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WHAT IS PETROLEUM
EDITED BY WIDODO, S.T., M.T.
Cerro Azul #4 blow-out,
Veracruz, Mexico
February 1916
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What is Petroleum?
A natural, yellow-to-black, flammable, liquid
hydrocarbon found beneath the earths surface

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The Origin of Petroleum
Organic-rich
Source Rock
Thermally Matured
Organic Matter
Oil
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Kerogen Types
TOC 2.12 WT.% TOC .38 WT.%
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Types of Petroleum
Oil and gas are formed by the thermal cracking of
organic compounds buried in fine-grained rocks
Algae = Hydrogen rich = Oil-prone


Wood = Hydrogen poor = Gas-prone
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What is Petroleum?
What is it used for?

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What is Petroleum?
Detergents - Cosmetics
Fertilizers - Weed Killers
Medicine - Antiseptics - Anesthetics
Plastics - Synthetic Fibers
Synthetic Rubber
Rust Preventatives
Liquid Petroleum Gas
More Than 3,000 Products
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PetroleumWhere is it found?
Basins are containers for sediment
Earths basins contain sediment/rocks, air, or water
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Basins: Forces that shape the earths crust
Plate Tectonics
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Basins: Forces that shape the earths crust
Basins form in response to subsidence caused by movement of
the crust and grow due tectonic loading
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Basins: Forces that shape the earths crust
Basins form in response to subsidence of the
crust and grow due loading of sediment deposited in them
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Basins: Sedimentary rocks accumulate in basins
Basins may contain petroleum
source rocks, reservoir rocks and
seal rocks