GEOLOGY 12

CHAPTER 21 WORKSHEET
ENERGY RESOURCES

Name __________________

Part A Fill in the Blank

1.

NON-RENEWABLE resources are those not being produced at present or being produced at
rates much slower than we consume them.

2.

FOSSIL FUELS are energy sources that are formed from the remains of once living plants
and animals.

3.

In order to produce a deposit of oil or gas, there must be a large accumulation of organic
material rich in CARBON and hydrogen.

4.

Oil and natural gas are believed to form from the accumulation of marine MICRO-ORGANISMS.

5.

As a result of heat and pressure of burial, organic matter changes, breaking down chemically
into small and simpler HYDROCARBONS molecules

6.

Because most oils and gas are less DENSE than water they tend to rise through permeable
rocks.

7.

Impermeable rocks form TRAPS that confine oil or gas in reservoir rocks.

8.

On average, primary and secondary recovery methods extract only about 1/3 of the oil in a
given trap. This means that 2/3 has been left in the ground.

9.

ENHANCED recovery methods often involve techniques such as deliberate fracturing in order
to increase the permeability of the reservoir rock.

10.

At great depths in the earth, gas may be dissolved in the pore water in what are known as
GEO-PRESSURIZED zones.

11.

Coal, as a fossil fuel, is formed from the remains of PLANTS.

12.

The lowest grade of coal that can form at the surface is LIGNITE, however, it is a very poor
energy source.

13.

The harder grades of coal are bituminous coal and ANTHRACITE.

14.

Since coal does not migrate, it will always be found in the SEDIMENTARY rocks in which it
initially formed.

15.

The potential fuel in oil shale is a waxy solid called KEROGEN which formed from the remains
of plants, algae and bacteria.

16.

TAR SANDS are sedimentary rocks containing a very thick tar like petroleum compound.

17.

Both OIL SHALES and TAR SANDS must be mined, crushed and heated to extract the
petroleum

18.

Petroleum products are recovered through a process called FRACTIONAL distillation. The
process of coal LIQUIFACTION converts coal into a usable fuel to replace gasoline.

Part B True and False

19.

Thick asphalt-like hydrocarbons form very late in the maturation sequence for
petroleum.

20.

Igneous and metamorphic rocks can be oil and gas reservoirs if they are sufficiently
porous through fracturing.

21.

Oil shale is poorly named; it is not necessarily shale and it does not contain oil.

22.

High grade coals can be considered a renewable source since they are formed from
plant material.

23.

A major problem with producing oil from either tar sands or oil shales is that huge
amounts of rock must be processed to produce a few barrels of liquid oil.

24.

Underground coalmine fires are easily distinguished by blocking mine shafts to

smother the fire or by pouring in water.

Part C Short Answer

1.

Describe the characteristics of reservoir rocks and identify some common examples

Reservoir rocks must be POROUS, because hydrocarbons can occur only in pores.
A reservoir rock is also PERMEABLE. That means its pores are connected. If
hydrocarbons are in the pores of a rock, they must be able to move out of them.

Examples: sandstone, fractured or porous limestone

2.

Describe how an oil and gas trap may be formed.

Porosity is the ability of a rock to hold oil and gas like water in a sponge. Permeability
indicates how easily fluids can flow through the rock.
Hydrocarbons migrate from the source rocks into the surrounding PERMEABLE rock.
Movement continues until the HCs are stopped by an IMPERMEABLE rock such as shale.
In a typical trap, gas accumulates on top of the reservoir as a gas cap over the oil leg which in
turn overlies the water-saturated zone in the reservoir. This occurs because natural gas is
lighter than oil which is lighter than water. However, all three fluids are often intermingled in
parts of the reservoir.
A trap requires three elements:

3.

a porous reservoir rock to accumulate the oil and gastypically sandstones, limestones
an overlying impermeable rock to prevent the oil and gas from escaping
a source for the oil and gas, typically black waxy shales.

Using the diagram in your notes, make a comprehensive list of the products of fractional
distillation.
Asphalt
Tar
Lubricating Oil

Crude Oil
Heating Oil
Wax

Petroleum Jelly
Kerosene
Plastics

Gasoline
Petroleum

Chapter 21 WS KEY
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4.

Use the steps listed below to complete the following flow chart which outlines the process
of fossil fuel formation and maturation.

smaller lighter hydrocarbons

deep burial/increased pressure
larger heavy hydrocarbons formed
buried quickly/no decomposition
simple hydrocarbons form
chemical reaction

Fossil Fuel Formation

buried quickly / no decomposition

chemical reaction

deep burial / increased pressure

simple hydrocarbons form

larger heavy hydrocarbons formed

smaller lighter hydrocarbons

NOTE:

COAL is formed from large accumulations of

plant remains.

PETROLEUM is formed from the remains of

microscopic plants and animals.
Chapter 21 WS KEY
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