View source for Petroleum

{{Short description|Naturally occurring combustible liquid}}
{{Redirect|Crude oil|the 2008 film|Crude Oil (film)|the fuel also called "petrol"|Gasoline|other uses|Petroleum (disambiguation)}}
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'''Petroleum''', also known as '''crude oil''' or simply '''oil''', is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid [[chemical mixture]] found in [[geological formation]]s, consisting mainly of [[hydrocarbon]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=EIA Energy Kids – Oil (petroleum) |url=http://www.eia.gov/KIDS/energy.cfm?page=oil_home-basics-k.cfm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707183134/https://www.eia.gov/KIDS/energy.cfm?page=oil_home-basics-k.cfm |archive-date=July 7, 2017 |access-date=March 18, 2018 |website=www.eia.gov}}</ref> The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring unprocessed crude oil, as well as to [[petroleum product]]s that consist of [[refining|refined]] crude oil.

Petroleum is a [[fossil fuel]] formed over millions of years from [[anaerobic decay]] of [[organic material]]s from buried [[prehistoric life|prehistoric]] [[organism]]s, particularly [[plankton]]s and [[algae]]. It is estimated that 70% of the world's oil deposits were formed during the [[Mesozoic]], 20% were formed in the [[Cenozoic]], and only 10% were formed in the [[Paleozoic]].<ref>{{cite web| url=https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Oil_formation|title=Oil formation|last=Donev|first=Jason|publisher=Energy Edication, [[University of Calgary]]|access-date=2025-04-13}}</ref> Conventional reserves of petroleum are primarily recovered by [[oil drilling|drilling]], which is done after a study of the relevant [[structural geology]], [[sedimentary basin analysis|analysis of the sedimentary basin]], and [[reservoir characterization|characterization of the petroleum reservoir]]. There are also [[unconventional (oil & gas) reservoir|unconventional]] reserves such as [[oil sands]] and [[oil shale]] which are recovered by other means such as [[fracking]].

Once extracted, oil is refined and separated, most easily by [[continuous distillation#Continuous distillation of crude oil|distillation]], into innumerable products for direct use or use in manufacturing. [[Petroleum product]]s include fuels such as [[gasoline]] (petrol), [[diesel fuel|diesel]], [[kerosene]] and [[jet fuel]]; [[bitumen]], [[paraffin wax]] and lubricants; [[reagent]]s used to make [[Plastic|plastics]]; [[solvents]], textiles, [[refrigerants]], paint, [[synthetic rubber]], [[fertilizers]], [[Pesticide|pesticides]], pharmaceuticals, and thousands of other [[petrochemical]]s. Petroleum is used in manufacturing a vast variety of materials essential for modern life,<ref name="Dixie State College 2">{{Cite news |last1=Krauss |first1=Clifford |last2=Mouawad |first2=Jad |date=March 1, 2011 |title=Libyan tremors threaten to rattle the oil world |work=[[The Hindu]] |location=Chennai, India |url=http://www.hindu.com/2011/03/01/stories/2011030155921100.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110306154842/http://www.hindu.com/2011/03/01/stories/2011030155921100.htm |archive-date=March 6, 2011}}</ref> and it is estimated that the world consumes about {{convert|100|e6oilbbl|e6m3|lk=on|abbr=off}} each day. Petroleum production played a key role in industrialization and [[economic development]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Economic Benefits of Oil & Gas |url=https://www.energy.gov/articles/economic-impact-oil-and-gas |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240331224819/https://www.energy.gov/articles/economic-impact-oil-and-gas |archive-date=March 31, 2024 |access-date=March 31, 2024 |website=Department of Energy}}</ref> especially after the [[Second Industrial Revolution]]. Some petroleum-rich countries, known as [[petrostate]]s, gained significant economic and international influence during the latter half of the 20th century due to their control of oil production and trade.

Petroleum is a [[non-renewable resource]], and [[exploitation of natural resources|exploitation]] is damaging to both the [[natural environment]], [[climate system]] and human health (see [[Health and environmental impact of the petroleum industry]]). [[Extraction of petroleum|Extraction]], [[Petroleum industry|refining]] and burning of petroleum fuels reverse the [[carbon sink]] and [[greenhouse gas emissions|release]] large quantities of [[greenhouse gas]]es back into the Earth's atmosphere, so petroleum is one of the major contributors to [[anthropogenic climate change]]. Other [[environmental impact of the petroleum industry|negative environmental effects]] include direct releases, such as [[oil spill]]s, as well as air and water pollution at almost all stages of use. Oil access and pricing have also been a source of [[civil disorder|domestic]] and [[geopolitical]] conflicts, leading to state-sanctioned [[oil war]]s, [[diplomatic crisis|diplomatic]] and [[trade war|trade friction]]s, [[energy policy]] disputes and other [[environmental conflict|resource conflicts]]. Production of petroleum is estimated to reach [[peak oil]] before 2035<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bullard |first=Nathaniel |date=December 9, 2021 |title=Peak Oil Demand Is Coming But Not So Soon |url=https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/peak-oil-demand-is-coming-but-not-so-soon-1.1693325 |access-date=December 11, 2021 |website=BNN, [[Bloomberg News]]}}</ref> as global economies lower dependencies on petroleum as part of [[climate change mitigation]] and a transition toward more renewable energy and electrification.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=R |first1=Tom |last2=all |last3=Warren |first3=Hayley |title=Peak Oil Is Already Here |language=en |publisher=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-peak-oil-era-is-suddenly-upon-us/ |url-status=live |access-date=December 31, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201218064958/https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-peak-oil-era-is-suddenly-upon-us/ |archive-date=December 18, 2020}}</ref>

== Etymology ==
[[File:Fractional distillation apparatus.jpg|thumb|A fractional distillation apparatus]]
The word ''petroleum'' comes from Medieval Latin {{wikt-lang|la|petroleum}} (literally 'rock oil'), which comes from Latin [[wikt:petra#Latin|petra]] 'rock' (from Greek {{transliteration|grc|pétra}} {{wikt-lang|grc|πέτρα}}) and [[wikt:oleum#Latin|oleum]] 'oil' (from Greek {{transliteration|grc|élaion}} {{wikt-lang|grc|ἔλαιον}}).<ref>[https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=petroleum "petroleum"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200516164428/https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=petroleum |date=May 16, 2020 }}, in the American Heritage Dictionary</ref><ref>''[http://www.thefreedictionary.com/petroleum Petroleum]'', Medieval Latin: literally, rock oil = Latin petr(a) rock (< Greek pétra) + oleum oil, The Free Dictionary.com.  {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110024856/http://www.thefreedictionary.com/petroleum|date=January 10, 2017}}</ref>

The origin of the term stems from monasteries in southern Italy where it was in use by the end of the first millennium as an alternative for the older term "[[naphtha]]".<ref name="van Dijk_2022, n">van Dijk, J.P. (2022); Unravelling the Maze of Scientific Writing Through the Ages: On the Origins of the Terms Hydrocarbon, Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Methane. Amazon Publishers, 166 pp. PaperBack Edition B0BKRZRKHW.  {{ISBN|979-8-3539-8917-2}}</ref> After that, the term was used in numerous manuscripts and books, such as in the treatise ''[[De Natura Fossilium]]'', published in 1546 by the German mineralogist [[Georg Bauer]], also known as Georgius Agricola.<ref>{{cite book |author-link=Georg Bauer |author=Bauer, Georg |date=1955 |translator=Bandy, Mark Chance |translator2=Bandy, Jean A. |title=De Natura Fossilium |location=Mineola, NY |publisher=Dover |orig-date=1546}}</ref> After the advent of the oil industry, during the second half of the 19th century, the term became commonly known for the liquid form of hydrocarbons.

