 Crude
oil is a naturally occurring liquid composed mostly of hydrogen and carbon. It is usually
found underground but can also be found above ground in oil seeps or tar pits. Crude oil
is used to produce fuel for cars, trucks, airplanes, boats and trains. It is also used for
a wide variety of other products including asphalt for roads, lubricants for all kinds of
machines, plastics for toys, bottles, food wrap and computers.
 Crude oil is believed to have been formed from very small plants
and animals that lived in ancient seas and oceans a very long time ago. As these plants
and animals die, they sink to the bottom of the sea where they mix with mud, sand, and
clay.This mixture of mud and organic (once-living) material is rich in hydrogen and
carbon, the building blocks of crude oil. Year-after-year more mud and sediments are
deposited on the sea floor. Over millions of years this layer of organic-rich mud becomes
buried thousands of feet deep in the earth.
 The temperature of the earth becomes hotter as you go deeper
into the earth and the weight of all the mud and rocks above increase the pressure. This
combination of increased temperature and pressure causes the organic material to change
into crude oil. As the temperature increases the crude oil can be changed into natural
gas.
Crude oil is just one of the many fascinating topics to read about here at
the Kids Corner of the MMS Alaska Region page. Click on the "shorts" below for
more topics.
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