Q:
Where does oil come from?
A:
The oil in the Athabasca Oil
Sands was almost certainly formed somewhere else. The oil
then migrated into a vast sand reservoir. This sand, that
was once part of a huge river delta and the shores of an
ocean, acted like a giant sponge soaking up the oil and
holding it in place. There would be no oil sands if it were
not for the fortunate combination of a sand reservoir and
migrating oil.
There
is considerable debate among scientists about how exactly
oil is formed. We do know that oil, like other hydrocarbons
such as natural gas, coal and peat, was originally organic.
This means that it slowly formed over millions of years
from plant and animal matter. Most scientists believe that
oil is formed when plants and animals died and sank to the
bottom of ancient seas. They were gradually covered by sediments
which hardened into rock. Beneath the rock, organic material
slowly decomposed under conditions of heat and pressure.
Some believe that heat, pressure, time and a lack of oxygen
alone are enough to produce oil from organic material. Other
scientists believe bacteria, chemical reactions and even
the natural radioactivity of the earth may also play a role
in creating this very specific form of hydrocarbon.
