Question

(ii) a) Explain the process of formation petroleum.
b) What is the similarity and differences in the formation of coal and petroleum.​

Answer 1

Answer:

1) Petroleum was formed from organisms living in the sea. As the organisms died, their bodies settled at the bottom of the sea and got covered with layers of sand and clay. Over millions of years, absence of air, high temperature and high pressure transformed the dead organisms into petroleum and natural gas.

2) Similarities: they are both formed from organic remains and both form under enormous pressures in a sedimentary sequence. Differences: coal is formed from land-based plants in bogs and coastal swamps, while oil and gas are derived from tiny marine organisms, such as algae and phytoplankton.