2. What are fossil fuels? Some examples of fossil fuels are coal and oil and natural resources. These are very essential to our daily life style like with electricity and transportation. With fossil fuels we burn them to make it into energy. They were produced before the dinosaur age. Coal is the main element in most of the fossil fuels.
3. Types of fossil fuels Coal has a lot of oxygen and hydrogen Chinese first used it, they burned it to smelt copper. It’s currently dug out of the ground through mines. It’s then transported by ships and by pipelines to other factories.
4. Continued Types Oil -Formed 300 million years ago -Found under ground between folds of rocks -Petroleum oil is cheaper, so it’s used more. -More than 50% of our oil is from the Middle East.
5. Continued Types Natural gases -6000 to 2000 BCE it was made in Iran. -Made of methane mostly -Lighter than air -usually found near petroleum under ground -Has no color or odor.
6. How is coal formed?/ Stages of formation There is four stages first it’s peat, then lignite, bituminous, and anthracite. Peat -First decomposes plant material underwater. -This makes more of a substance called peat. -Can be easily flamed. Lignite -It’s the pressured with rocky sediment and then the peat turns to lignite. -This is easily crumbled. -It’s not used for fossil fuels a lot. Bituminous -This is known as soft coal. -it’s the most important fuel. -more pressure has made it stable. Anthracite -Hard coal because it is very hard. -combined with high pressure and high temperature. -Burns very little smoke.
7. How is oil formed? It was formed by the decay of animals and plants during the dinosaur age. After a while sediments poured on top of it. With high heat and pressure it turned to crude oil.
8. How is oil used as a fossil fuel? It is done so in 3 steps. Separation: Machines separate heavy, medium, and light liquids. Conversion: The liquids are put in very high heat where they get distilled. Treatment: All the liquids are now put together with steam and they check the levels of pressure.
9. How is natural gas formed? One of it’s main ingredient is methane. Rocks were on top of decayed animal and plants from the dinosaur age and then with heat and pressure it turned into bubbles of gas.
10. How is natural gas turned into fossil fuels? First there are seismic surveys done, those are when scientists feel for the vibrations of the Earth using instruments. Then they pick an area and start drilling and if gas comes that’s how they get it.
11. Why are refineries important? Refineries are important to the production of fossil fuels because they transform these crude oils into more refined products. They refine them by putting them through heat and pressure because this way you can burn these fossil fuels.
12. Exxon oil spill In the Prince William Sound of Alaska where many animals live there was a huge oil spill. Hundreds of gallons of oil was spilled. So many animals were covered in oil and it was a big mess. The exxon company didn’t send for aid immediately and they didn’t announce it to the public that this happened. Many homes there were ruined and a lot of animals had died because there was lack of food available because the oil killed a lot of plants.
13. Gulf spill 18.9 million gallons of oil was spilled into the Gulf cost. Many animals were covered in oil. Lots of animals are in danger if it comes to shore. All people including the military are trying to stop the oil from spreading. People are cleaning animals. Domes are being built to contain the oil.