== History ==
{{Main|History of the petroleum industry}}

=== Early ===
[[File:Gusher Okemah OK 1922.jpg|thumb|An oil derrick in [[Okemah, Oklahoma]] in 1922]]
Petroleum, in one form or another, has been used since ancient times. More than 4300 years ago, [[bitumen]] was mentioned when the Sumerians used it to make boats. A tablet of the legend of the birth of [[Sargon of Akkad]] mentions a basket which was closed by straw and bitumen. More than 4000 years ago, according to [[Herodotus]] and [[Diodorus Siculus]], [[Bitumen|asphalt]] was used in the construction of the walls and towers of [[Babylon]]; there were oil pits near Ardericca and Babylon, and a pitch spring on [[Zakynthos]].<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|wstitle=Petroleum |volume=21 |page=316 |first=Boverton |last=Redwood |inline=1}}</ref> Great quantities of it were found on the banks of the river [[Issus (river)|Issus]], one of the tributaries of the [[Euphrates]]. Ancient [[Achaemenid Empire|Persian]] [[Persepolis Administrative Archives|tablets]] indicate the medicinal and lighting uses of petroleum in the upper levels of their society.

The use of petroleum in ancient China dates back to more than 2000 years ago. The ''[[I Ching]]'', one of the earliest Chinese writings, cites that oil in its raw state, without refining, was first discovered, extracted, and used in China in the first century BCE. In addition, the Chinese were the first to record the use of petroleum as fuel as early as the fourth century BCE.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Zhiguo |first=Gao |title=Environmental regulation of oil and gas |date=1998 |publisher=Kluwer Law International |isbn=978-90-411-0726-8 |location=London |page=8 |oclc=39313498}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Deng |first=Yinke |url=https://archive.org/details/ancientchinesein0000deng |title=Ancient Chinese Inventions |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-521-18692-6 |page=[https://archive.org/details/ancientchinesein0000deng/page/40 40] |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Burke |first=Michael |title=Nanotechnology: The Business |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-4200-5399-9 |page=3}}</ref> By 347 CE, oil was produced from bamboo-drilled wells in China.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Totten |first=George E. |title=ASTM International – Standards Worldwide |url=http://www.astm.org/COMMIT/D02/to1899_index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706232229/https://www.astm.org/COMMIT/D02/to1899_index.html |archive-date=July 6, 2017 |access-date=March 18, 2018 |website=astm.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Dalvi |first=Samir |title=Fundamentals of Oil & Gas Industry for Beginners |publisher=Notion Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-93-5206-419-9}}</ref>

In the 7th century, petroleum was among the essential ingredients for [[Greek fire]], an incendiary projectile weapon that was used by [[Byzantine Greeks]] against Arab ships, which were then attacking [[Constantinople]].<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Greek fire {{!}} Byzantine, Naval Warfare, Incendiary {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/technology/Greek-fire |access-date=October 1, 2023 |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |language=en}}</ref> Crude oil was also distilled by [[Alchemy in the medieval Islamic world|Persian chemists]], with clear descriptions given in Arabic handbooks such as those of [[Abu Bakr al-Razi]] (Rhazes).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Forbes |first=Robert James |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eckUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA149 |title=Studies in Early Petroleum History |date=1958 |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |page=149 |access-date=April 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200315165347/https://books.google.com/books?id=eckUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA149 |archive-date=March 15, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> The streets of [[Baghdad]] were paved with [[tar]], derived from petroleum that became accessible from natural fields in the region.

In the 9th century, [[oil field]]s were exploited in the area around modern [[Baku]], Azerbaijan. These fields were described by the Persian geographer [[Abu Bakr al-Razi]] in the 10th century, and by [[Marco Polo]] in the 13th century, who described the output of those wells as hundreds of shiploads.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Salim Al-Hassani |title=A shared legacy: Islamic science East and West |publisher=[[University of Barcelona|Edicions Universitat Barcelona]] |year=2008 |isbn=978-84-475-3285-8 |editor-last=Emilia Calvo Labarta |pages=57–82 [63] |chapter=1000 Years of Missing Industrial History |author-link=Salim Al-Hassani |editor-last2=Mercè Comes Maymo |editor-last3=Roser Puig Aguilar |editor-last4=Mònica Rius Pinies}}</ref> [[Alchemy and chemistry in Islam|Arab and Persian chemists]] also distilled crude oil to produce flammable products for military purposes. Through [[Islamic Spain]], distillation became available in Western Europe by the 12th century.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=petroleum |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/454269/petroleum |access-date=June 30, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150429155229/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/454269/petroleum |archive-date=April 29, 2015 |last2=Gordon I. Atwater |author1=Joseph P. Riva Jr. |url-status=live}}</ref> It has also been present in Romania since the 13th century, being recorded as păcură.<ref>Istoria Romaniei, Vol II, p. 300, 1960</ref>

Sophisticated oil pits, {{convert|15|to|20|ft|m|order=flip|round=0.5}} deep, were dug by the [[Seneca people]] and other [[Iroquois]] in [[Western Pennsylvania]] as early as 1415–1450. The French General [[Louis-Joseph de Montcalm]] encountered Seneca using petroleum for ceremonial fires and as a healing lotion during a visit to [[Fort Duquesne]] in 1750.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Keoke |first1=Emory Dean |title=American Indian Contributions to the World: 15,000 Years of Inventions and Innovations |last2=Porterfield |first2=Kay Marie |publisher=Facts on File |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-8160-5367-4 |page=199}}</ref>

Early British explorers to Myanmar documented a flourishing oil extraction industry based in [[Yenangyaung]] that, in 1795, had hundreds of hand-dug wells under production.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Longmuir |first=Marilyn V. |title=Oil in Burma: the extraction of "earth-oil" to 1914 |date=2001 |publisher=White Lotus Press |isbn=978-974-7534-60-3 |location=Bangkok |page=329 |oclc=48517638}}</ref>

[[Merkwiller-Pechelbronn]] is said to be the first European site where petroleum has been explored and used. The still active Erdpechquelle, a spring where petroleum appears mixed with water has been used since 1498, notably for medical purposes.

=== 19th century ===
[[File:Ignacy Lukasiewicz.jpg|thumb|[[Ignacy Łukasiewicz]], credited with the first commercial oil extraction in 1854 in [[Bóbrka, Krosno County|Bóbrka]], [[Poland]], and opening the world's first industrial oil refinery.]]
[[File:Edwindrake.jpg|thumb|In 1859, [[Edwin Drake]] drilled the world's first successful oil well at what is now known as [[Drake Well]] in [[Cherrytree Township, Pennsylvania]]]]
[[File:West Lothian shale bing, Scotland.JPG|thumb|Shale [[spoil tip|bings]] near [[Broxburn]], three of a total of 19 in [[West Lothian]], Scotland]]

In the mid-19th century, various parts of the world saw oil well developments, though the title of the "first oil well" depends on the criteria. In 1846, a group of [[Russian Empire|Russian Imperial]] engineers directed by Major Alexeyev of the Bakinskii Corps of Mining Engineers accidentally struck oil while hand-drilling with a primitive percussion rig in [[Bibiheybət|Bibi-Heybat]], near [[Baku]] (now [[Azerbaijan]]), though they were not specifically searching for oil.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Matveichuk |first=Alexander A |date=2004 |title=Intersection of Oil Parallels: Historical Essays |journal=Russian Oil and Gas Institute}}</ref>

In 1853, [[Ignacy Łukasiewicz]], who discovered how to distill [[kerosene]] from seep [[crude oil]] and invented the modern [[kerosene lamp]], hand-dug the first intentional well for [[Petroleum industry|commercial oil extraction]] in [[Bóbrka, Krosno County|Bóbrka]], [[Poland]] to supply fuel for lighting (still operational {{As of|2025|lc=y}}).<ref name=":0" /> In 1856 in Ulaszowice, near [[Jasło]], he opened the world's first industrial [[oil refinery]].<ref name=":1" />

A hand-dug well and another refinery followed in 1857 near [[Ploiești|Ploiești, Romania]]. Romania (then a vassal of the Ottoman Empire) was the first country in the world to have its annual crude oil output officially recorded in international statistics – 275 tonnes for 1857.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The History Of Romanian Oil Industry |url=http://www.rri.ro/arh-art.shtml?lang=1&sec=9&art=3596 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090603102058/http://www.rri.ro/arh-art.shtml?lang=1&sec=9&art=3596 |archive-date=June 3, 2009 |website=rri.ro}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Thomas Eakins |title=Scenes from Modern Life: World Events: 1844–1856 |url=https://www.pbs.org/eakins/we_1844.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705142847/https://www.pbs.org/eakins/we_1844.htm |archive-date=July 5, 2017 |website=pbs.org}}</ref>

