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Petroleum

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Geochemistry

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

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Definition

Petroleum, from greek petra (rock) and latin oleum (oil), is a mixture of natural origin, made of numerous organic molecules, mostly hydrocarbons, from 1 to 80 carbon atoms. Petroleum is found as a liquid phase (oil), a gaseous phase ( Natural Gas ), or a solid-like phase (bitumen) in the porosity and cracks of reservoir rocks where it has accumulated. These different forms result from a common origin, as petroleum is the product of the thermal or bacterial degradation of sedimentary organic matter in deep strata of sedimentary basins. The range of conditions produces a continuum of compositions between natural gas, oil, and bitumen.

History

Natural Oil-seeps have been used as sealing agent, adhesive, cosmetics, and fuel in oil lamps, from three millennia before BC in Ancient Egypt and the Middle East. Biomarker analysis has allowed to trace back the origin of these bitumen (Connan 1999). In Asia, hand-dug wells were used to produce petroleum from 900 BC (Hunt 1995;...

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Acknowledgments

The author thanks Guy Maisonnier, Roland Vially, Bernard Durand, and François Roure for their help and advice in preparing this manuscript.

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  1. Materials Design S.A.R.L., 42 avenue Verdier, Montrouge, 92120, France

    Philippe Ungerer

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  1. Philippe Ungerer
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Correspondence to Philippe Ungerer .

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  1. Department of Earth, Cornell University Department of Earth, Ithaca, New York, USA

    William M. White

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Ungerer, P. (2018). Petroleum. In: White, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geochemistry. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39193-9_188-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39193-9_188-1

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