Energy
timelines - oil 
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Petroleum is a fossil fuel. It is called a fossil fuel because
it was formed from the remains of tiny sea plants and animals
that died millions of years ago. When the plants and animals
died, they sank to the bottom of the oceans. Here, they were
buried by thousands of feet of sand and silt. Over time, this
organic mixture was subjected to enormous pressure, and heat
as the layers increased. The mixture changed, breaking down
into compounds made of hydrogen and carbon atoms--hydrocarbons.
Finally, an oil-saturated rock-much like a wet household sponge
was formed. |
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3000
B.C. |
Mesopotamians
of that era used rock oil in architectural adhesives, ship
caulks, medicines, and roads. |
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The
Chinese refined crude oil for use in lamps and in heating
homes.
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600-700
A.D. |
Arab
and Persian chemists discovered that petroleum’s lighter
elements could be mixed with quicklime to make Greek fire,
the napalm of its day. |
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French
military officer noted that Indians living near Fort Duquesne
(now the site of Pittsburgh) set fire to an oil-slicked creek
as part of a religious ceremony. As settlement by Europeans
proceeded, oil was discovered in many places in northwestern
Pennsylvania and western New York-to the frequent dismay of
the well-owners, who were drilling for salt brine.
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1859 |
Oil
was first discovered when a homemade rig drilled down 70 feet
and came up coated with oil. This rig was near Titusville
(in northwestern Pennsylvania) and was owned by "Colonel"
Edwin L. Drake. |
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1950-present |
Oil became our most used energy source because of automobiles.
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