In 1859, [[Edwin Drake]] drilled the first steam-powered well in [[Titusville, Pennsylvania]] in the US, attracting investment and "kick-starting" the mass production and rapid expansion of the global petroleum industry. The same year, engine-drilled wells appeared also in West Virginia.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=McKain |first1=David L. |title=Where It All Began: The Story of the People and Places Where the Oil Industry Began – West Virginia and South-eastern Ohio |last2=Bernard |first2=L. Allen |publisher=D.L. McKain |year=1994 |location=Parkersburg, WV |asin=B0006P93DY}}</ref>

In 1858, Georg Christian Konrad Hunäus found a significant amount of petroleum while drilling for [[lignite]] in [[Wietze]], Germany. Wietze later provided about 80% of German consumption in the Wilhelmine Era.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lucius |first=Robert von |date=June 23, 2009 |title=Deutsche Erdölförderung: Klein-Texas in der Lüneburger Heide |language=de |work=FAZ.NET |url=https://www.faz.net/1.812092 |url-status=live |access-date=March 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170126111737/https://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/deutsche-erdoelfoerderung-klein-texas-in-der-lueneburger-heide-1812092.html |archive-date=January 26, 2017 |issn=0174-4909}}</ref> The production stopped in 1963, but Wietze has hosted a Petroleum Museum since 1970.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Deutsches Erdölmuseum Wietze |url=http://www.erdoelmuseum.de/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014171832/http://www.erdoelmuseum.de/ |archive-date=October 14, 2017 |access-date=March 18, 2018 |website=www.erdoelmuseum.de}}</ref>

Oil sands have been mined since the 18th century.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 23, 1880 |title=The oil wells of Alsace; a discovery made more than a century ago. What a Pennsylvania operator saw abroad, primitive methods of obtaining oil, the process similar to that used in coal mining |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1880/02/23/98888884.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=June 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218003110/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1880/02/23/98888884.pdf |archive-date=December 18, 2019}}</ref> In [[Wietze]] in lower Saxony, natural asphalt/bitumen has been explored since the 18th century.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Erdöl in Wietze |date=1994 |publisher=Geiger |isbn=978-3-89264-910-6 |edition=1. Aufl |location=Horb am Neckar |oclc=75489983}}</ref> Both in Pechelbronn as in Wietze, the coal industry dominated the petroleum technologies.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Karlsch |first1=Rainer |title=Faktor Öl: die Mineralölwirtschaft in Deutschland 1859–1974 |last2=Stokes |first2=Raymond G. |date=2003 |publisher=C.H. Beck |others=Stokes, Raymond G. |isbn=978-3-406-50276-7 |location=Munich |oclc=52134361}}</ref>

Chemist [[James Young (chemist)|James Young]] in 1847 noticed a natural petroleum seepage in the coal mine at riddings [[Alfreton]], Derbyshire from which he distilled a light thin oil suitable for use as lamp oil, at the same time obtaining a more viscous oil suitable for lubricating machinery. In 1848, Young set up a small business refining crude oil.<ref name="russell" />

Young eventually succeeded, by distilling [[cannel coal]] at low heat, in creating a fluid resembling petroleum, which when treated in the same way as the seep oil gave similar products. Young found that by slow distillation he could obtain several useful liquids from it, one of which he named "paraffine oil" because at low temperatures it congealed into a substance resembling paraffin wax.<ref name="russell">{{Cite book |last=Russell |first=Loris S. |title=A Heritage of Light: Lamps and Lighting in the Early Canadian Home |publisher=University of Toronto Press |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-8020-3765-7}}</ref>The production of these oils and solid [[paraffin wax]] from coal formed the subject of his patent dated October 17, 1850. In 1850, Young & Meldrum and Edward William Binney entered into partnership under the title of E.W. Binney & Co. at [[Bathgate]] in West Lothian and E. Meldrum & Co. at Glasgow; their works at Bathgate were completed in 1851 and became the first truly commercial oil-works in the world with the first modern oil refinery.<ref>{{Cite web |last=By |first=Undiscovered Scotland |title=James Young: Biography on Undiscovered Scotland |url=http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usbiography/y/jamesyoung.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629094925/https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usbiography/y/jamesyoung.html |archive-date=June 29, 2017 |access-date=March 18, 2018 |website=www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk}}</ref>
{{Clarify|date=December 2023|reason=the preceding statement seems to say the first modern refinery was completed in 1851; the subsequent statement says the first refinery was built in 1856: the distinction between these two types could be detailed for better comprehension}}

The world's first oil refinery was built in 1856 by [[Ignacy Łukasiewicz]] in Austria.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Frank, Alison Fleig |title=Oil Empire: Visions of Prosperity in Austrian Galicia (Harvard Historical Studies) |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-674-01887-7}}</ref> His achievements also included the discovery of how to distill kerosene from seep oil, the invention of the modern [[kerosene lamp]] (1853), the introduction of the first modern street lamp in Europe (1853), and the construction of the world's first modern [[oil well|oil "mine"]] (1854).<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=May 19, 2007 |title=Skansen Przemysłu Naftowego w Bóbrce / Museum of Oil Industry at Bobrka |url=http://www.geo.uw.edu.pl/BOBRKA/DATY/daty.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070519031720/http://www.geo.uw.edu.pl/BOBRKA/DATY/daty.htm |archive-date=May 19, 2007 |access-date=March 18, 2018}}</ref> at [[Bóbrka, Krosno County|Bóbrka]], near [[Krosno]] (still operational as of 2025).

The demand for petroleum as a fuel for lighting in North America and around the world quickly grew.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Maugeri |first=Leonardo |url=https://archive.org/details/ageofoilmytholog0000maug/page/3 |title=The age of oil: the mythology, history, and future of the world's most controversial resource |date=2005 |publisher=Lyons Press |isbn=978-1-59921-118-3 |edition=1st Lyons Press |location=Guilford, CN |page=[https://archive.org/details/ageofoilmytholog0000maug/page/3 3] |oclc=212226551 |url-access=registration}}</ref>

The first oil well in the Americas was drilled in 1859 by [[Edwin Drake]] at what is now called the [[Drake Well]] in [[Cherrytree Township, Pennsylvania]]. There also was a company associated with it, and it sparked a major oil drilling boom.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Vassiliou |first=Marius S. |title=Historical dictionary of the petroleum industry, 2nd Edition |date=2018 |publisher=Rowman and Littlefield |isbn=978-1-5381-1159-8 |location=Lanham, MD |page=621 |oclc=315479839}}</ref>

