Section 3
Energy From Petroleum and Natural Gas
In this section you will find materials that support the implementation of EarthComm, Section 3: Energy From Petroleum and Natural Gas.
To examine petroleum data from 1954 to 2008, visit the following web sites:
Total United States Wells
Crude Oil Production and Crude Oil Well Productivity, U.S. Energy Information Administration
United States Total Production
Petroleum Overview, U.S. Energy Information Administration
Total Foreign Imports
Petroleum Imports, U.S. Energy Information Administration
Spreadsheet Data
Download the complete set of data as a spreadsheet file from the following web site:
Petroleum, U.S. Energy Information Administration
- To learn more about the top oil and gas fields in the United States, visit the following web sites:
Top 100 Oil and Gas Fields of 2009, U.S. Energy Information Administration
Summary data for the top 100 oil and gas fields of 2009.
Top 100 US Oil & Gas Fields By 2006 Proved Reserves, U.S. Energy Information Administration
Map of the U.S. showing the top 100 oil and gas fields.
Alaska
Oil Development in America's Arctic, Prudhoe Bay, Inforain
Background information on the oil fields at Prudhoe Bay.
Potential Impacts of Proposed Oil and Gas Development on the Arctic Refuge's Coastal Plain: Historical Overview and Issues of Concern, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Overview of the oil and gas fields of the Arctic National Wildlife Range. Includes description of oil and gas fields of Prudhoe Bay.
California
Midway-Sunset Oil Field
Background information on the Midway-Sunset oil field.
Elk Hills Oil Field, NASA
Overview of the Elk Hills Oil Field.
Elk Hills Oil Field, NASA
Overview of the Elk Hills Oil Field.
Belridge South Field, Belridge South Field
Overview of the Belridge South Oil Field.
Texas
Wasson Field, Texas State Historical Association
Overview of the Wasson Oil Field.
Yates Oilfield, Texas State Historical Association
Overview of the Yates Oil Field.
Slaughter Field, Texas State Historical Association
Overview of the Slaughter Oil Field.
Colorado
Wattenberg Field, Wattenberg Field
Location of the Wattenberg field.
- To learn more about drilling technologies that minimize environmental impacts, visit the following web site:
Fact Sheet - Drilling Practices That Minimize Generation of Drilling Wastes, U.S. Department of Energy
Examines traditional oil and gas drilling methods and alternatives, such as slimhole drilling, directional drilling, and the use of less water for drilling purposes.
- To learn more about careers in the petroleum industry, visit the following web sites:
Profiles of Geoscientists, American Geosciences Institute
Provides biographies of distinguished geoscience professionals in the oil and gas industry.
To learn more about this topic, visit the following web sites:
The Nature and Origin of Petroleum and Natural Gas
Petroleum, Penn State University
Reviews how hydrocarbon deposits (including oil and gas) form.
Natural Gas, Natural Gas Information and Educational Resources
Reviews how natural gas deposits form and also how geologists search for and discover these deposits.
How Fossil Fuels Were Formed, U.S. Department of Energy
Overview of the formation of fossil fuels, including oil, gas, and coal.
Porosity and Permeability
Aquifers, USGS
Reviews the basics of how fluids move through rocks.
Recovery of Petroleum
Squeezing Oil out of Rocks, U.S. Department of Energy
Examines how oil is recovered from the Earth.
The History of Oil Production in the United States
An Index to Early Petroleum History Sites, Little-Mountain.com
Contains a list of links for more information on petroleum history.
History of WV Mineral Industries - Oil and Gas, West Virginia Geological Survey
History of the oil industry in West Virginia.
History of Oil and Gas Production in Illinois, Illinois State Geological Survey
History of oil and gas production in Illinois.
United States Petroleum Production and Reserves
National Oil and Gas Assessment, USGS
Information on the USGS Energy Resources Program and how it provides periodic assessments of the oil and natural gas reserves of the U.S.
Economics and the 1995 National Assessment of U.S. Oil and Gas Resources, USGS
Reviews the status and location of United States onshore and offshore oil and gas resources as of 1995. Includes information about known oil and gas fields, as well as estimates of undiscovered reserves and the costs and methods associated with finding these reserves.
A Summary of the U.S. Geological Survey 1995 National Assessment of Oil and Gas Resources, USGS
Summarizes the findings of the 1995 National Assessment of Oil and Gas Resources, with a focus on undiscovered reserves.
Back