Petroleum (from Greek petra – rock and elaion – oil or Latin oleum – oil ) or crude oil is a thick, dark brown or greenish liquid.
Petroleum exists in the upper strata of some areas of the Earth's crust. It consists of a complex mixture of various hydrocarbons, largely of the alkane series, but may vary much in appearance and composition. Petroleum is used mostly, by volume, for producing fuel oil and gasoline (petrol), both important "primary energy" sources (IEA Key World Energy Statistics). Petroleum is also the raw material for many chemical products, including solvents, fertilizers, pesticides, and plastics. 88% of all petroleum extracted is processed as fuel; the other 12% is converted into other materials such as plastic. While petroleum is considered renewable on very long time scales, many people are worried about peak oil and eventual depletion in the near future. Due to its continual demand and consequent value, oil has been dubbed black gold.
The combining form of the word petroleum is petro-, as in petrodiesel (petroleum diesel).
More on [ Petroleum ]
Oil and Gas :: Energy and Environment
Sedimentary Petrology :: Rocks and Minerals
Geophysics :: Earth Sciences
Paleontology :: Earth Sciences
Petroleum in the Environment :: Energy
Technology :: Science
Oil and Gas :: Fossil Fuel

M University - Facilities, education, and research activities in applications of tectonophysics, stratigraphy, geochemistry, and seismic data processing.
Marine Geology and Geophysics - Interpretation of 3-D seismics reveal glacial geomorphology, palaeo ice-flow directions, glacioteconics and carbonate build-ups in the south-western Barents Sea.
Meta Description: [ List of publications, info about the TriTex project, interpretation of three-dimensional seismic data from the southewestern Barents Sea (both Quaternary and Permian), Svalex, CV and links ]
SCI.GEO.Petroleum - Origin of Usenet list: why it was established and the companies involved.
Meta Description: [ The University of Adelaide provides quality service and support to its community through the efforts of a range of departments. This site includes academic faculties, research centres, learning support and administrative departments. ]
The Gas Hydrate Database - Assembles data from disparate datasets related to gas hydrates within several disciplines. Offers project background, data entry instructions, and contents descriptions.
WWW Virtual Library of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering - Large annotated collection of links to publications and other resources in the field.
| Petroleum Engineering Technology | |
| Next Video | |