The [[History of the petroleum industry in Canada#Early origins|first commercial oil well]] in Canada became operational in 1858 at [[Oil Springs, Ontario]] (then [[Canada West]]).<ref name="lclmg.org">[http://www.lclmg.org/lclmg/Museums/OilMuseumofCanada/BlackGold2/OilHeritage/OilSprings/tabid/208/Default.aspx Oil Museum of Canada, Black Gold: Canada's Oil Heritage, Oil Springs: Boom & Bust] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729191500/http://www.lclmg.org/lclmg/Museums/OilMuseumofCanada/BlackGold2/OilHeritage/OilSprings/tabid/208/Default.aspx |date=July 29, 2013 }}</ref> Businessman [[James Miller Williams]] dug several wells between 1855 and 1858 before discovering a rich reserve of oil four metres below ground.<ref>Turnbull Elford, Jean. "Canada West's Last Frontier". Lambton County Historical Society, 1982, p. 110</ref>{{Specify|reason=Unlear citation style.|date=December 2018}} Williams extracted 1.5&nbsp;million litres of crude oil by 1860, refining much of it into kerosene lamp oil. Williams's well became commercially viable a year before Drake's Pennsylvania operation and could be argued to be the first commercial oil well in North America.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Oil Museum of Canada, Black Gold: Canada's Oil Heritage |url=http://www.lclmg.org/lclmg/Museums/OilMuseumofCanada/BlackGold2/OilHeritage/OilSprings/tabid/208/Default.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729191500/http://www.lclmg.org/lclmg/Museums/OilMuseumofCanada/BlackGold2/OilHeritage/OilSprings/tabid/208/Default.aspx |archive-date=July 29, 2013 |website=lclmg.org}}</ref> The discovery at Oil Springs touched off an [[oil boom]] which brought hundreds of speculators and workers to the area. Advances in drilling continued into 1862 when local driller Shaw reached a depth of 62 metres using the spring-pole drilling method.<ref>{{Cite book |last=May |first=Gary |title=Hard oiler!: the story of Canadiansʼ quest for oil at home and abroad |date=1998 |publisher=Dundurn Press |isbn=978-1-55002-316-9 |location=Toronto |page=43 |oclc=278980961}}</ref> On January 16, 1862, after an explosion of natural gas, Canada's first oil gusher came into production, shooting into the air at a recorded rate of {{convert|3000|oilbbl|m3|order=flip}} per day.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ford |first=R.W. A |title=History of the Chemical Industry in Lambton County |year=1988 |page=5}}</ref> By the end of the 19th century the Russian Empire, particularly the [[Branobel]] company in Azerbaijan, had taken the lead in production.<ref name="Akiner">{{cite book |editor1=Akiner, Shirin |editor2=Aldis, Anne |title=The Caspian: Politics, Energy and Security |publisher=Routledge |year=2004 |location=New York |isbn=978-0-7007-0501-6|page=5}}
</ref>

===20th century===
[[File:Ride with hitler.jpg|thumb|A [[World War II]] poster promoting [[carpooling]] as a way to ration vital gasoline during the war]]Access to oil was and still is a major factor in several military conflicts of the 20th century, including [[World War II]], during which oil facilities were a major strategic asset and were [[Oil Campaign chronology of World War II|extensively bombed]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Baldwin |first=Hanson |title=Oil Strategy in World War II |url=http://www.oil150.com/essays/article?article_id=91 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090815114446/http://www.oil150.com/essays/2007/08/oil-strategy-in-world-war-ii |archive-date=August 15, 2009 |website=oil150.com |publisher=American Petroleum Institute Quarterly – Centennial Issue |pages=10–11}}</ref> The [[German invasion of the Soviet Union]] included the goal to capture the [[Petroleum industry in Azerbaijan|Baku oilfields]], as it would provide much-needed oil supplies for the German military which was suffering from blockades.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alakbarov |first=Farid |title=10.2 An Overview – Baku: City that Oil Built |url=http://azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/ai102_folder/102_articles/102_overview_alakbarov.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213083150/http://azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/ai102_folder/102_articles/102_overview_alakbarov.html |archive-date=December 13, 2010 |access-date=March 18, 2018 |website=azer.com}}</ref>

[[Oil exploration]] in North America during the early 20th century later led to the U.S. becoming the leading producer by mid-century. As petroleum production in the U.S. peaked during the 1960s, the United States was surpassed by Saudi Arabia and the [[Soviet Union]] in total output.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Times |first=Christopher S. Wren Special to The New York |date=November 13, 1974 |title=Soviet Moves Ahead of U.S. in oil output. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/11/13/archives/soviet-moves-ahead-of-us-in-oil-output-minister-sees-mondale.html |url-status=live |access-date=April 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200531155823/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/11/13/archives/soviet-moves-ahead-of-us-in-oil-output-minister-sees-mondale.html |archive-date=May 31, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=July 12, 2018 |title=US expected to surpass Saudi Arabia, Russia as world's top oil producer |work=Christian Science Monitor |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/Business/2018/0712/US-expected-to-surpass-Saudi-Arabia-Russia-as-world-s-top-oil-producer |url-status=live |access-date=April 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200516034628/https://www.csmonitor.com/Business/2018/0712/US-expected-to-surpass-Saudi-Arabia-Russia-as-world-s-top-oil-producer |archive-date=May 16, 2020 |issn=0882-7729}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zKEe6yC-IQcC&q=Annual+Energy+Review+1987&pg=PA252 |title=Annual Energy Review |date=1990 |publisher=The Administration |page=252 |language=en |access-date=November 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122221351/https://books.google.com/books?id=zKEe6yC-IQcC&q=Annual+Energy+Review+1987&pg=PA252 |archive-date=November 22, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In the [[1973 oil crisis]], Saudi Arabia and other [[Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries|Arab nations]] imposed an [[oil embargo]] against the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and other Western nations which supported Israel in the [[Yom Kippur War]] of October 1973.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 23, 1973 |title=The Arab Oil Threat |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/11/23/archives/the-arab-oil-threat.html |url-status=live |access-date=July 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722073135/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/11/23/archives/the-arab-oil-threat.html |archive-date=July 22, 2019}}</ref> The embargo caused an [[1973 oil crisis|oil crisis]]. This was followed by the [[1979 oil crisis]], which was caused by a drop in [[oil production]] in the wake of the [[Iranian Revolution]] and caused oil prices to more than double.

===21st century===
The two oil price shocks had many short- and long-term effects on global politics and the global economy.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 18, 2006 |title=The price of oil – in context |work=CBC News |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/oil/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609145246/http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/oil/ |archive-date=June 9, 2007}}</ref>  They led to sustained reductions in demand as a result of substitution to other fuels, especially coal and nuclear, and improvements in [[Efficient energy use|energy efficiency]], facilitated by government policies.<ref>{{Cite web |last=World Bank |title=Commodity Markets Outlook: The Impact of the War in Ukraine on Commodity Markets, April 2022. |url=https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/37223/CMO-April-2022.pdf}}</ref> High oil prices also induced investment in oil production by non-OPEC countries, including Prudhoe Bay in Alaska, the North Sea offshore fields of the United Kingdom and Norway, the Cantarell offshore field of Mexico, and oil sands in Canada.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Commodity Markets: Evolution, Challenges, and Policies |url=https://www.worldbank.org/en/research/publication/commodity-markets |access-date=May 13, 2022 |website=World Bank |language=en}}</ref>

About 90 percent of vehicular fuel needs are met by oil. Petroleum also makes up 40 percent of total energy consumption in the United States, but is responsible for only one percent of electricity generation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=EIA – Electricity Data |url=https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.cfm?t=epmt_1_1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710095902/https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.php?t=epmt_1_1 |archive-date=July 10, 2017 |access-date=April 18, 2017 |website=www.eia.gov}}</ref> Petroleum's worth as a portable, dense energy source powering the vast majority of vehicles and as the base of many industrial chemicals makes it one of the world's most important [[commodities]].

The top three oil-producing countries as of 2018 are the United States, Russia, and Saudi Arabia.<ref name="U.S. Energy Information Administration">{{Cite web |title=The United States is now the largest global crude oil producer |url=https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=37053 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003230307/https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=37053 |archive-date=October 3, 2018 |access-date=October 6, 2018 |website=www.eia.gov |publisher=Today in Energy – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)}}</ref> In 2018, due in part to developments in [[hydraulic fracturing]] and [[horizontal drilling]], the United States became the world's largest producer.<ref>{{Cite web |title=US soon to leapfrog Saudis, Russia as top oil producer |url=https://www.abqjournal.com/1195285/us-soon-to-leapfrog-saudis-russia-as-top-oil-producer.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181006075340/https://www.abqjournal.com/1195285/us-soon-to-leapfrog-saudis-russia-as-top-oil-producer.html |archive-date=October 6, 2018 |access-date=October 6, 2018 |website=www.abqjournal.com |publisher=The Associated Press}}</ref>

