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How Fossil Fuel Is Created

According to Canada's Energy Quest, most of the oil found in the earth originates from a time period that occurred 360 to 286 million years ago called the Carboniferous period. But some coal deposits trace back to time of the dinosaurs in the Cretaceous Period about 65 million years ago. From this point, fossil fuels began a journey that led to the creation of gasoline and other important carbon fuels.

  1. Function

    • Fossil fuels are actually dead organic matter--plants and algae, according to Energy Quest. This matter decayed and turned into a spongy substance called peat at the bottom of swamps. Sedimentary rock--comprised of sand, clay and other minerals--continually piled on this peat and exerted an immense pressure that dried up the peat and eventually turned it into fossil fuels.

    Theories/Speculation

    • Scientists call the creation of fossil fuels from decayed matter the biogenic theory, according to Live Science. But the abiogenic theory states that oil forms deep within the Earth and then gets released because of impacts from asteroids and meteorites. Some abiogenic sources of oil exist, but most are not found in significant amounts.

    Man-Made Sources

    • The kind of fossil fuel decayed matter turns into depends on how much pressure the surrounding rock exerts on it, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. But we can create natural gas with a machine that replicates the natural formation process, but in a much shorter time span. Additionally, we can also capture natural gas (basically methane) that forms in landfills, according to the University of Colorado at Boulder.

    Refining

    • After finding a deposit of fossil fuels, fuel companies pump or haul them to a refinery. After going through the refining process, we actually end up with about 6 percent more oil than was put in, according to the U.S. EIA. In the refinery, crude oil often gets "cracked"--made lighter--with intense heat and pressure.

    Treatment

    • To create gasoline, a refinery combines several streams to create various blends, such as those with high octane ratings or other needs like gas intended for use at high altitudes. For natural gas, the refinery separates all of the byproducts from methane, such as butane and propane. Coal goes through little refining--just washing and cleaning to make it more pure and burn better.

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