Petroleum - Global, Reserves, Production

petroleum

Table of Contents

Introduction & Top Questions
History of use
- Exploitation of surface seeps
- Extraction from underground reservoirs
- Significance of petroleum in modern times
Properties of hydrocarbons
- Chemical composition
  - Hydrocarbon content
  - Nonhydrocarbon content
- Physical properties
  - Specific gravity
  - Boiling and freezing points
- Measurement systems
Origin of hydrocarbons
- Formation process
  - From planktonic remains to kerogen: the immature stage
  - From kerogen to petroleum: the mature stage
- The geologic environment
  - Origin in source beds
  - Migration through carrier beds
  - Accumulation in reservoir beds
- Traps
  - Structural traps
  - Stratigraphic traps
Resources and reserves
- Unconventional oil
- Unconventional natural gas
World distribution of oil
- Location of reserves
  - Oil fields
  - Sedimentary basins
  - Geologic study and exploration
- Status of the world oil supply
- Major oil-producing countries
  - Saudi Arabia
  - Iraq, Kuwait, and Iran
  - Russia and the Caspian Sea region
  - Sub-Saharan Africa
  - United States, Mexico, and Canada
  - Venezuela and Brazil
  - North Sea

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

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Petroleum is not distributed evenly around the world. Slightly less than half of the world’s proven reserves are located in the Middle East (including Iran but not North Africa). Following the Middle East are Canada and the United States, Latin America, Africa, and the region made up of Russia, Kazakhstan, and other countries that were once part of the Soviet Union. The amount of oil and natural gas a given region produces is not always proportionate to the size of its proven reserves. For example, the Middle East contains approximately 50 percent of the world’s proven reserves but accounts for ...(100 of 9031 words)

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