About 80 percent of the world's readily accessible reserves are located in the Middle East, with 62.5 percent coming from the Arab five: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Qatar, and Kuwait. A large portion of the world's total oil exists as unconventional sources, such as bitumen in [[Athabasca oil sands]] and [[extra heavy oil]] in the [[Orinoco Belt]]. While significant volumes of oil are extracted from oil sands, particularly in Canada, logistical and technical hurdles remain, as oil extraction requires large amounts of heat and water, making its net energy content quite low relative to conventional crude oil. Thus, Canada's oil sands are not expected to provide more than a few million barrels per day in the foreseeable future.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 18, 2017 |title=Canada's oil sands survive, but can't thrive in a $50 oil world |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-canada-oilsands-economics-analysis-idUSKBN1CN0FD |url-status=live |access-date=April 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518005508/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-canada-oilsands-economics-analysis-idUSKBN1CN0FD |archive-date=May 18, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Crude Oil Forecast {{!}} Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers |url=https://www.capp.ca/resources/crude-oil-forecast/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200515020045/https://www.capp.ca/resources/crude-oil-forecast/ |archive-date=May 15, 2020 |access-date=April 5, 2020 |website=CAPP |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=IHS Markit: Canadian oil sands production to be ~1M barrels higher by 2030 but with lower annual growth; boosted by deterioration in Venezuela |url=https://www.greencarcongress.com/2019/06/20190606-oilsands.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200531155825/https://www.greencarcongress.com/2019/06/20190606-oilsands.html |archive-date=May 31, 2020 |access-date=April 5, 2020 |website=Green Car Congress}}</ref>

== Composition ==
Petroleum consists of a variety of liquid, gaseous, and solid components. Lighter hydrocarbons are the gases [[methane]], [[ethane]], [[propane]] and [[butane]]. Otherwise the bulk of the liquid and solids are largely heavier organic compounds, often hydrocarbons (C and H only). The proportion of light hydrocarbons in the petroleum mixture varies among oil fields.<ref name="Norman-2001">{{Cite book |last=Norman |first=J. Hyne |title=Nontechnical guide to petroleum geology, exploration, drilling, and production |date=2001 |publisher=Penn Well Corp |isbn=978-0-87814-823-3 |edition=2nd |location=Tulsa, OK |pages=1–4 |oclc=49853640}}</ref>

An oil well produces predominantly crude oil. Because the pressure is lower at the surface than underground, some of the gas will come out of [[Solution (chemistry)|solution]] and be recovered (or burned) as ''associated gas'' or ''solution gas''. A [[gas well]] produces predominantly natural gas. However, because the underground temperature is higher than at the surface, the gas may contain heavier hydrocarbons such as pentane, [[hexane]], and [[heptane]] ("[[natural-gas condensate]]", often shortened to ''condensate.'') Condensate resembles gasoline in appearance and is similar in composition to some [[volatility (chemistry)|volatile]] [[light crude oil]]s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Speight |first=James G. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uG-KDwAAQBAJ&q=Condensate+resembles+gasoline&pg=PA13 |title=Heavy Oil Recovery and Upgrading |publisher=Elsevier |year=2019 |isbn=978-0-12-813025-4 |page=13 |language=en |access-date=November 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122221156/https://books.google.com/books?id=uG-KDwAAQBAJ&q=Condensate+resembles+gasoline&pg=PA13 |archive-date=November 22, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Hilyard |first=Joseph |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F91w410iRLsC&q=Condensate+resembles+gasoline+in+appearance+and+is+similar+in+composition+to+some+volatile+light+crude+oils.&pg=PA31 |title=The Oil & Gas Industry: A Nontechnical Guide |date=2012 |publisher=PennWell Books |isbn=978-1-59370-254-0 |page=31 |language=en}}</ref>

The hydrocarbons in crude oil are mostly [[alkane]]s, [[cycloalkane]]s and various [[aromatic hydrocarbon]]s, while the other organic compounds contain [[nitrogen]], [[oxygen]], and [[sulfur]], and traces of metals such as iron, nickel, copper and [[vanadium]]. Many oil reservoirs contain live bacteria.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Ollivier |first1=Bernard |title=Petroleum Microbiology |last2=Magot |first2=Michel |date=2005 |publisher=American Society of Microbiology |isbn=978-1-55581-758-9 |location=Washington, DC |doi=10.1128/9781555817589}}</ref> The exact molecular composition of crude oil varies widely from formation to formation but the proportion of [[chemical element]]s varies over fairly narrow limits as follows:<ref name="Speight-1999">{{Cite book |last=Speight |first=J. G. |title=The chemistry and technology of petroleum |date=1999 |publisher=Marcel Dekker |isbn=978-0-8247-0217-5 |edition=3rd ed., rev. and expanded |location=New York |pages=215–216, 543 |oclc=44958948}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Composition by weight
|-
! Element !! Percent range
|-
|[[Carbon]] || 83 to 85%
|-
|[[Hydrogen]] || 10 to 14%
|-
|[[Nitrogen]] || 0.1 to 2%
|-
|[[Oxygen]] || 0.05 to 1.5%
|-
|[[Sulfur]] || 0.05 to 6.0%
|-
|Metals || < 0.1%
|}

Four different types of hydrocarbon appear in crude oil. The relative percentage of each varies from oil to oil, determining the properties of each oil.<ref name="Norman-2001" />

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Composition by weight
|-
! Hydrocarbon !! Average !! Range
|-
|[[Alkane]]s (paraffins)|| 30% || 15 to 60%
|-
|[[Naphthene]]s || 49% || 30 to 60%
|-
|[[Aromatic]]s || 15% || 3 to 30%
|-
|[[Asphaltene|Asphaltics]] || 6% || remainder
|}

[[File:Total World Oil Reserves Conventional Unconventional.png|thumb|Unconventional resources are much larger than conventional ones.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Alboudwarej, Hussein |display-authors=etal |date=Summer 2006 |title=Highlighting Heavy Oil |url=http://www.slb.com/~/media/Files/resources/oilfield_review/ors06/sum06/heavy_oil.ashx |format=PDF |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120411145144/http://www.slb.com/~/media/Files/resources/oilfield_review/ors06/sum06/heavy_oil.ashx |archive-date=April 11, 2012 |access-date=July 4, 2012 |periodical=Oilfield Review}}</ref>]]
[[File:Isooctane-3D-balls.png|thumb|[[2,2,4-Trimethylpentane]], a [[hydrocarbon]] with the [[octane number]] of 100. Black spheres are [[carbon]] and white spheres are [[hydrogen]] atoms.]]

The alkanes from [[pentane]] (C<sub>5</sub>H<sub>12</sub>) to [[octane]] (C<sub>8</sub>H<sub>18</sub>) are [[oil refinery|refined]] into gasoline, the ones from [[nonane]] (C<sub>9</sub>H<sub>20</sub>) to [[hexadecane]] (C<sub>16</sub>H<sub>34</sub>) into [[diesel fuel]], [[kerosene]] and [[jet fuel]]. Alkanes with more than 16 carbon atoms can be refined into [[fuel oil]] and [[lubricating oil]]. At the heavier end of the range, [[paraffin wax]] is an alkane with approximately 25 carbon atoms, while [[Bitumen|asphalt]] has 35 and up, although these are usually [[Fluid catalytic cracking|cracked]] in modern refineries into more valuable products. The lightest fraction, the so-called petroleum gases are subjected to diverse processing depending on cost. These gases are either [[flare stack|flared off]], sold as [[liquefied petroleum gas]], or used to power the refinery's own burners. During the winter, butane (C<sub>4</sub>H<sub>10</sub>), is blended into the gasoline pool at high rates, because its high vapour pressure assists with cold starts.

The ''aromatic hydrocarbons'' are [[degree of unsaturation|unsaturated hydrocarbons]] that have one or more [[benzene ring]]s. They tend to burn with a sooty flame, and many have a sweet aroma. Some are [[carcinogenic]].

These different components are separated by [[fractional distillation]] at an oil refinery to produce gasoline, jet fuel, kerosene, and other hydrocarbon fractions.

The components in an oil sample can be determined by [[gas chromatography]] and [[mass spectrometry]].<ref>[http://www.norden.org/pub/ebook/2003-516.pdf Use of ozone depleting substances in laboratories] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227052412/http://www.norden.org/pub/ebook/2003-516.pdf |date=February 27, 2008 }}. TemaNord 2003:516.</ref> Due to the large number of co-eluted hydrocarbons within oil, many cannot be resolved by traditional gas chromatography. This [[unresolved complex mixture]] (UCM) of hydrocarbons is particularly apparent when analysing weathered oils and extracts from tissues of organisms exposed to oil.

