When was fossil fuel formed

The slideshow describes what happened and how we get oil from the ground today:. The oil moved upwards through the spaces in permeable rock. It became trapped if it reached impermeable rock. Oil companies can drill down through the impermeable rocks to get it out.

They are then able to turn it into products we can use, such as petrol and diesel. Formation of fossil fuels Crude oil, coal and gas are fossil fuels. Carbon Storage Research. Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Shale Gas This webpage has been developed to answer the many questions that people have about shale gas and hydraulic fracturing or fracking. Enhanced Oil Recovery. National Labs. The Building Technologies Office works closely with the DOE-funded national labs to develop and demonstrate energy-efficient technologies.

The Emer As the plants and ferns continued to decay in the absence of oxygen they formed coal. Coal formation stage. Source: U. Energy Information Administration.

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. As these plants and animals died they fell to the bottom of the ocean and formed layer after layer of sediment covered by sand and mud. In some areas where there is little tidal movement such as lakes or seas the plants and animals begin to decay in the absence of oxygen.

As the layers build up the weight increases and the sediment is pushed further down, this increases both the temperature and pressure. With all of these factors combined the decayed plants and animals form oil and gas deposits. In some cases these deposits rise to the surface and seep out into soil and water.

In other cases the oil and gas deposits are trapped under impermeable layers of rock and drilling is necessary. Natural gas consists mainly of Methane CH 4 but can also contain other gases such as Butane and Propane. Oil and gas formation stages. Peat is a very young form of coal, if left for a long period of time peat will eventually form coal. Peat was formed by the decay of plants and in some cases trees.

These plants accumulated and decayed over hundreds of thousands of years in waterlogged areas. Peat formed in areas where there was poor drainage. When the last ice-age ended and ice melted it left behind glacial features such as eskers and moraines.

These features are evident in the topography of Ireland, especially the midlands, and lead to poor drainage of the soil. This poor drainage along with continual growth of vegetation, high levels of rainfall and a low levels of oxygen lead to the formation of peatlands..

Fossil fuels are burned to produce energy. In large power stations they are burned in the presence of oxygen. As the fuel burns the heat energy is used to heat water, as it is heated it produces steam which in turn rises and drives a turbine.

The energy conversion goes from chemical energy stored in the fuels, to heat energy as it burns which is converted to kinetic energy as it drives large turbines and finally this is converted to electrical energy. The problem with burning fossil fuels is their effect on the environment. As mentioned fossil fuels are Hydrocarbons. When hydrocarbons are burned in the presence of oxygen they release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Carbon dioxide is a Greenhouse Gas and is a leading cause of Global Warming. Fossil fuels are also used in the petrochemicals industry, here the fossil fuels are used to make plastics, paints and even medication. Ireland has a history of coal mining in areas of Leinster including Kilkenny, Carlow and Laois. The Arigna coal mine in Co.