a combination of both.
Saudi Arabia 2. Venezuela 3. Canada 4. Iran 5. Iraq Source: U. Energy Information Administration. Leading Petroleum Producers 1. Russia 3. United States 4. China Source: U. Leading Petroleum Consumers 1. United States 2. China 3. Japan 4. India 5. Also called a fractionating column. Also known as petroleum or crude oil. Abbreviated bbl. Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Peat can be dried and burned as fuel. Also called an oil reservoir. Also called an electrical grid. Also called a nodding donkey, thirsty bird, rocking horse, or grasshopper pump. You cannot download interactives. However, over time, there has been a shift in demand for cheaper and cleaner fuel options, such as the nonrenewable energy source of natural gas, and renewable options like solar power and wind energy.
Each energy resource has its advantages and disadvantages. Explore nonrenewable and renewable options with this collection on energy resources. Nonrenewable energy resources include coal, natural gas, oil, and nuclear energy. Once these resources are used up, they cannot be replaced, which is a major problem for humanity as we are currently dependent on them to supply most of our energy needs. Non-renewable energy comes from sources that will eventually run out, such as oil and coal.
Fossil fuels form from the remains of prehistoric dead animals and plants due to geologic processes. Join our community of educators and receive the latest information on National Geographic's resources for you and your students. Skip to content. Image Coal Close Up Coal is one type of fossil fuel. Twitter Facebook Pinterest Google Classroom. Encyclopedic Entry Vocabulary.
Fossil fuels formed from the remains of ancient plants and animals. Media Credits The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit.
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