Crude oil varies greatly in appearance depending on its composition. It is usually black or dark brown (although it may be yellowish, reddish, or even greenish). In the reservoir it is usually found in association with natural gas, which being lighter forms a "gas cap" over the petroleum, and [[saline water]] which, being heavier than most forms of crude oil, generally sinks beneath it. Crude oil may also be found in a semi-solid form mixed with sand and water, as in the [[Athabasca oil sands]] in Canada, where it is usually referred to as crude [[bitumen]]. In Canada, bitumen is considered a sticky, black, tar-like form of crude oil which is so thick and heavy that it must be heated or diluted before it will flow.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2007 |title=Oil Sands – Glossary |url=http://www.energy.gov.ab.ca/OilSands/1106.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071101112113/http://www.energy.gov.ab.ca/OilSands/1106.asp |archive-date=November 1, 2007 |access-date=October 2, 2008 |website=Mines and Minerals Act |publisher=Government of Alberta}}</ref> Venezuela also has large amounts of oil in the [[Orinoco oil sands]], although the hydrocarbons trapped in them are more fluid than in Canada and are usually called [[extra heavy oil]]. These oil sands resources are called [[unconventional oil]] to distinguish them from oil which can be extracted using traditional oil well methods. Between them, Canada and Venezuela contain an estimated {{convert|3.6|Toilbbl}} of bitumen and extra-heavy oil, about twice the volume of the world's reserves of conventional oil.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2008 |title=Oil Sands in Canada and Venezuela |url=http://oilsands.infomine.com/countries/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219113841/http://oilsands.infomine.com/countries/ |archive-date=December 19, 2008 |access-date=October 2, 2008 |publisher=Infomine Inc.}}</ref>

== Formation ==
=== Fossil petroleum ===
[[File:Treibs&Chlorophyll.png|thumb|Structure of a vanadium [[porphyrin]] compound (left) extracted from petroleum by [[Alfred E. Treibs]], father of [[organic geochemistry]]. Treibs noted the close structural similarity of this molecule and [[chlorophyll a]] (right).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Treibs, A.E. |year=1936 |title=Chlorophyll- und Häminderivate in organischen Mineralstoffen |journal=Angew. Chem. |volume=49 |issue=38 |pages=682–686 |bibcode=1936AngCh..49..682T |doi=10.1002/ange.19360493803|issn = 0044-8249}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kvenvolden, K.A. |year=2006 |title=Organic geochemistry – A retrospective of its first 70 years |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1000677 |url-status=live |journal=Org. Geochem. |volume=37 |issue=1 |pages=1–11 |bibcode=2006OrGeo..37....1K |doi=10.1016/j.orggeochem.2005.09.001 |s2cid=95305299 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607232519/https://zenodo.org/record/1000677 |archive-date=June 7, 2019 |access-date=July 1, 2019}}</ref>]]
Petroleum is a [[fossil fuel]] derived from  [[fossilized]] [[organic material]]s, such as [[zooplankton]] and [[algae]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kvenvolden |first=Keith A. |year=2006 |title=Organic geochemistry – A retrospective of its first 70 years |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1000677 |url-status=live |journal=Organic Geochemistry |volume=37 |issue=1 |pages=1–11 |bibcode=2006OrGeo..37....1K |doi=10.1016/j.orggeochem.2005.09.001 |s2cid=95305299 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607232519/https://zenodo.org/record/1000677 |archive-date=June 7, 2019 |access-date=July 1, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Schobert-2013">{{Cite book |last=Schobert |first=Harold H. |title=Chemistry of fossil fuels and biofuels |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-521-11400-4 |location=Cambridge |pages=103–130 |oclc=795763460}}</ref> Vast amounts of these remains settled to sea or lake bottoms where they were covered in [[stagnant water]] (water with no dissolved [[oxygen]]) or [[sediment]]s such as [[mud]] and [[silt]] faster than they could [[Decomposition#Anaerobic vs aerobic|decompose aerobically]]. Approximately 1 m below this sediment, water oxygen concentration was low, below 0.1&nbsp;mg/L, and [[Anoxic waters|anoxic conditions]] existed. Temperatures also remained constant.<ref name="Schobert-2013" />

As further layers settled into the sea or lake bed, intense heat and pressure built up in the lower regions. This process caused the organic matter to change, first into a waxy material known as [[kerogen]], found in various [[oil shale]]s around the world, and then with more heat into liquid and gaseous [[hydrocarbon]]s via a process known as [[Catagenesis (geology)|catagenesis]]. Formation of petroleum occurs from hydrocarbon [[pyrolysis]] in a variety of mainly [[endothermic]] reactions at high temperatures or pressures, or both.<ref name="Schobert-2013" /><ref name="Braun-1993" /> These phases are described in detail below.

==== Anaerobic decay ====
In the absence of plentiful oxygen, [[Aerobic organism|''aerobic'' bacteria]] were prevented from decaying the organic matter after it was buried under a layer of sediment or water. However, [[Anaerobic organism|''anaerobic'' bacteria]] were able to reduce [[sulfate]]s and [[nitrate]]s among the matter to [[Hydrogen sulfide|H<sub>2</sub>S]] and [[Nitrogen|N<sub>2</sub>]] respectively by using the matter as a source for other reactants. Due to such anaerobic bacteria, at first, this matter began to break apart mostly via [[hydrolysis]]: [[polysaccharide]]s and [[protein]]s were hydrolyzed to [[simple sugars]] and [[amino acid]]s respectively. These were further anaerobically [[oxidized]] at an accelerated rate by the [[enzyme]]s of the bacteria: e.g., proteins went through [[oxidative deamination]] to [[amino acid]]s, which in turn reacted further to [[ammonia]] and [[Keto acid|α-keto acids]]. [[Monosaccharide]]s in turn ultimately decayed to [[Carbon dioxide|CO<sub>2</sub>]] and [[methane]]. The anaerobic decay products of amino acids, monosaccharides, [[phenols]] and [[aldehyde]]s combined into [[fulvic acid]]s. Fats and [[wax]]es were not extensively hydrolyzed under these mild conditions.<ref name="Schobert-2013" />

==== Kerogen formation ====
Some [[Phenols|phenolic compounds]] produced from previous reactions worked as [[bactericide]]s and the [[Actinomycetales]] order of bacteria  also produced antibiotic compounds (e.g., [[streptomycin]]). Thus the action of anaerobic bacteria ceased at about 10&nbsp;m below the water or sediment. The mixture at this depth contained fulvic acids, unreacted and partially reacted fats and waxes, slightly modified [[lignin]], resins and other hydrocarbons.<ref name="Schobert-2013" /> As more layers of organic matter settled into the sea or lake bed, intense heat and pressure built up in the lower regions.<ref name="Braun-1993">{{Cite report |url=http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/10169154-cT5xip/ |title=Chemical reaction model for oil and gas generation from type 1 and type 2 kerogen |last1=Braun |first1=R.L. |last2=Burnham |first2=A.K. |date=June 1993 |publisher=Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |doi=10.2172/10169154 |access-date=March 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200517104249/https://www.osti.gov/biblio/10169154-cT5xip/ |archive-date=May 17, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> As a consequence, compounds of this mixture began to combine in poorly understood ways to [[kerogen]]. Combination happened in a similar fashion as [[phenol]] and [[formaldehyde]] molecules react to [[urea-formaldehyde]] resins, but kerogen formation occurred in a more complex manner due to a bigger variety of reactants. The total process of kerogen formation from the beginning of anaerobic decay is called '''diagenesis''', a word that means a transformation of materials by dissolution and recombination of their constituents.<ref name="Schobert-2013" />

