Oil and Gas

About hydrocarbons

Crude oil and natural gas, which are naturally occurring chemicals found in rock in the earth's crust, are made up of hydrocarbons. The compression of plant and animal remnants in sedimentary rocks including sandstone, limestone, and shale produces these organic raw materials. The sedimentary rock itself is the result of ancient oceans and other bodies of water depositing silt. The rotting carcasses of plants and animals were incorporated into the developing rock when layers of sediment were formed on the ocean floor. After being exposed to particular temperatures and pressure ranges deep under the earth's crust, the organic material finally converts into oil and gas.