==== Transformation of kerogen into fossil fuels ====
Kerogen formation continued to a depth of about 1 [[km]] from the Earth's surface where temperatures may reach around 50 [[°C]]. Kerogen formation represents a halfway point between organic matter and [[fossil fuels]]: kerogen can be exposed to oxygen, oxidize and thus be lost, or it could be buried deeper inside the [[Crust (geology)|Earth's crust]] and be subjected to conditions which allow it to slowly transform into fossil fuels like petroleum. The latter happened through '''catagenesis''' in which the reactions were mostly [[Radical (chemistry)|radical]] [[Rearrangement reaction|rearrangements]] of kerogen. These reactions took thousands to millions of years and no external reactants were involved. Due to the radical nature of these reactions, kerogen reacted towards two classes of products: those with low H/C ratio ([[anthracene]] or products similar to it) and those with high H/C ratio ([[methane]] or products similar to it); i.e., carbon-rich or hydrogen-rich products. Because catagenesis was closed off from external reactants, the resulting composition of the fuel mixture was dependent on the composition of the kerogen via reaction [[stoichiometry]]. Three types of kerogen exist: type I (algal), II (liptinic) and III (humic), which were formed mainly from [[algae]], [[plankton]] and [[woody plant]]s (this term includes trees, [[shrub]]s and [[liana]]s) respectively.<ref name="Schobert-2013" />

Catagenesis was [[pyrolytic]] despite the fact that it happened at relatively low temperatures (when compared to commercial pyrolysis plants) of 60 to several hundred °C. Pyrolysis was possible because of the long reaction times involved. Heat for catagenesis came from the decomposition of [[radioactive]] materials of the crust, especially [[Potassium-40|<sup>40</sup>K]], [[Thorium-232|<sup>232</sup>Th]], [[Uranium-235|<sup>235</sup>U]] and [[Uranium-238|<sup>238</sup>U]]. The heat varied with [[geothermal gradient]] and was typically 10–30&nbsp;°C per km of depth from the Earth's surface. Unusual [[magma]] intrusions, however, could have created greater localized heating.<ref name="Schobert-2013" />

==== Oil window (temperature range) ====
Geologists often refer to the temperature range in which oil forms as an ''"oil window"''.<ref name="Stanford_Edu">{{Cite web |last=Malyshev |first=Dmitry |date=December 13, 2013 |title=Origin of oil |url=http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2013/ph240/malyshev2/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921125720/http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2013/ph240/malyshev2/ |archive-date=September 21, 2021 |access-date=September 21, 2021 |website=large.stanford.edu |language=English}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xwLHnC9qMsgC&pg=PA104 |title=Polar Prospects:A minerals treaty for Antarctica |publisher=United States, Office of Technology Assessment |year=1989 |isbn=978-1-4289-2232-7 |page=104 |access-date=May 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729203620/https://books.google.com/books?id=xwLHnC9qMsgC&pg=PA104 |archive-date=July 29, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Schobert-2013" /> Below the minimum temperature oil remains trapped in the form of kerogen. Above the maximum temperature the oil is converted to natural gas through the process of [[thermal cracking]]. Sometimes, oil formed at extreme depths may migrate and become trapped at a much shallower level. The [[Athabasca oil sands]] are one example of this.<ref name="Schobert-2013" />

=== Abiogenic petroleum ===
{{Main|Abiogenic petroleum origin}}
An alternative mechanism to the one described above was proposed by Russian scientists in the mid-1850s, the hypothesis of [[abiogenic petroleum origin]] (petroleum formed by inorganic means), but this is contradicted by geological and [[geochemical]] evidence.<ref name="glasby2006">{{Cite journal |last=Glasby |first=Geoffrey P |date=2006 |title=Abiogenic origin of hydrocarbons: an historical overview |url=http://static.scribd.com/docs/j79lhbgbjbqrb.pdf |journal=Resource Geology |volume=56 |issue=1 |pages=85–98 |doi=10.1111/j.1751-3928.2006.tb00271.x |bibcode=2006ReGeo..56...83G |s2cid=17968123 |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20080226224750/http://static.scribd.com/docs/j79lhbgbjbqrb.pdf |archive-date=February 26, 2008 |access-date=January 29, 2008}}</ref> Abiogenic sources of oil have been found, but never in commercially profitable amounts. "The controversy isn't over whether abiogenic oil reserves exist," said Larry Nation of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. "The controversy is over how much they contribute to Earth's overall reserves and how much time and effort geologists should devote to seeking them out."<ref>{{Cite journal |date=October 11, 2005 |title=The Mysterious Origin and Supply of Oil |url=http://www.livescience.com/9404-mysterious-origin-supply-oil.html |url-status=live |journal=Live Science |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127095201/http://www.livescience.com/9404-mysterious-origin-supply-oil.html |archive-date=January 27, 2016}}</ref>

== Reservoirs ==
{{main|Petroleum reservoir}}
{{More citations needed section|date=October 2016}}
[[File:Structural Trap (Anticlinal).svg|thumb|A [[hydrocarbon]] trap consists of a reservoir rock (yellow) where oil (red) can accumulate, and a caprock (green) that prevents it from egressing.]]
Three conditions must be present for oil reservoirs to form:
* A [[source rock]] rich in [[hydrocarbon]] material buried deeply enough for subterranean heat to cook it into oil,
* A [[porous]] and [[permeability (fluid)|permeable]] reservoir rock where it can accumulate,
* A [[caprock]] (seal) or other mechanism to prevent the oil from escaping to the surface.

Within these reservoirs, fluids will typically organize themselves like a three-layer cake with a layer of water below the oil layer and a layer of gas above it, although the different layers vary in size between reservoirs. Because most hydrocarbons are less dense than rock or water, they often migrate upward through adjacent rock layers until either reaching the surface or becoming trapped within porous rocks (known as [[oil reservoir|reservoirs]]) by impermeable rocks above. However, the process is influenced by underground water flows, causing oil to migrate hundreds of kilometres horizontally or even short distances downward before becoming trapped in a reservoir. When hydrocarbons are concentrated in a trap, an [[oil field]] forms, from which the liquid can be extracted by [[drill]]ing and [[pump]]ing.

The reactions that produce oil and natural gas are often modeled as first order breakdown reactions, where hydrocarbons are broken down to oil and natural gas by a set of parallel reactions, and oil eventually breaks down to natural gas by another set of reactions. The latter set is regularly used in [[petrochemical]] plants and [[oil refineries]].

Petroleum has mostly been recovered by [[oil drilling]] (natural petroleum springs are rare). Drilling is carried out after studies of structural geology (at the reservoir scale), sedimentary basin analysis, and reservoir characterisation (mainly in terms of the [[porosity]] and [[Permeability (earth sciences)|permeability]] of geologic reservoir structures).<ref>{{Cite journal |vauthors=Guerriero V, etal |year=2012 |title=A permeability model for naturally fractured carbonate reservoirs |journal=[[Marine and Petroleum Geology]] |volume=40 |pages=115–134 |doi=10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2012.11.002}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |vauthors=Guerriero V, etal |year=2011 |title=Improved statistical multi-scale analysis of fractures in carbonate reservoir analogues |journal=[[Tectonophysics (journal)|Tectonophysics]] |volume=504 |issue=1 |pages=14–24 |bibcode=2011Tectp.504...14G |doi=10.1016/j.tecto.2011.01.003}}</ref> Wells are drilled into oil reservoirs to extract the crude oil. "Natural lift" production methods that rely on the natural reservoir pressure to force the oil to the surface are usually sufficient for a while after reservoirs are first tapped. In some reservoirs, such as in the Middle East, the natural pressure is sufficient over a long time. The natural pressure in most reservoirs, however, eventually dissipates. Then the oil must be extracted using "[[artificial lift]]" means. Over time, these "primary" methods become less effective and "secondary" production methods may be used. A common secondary method is [[Water injection (oil production)|"waterflood"]] or injection of water into the reservoir to increase pressure and force the oil to the drilled shaft or "wellbore." Eventually "tertiary" or "enhanced" oil recovery methods may be used to increase the oil's flow characteristics by injecting steam, carbon dioxide and other gases or chemicals into the reservoir. In the United States, primary production methods account for less than 40 percent of the oil produced on a daily basis, secondary methods account for about half, and tertiary recovery the remaining 10 percent. Extracting oil (or "bitumen") from oil/tar sand and oil shale deposits requires mining the sand or shale and heating it in a vessel or retort, or using "in-situ" methods of injecting heated liquids into the deposit and then pumping the liquid back out saturated with oil.

=== Unconventional oil reservoirs ===
{{See also|Unconventional oil|Oil sands|Oil shale reserves|Unconventional (oil and gas) reservoir}}
Oil-eating bacteria [[biodegrade]] oil that has escaped to the surface. [[Oil sands]] are reservoirs of partially biodegraded oil still in the process of escaping and being biodegraded, but they contain so much migrating oil that, although most of it has escaped, vast amounts are still present—more than can be found in conventional oil reservoirs. The lighter fractions of the crude oil are destroyed first, resulting in reservoirs containing an extremely heavy form of crude oil, called crude bitumen in Canada, or extra-heavy crude oil in Venezuela. These two countries have the world's largest deposits of oil sands.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 19, 2020 |title=Tar sands |url=https://www.strausscenter.org/energy-and-security-project/tar-sands/ |access-date=June 26, 2022 |publisher=The Strauss Center.}}</ref>

On the other hand, [[oil shales]] are source rocks that have not been exposed to heat or pressure long enough to convert their trapped hydrocarbons into crude oil. Technically speaking, oil shales are not always shales and do not contain oil, but are fined-grain sedimentary rocks containing an insoluble organic solid called [[kerogen]]. The kerogen in the rock can be converted into crude oil using heat and pressure to simulate natural processes. The method has been known for centuries and was patented in 1694 under British Crown Patent No. 330 covering, "A way to extract and make great quantities of pitch, tar, and oil out of a sort of stone." Although oil shales are found in many countries, the United States has the world's largest deposits.<ref name="Lambertson">{{Cite news |last=Lambertson |first=Giles |date=February 16, 2008 |title=Oil Shale: Ready to Unlock the Rock |publisher=Construction Equipment Guide |url=http://www.cegltd.com/story.asp?story=10092 |url-status=live |access-date=May 21, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170711112037/http://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/redirect/10092?story=10092 |archive-date=July 11, 2017}}</ref>

== Classification ==
{{globalize|date=January 2024}}
{{See also|Benchmark (crude oil)}}
[[File:Crudes.PNG|thumb|Some [[Benchmark (crude oil)|marker crudes]] with their [[sulfur]] content (horizontal) and [[API gravity]] (vertical) and relative production quantity.{{citation needed|date=March 2020|reason=Brent shown as sweeter than WTI, yet most sources claim the opposite. That and other claims in image probably need checking and sourcing. Example: http://www.petroleum.co.uk/benchmarks}}]]
The [[petroleum industry]] generally classifies crude oil by the geographic location it is produced in (e.g., [[West Texas Intermediate]], [[Brent oilfield|Brent]], or [[DME Oman Crude Oil Futures Contract|Oman]]), its [[API gravity]] (an oil industry measure of density), and its sulfur content. Crude oil may be considered ''[[Light crude oil|light]]'' if it has low density, ''[[Heavy crude oil|heavy]]'' if it has high density, or ''medium'' if it has a density between that of ''light'' and ''heavy''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009 |title=Glossary |url=http://www.capp.ca/library/glossary/Pages/default.aspx#l |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090827031218/http://www.capp.ca/library/glossary/Pages/default.aspx#l |archive-date=August 27, 2009 |access-date=November 29, 2020 |publisher=Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers}}</ref> Additionally, it may be referred to as ''[[sweet crude oil|sweet]]'' if it contains relatively little sulfur or ''[[sour crude oil|sour]]'' if it contains substantial amounts of sulfur.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Heavy Sour Crude Oil, A Challenge For Refiners |url=http://www.commodity-trading-today.com/sour-crude-oil.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121001856/http://www.commodity-trading-today.com/sour-crude-oil.html |archive-date=November 21, 2008 |access-date=November 29, 2020}}</ref>

The geographic location is important because it affects transportation costs to the refinery. ''Light'' crude oil is more desirable than ''heavy'' oil since it produces a higher yield of gasoline, while ''sweet'' oil commands a higher price than ''sour'' oil because it has fewer environmental problems and requires less refining to meet sulfur standards imposed on fuels in consuming countries. Each crude oil has unique molecular characteristics which are revealed by the use of [[crude oil assay]] analysis in petroleum laboratories.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Rhodes |first=Christopher J. |year=2008 |title=The Oil Question: Nature and Prognosis |journal=Science Progress |volume=91 |issue=4 |pages=317–375 |doi=10.3184/003685008X395201 |pmc=10367496 |pmid=19192735 |s2cid=31407897}}</ref>

[[barrel (unit)|Barrels]] from an area in which the crude oil's molecular characteristics have been determined and the oil has been classified are used as pricing [[Benchmark (crude oil)|references]] throughout the world. Some of the common reference crudes are:<ref>{{cite web |language=en |access-date=16 December 2024 |website=Fuel Logic |title=How US Gas Prices Affect the Overall Economy |date=September 12, 2024 |url=https://www.fuellogic.net/how-us-gas-prices-affect-the-overall-economy/}}</ref>
* [[West Texas Intermediate]] (WTI), a very high-quality, sweet, light oil delivered at [[Cushing, Oklahoma]] for North American oil
* [[Brent Blend]], consisting of 15 oils from fields in the [[Brent oilfield|Brent]] and [[Ninian Central Platform|Ninian]] systems in the [[East Shetland Basin]] of the [[North Sea]]. The oil landed at [[Sullom Voe]] terminal in [[Shetland]]. Oil production from Europe, Africa and Middle Eastern oil flowing West tends to be priced off this oil, which forms a [[Benchmark (crude oil)|benchmark]]
* [[Dubai Crude|Dubai-Oman]], used as a benchmark for the Middle East sour crude oil flowing to the Asia-Pacific region
* [[Tapis crude|Tapis]] (from Malaysia, used as a reference for light Far East oil)
* Minas (from Indonesia, used as a reference for heavy Far East oil)
* The [[OPEC Reference Basket]], a weighted average of oil blends from various [[OPEC]] (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) countries
* [[Midway-Sunset Oil Field|Midway Sunset]] Heavy, by which heavy oil in California is priced<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 1, 2007 |title=Chevron Crude Oil Marketing – North America Posted Pricing – California |url=http://crudemarketing.chevron.com/posted_pricing_daily_california.asp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100607035625/http://crudemarketing.chevron.com/posted_pricing_daily_california.asp |archive-date=June 7, 2010 |access-date=August 29, 2010 |publisher=Crudemarketing.chevron.com}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=March 2018}}
* [[Western Canadian Select]] the benchmark crude oil for emerging heavy, high TAN (acidic) crudes.<ref name="NRCPetroleumProducts">{{Cite report |url=http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/sites/www.nrcan.gc.ca.energy/files/pdf/eneene/sources/crubru/revrev/pdf/revrev-09-eng.pdf |title=Canadian Crude Oil, Natural Gas and Petroleum Products: Review of 2009 & Outlook to 2030 |last=Natural Resources Canada |date=May 2011 |publisher=Government of Canada |location=Ottawa |page=9 |isbn=978-1-100-16436-6 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003093310/http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/sites/www.nrcan.gc.ca.energy/files/pdf/eneene/sources/crubru/revrev/pdf/revrev-09-eng.pdf |archive-date=October 3, 2013}}</ref>

There are declining amounts of these benchmark oils being produced each year, so other oils are more commonly what is actually delivered. While the reference price may be for West Texas Intermediate delivered at Cushing, the actual oil being traded may be a discounted Canadian heavy oil – Western Canadian Select – delivered at [[Hardisty, Alberta|Hardisty]], Alberta, and for a Brent Blend delivered at Shetland, it may be a discounted Russian Export Blend delivered at the port of [[Primorsk, Leningrad Oblast|Primorsk]].<ref>{{Cite web |year=2006 |title=Light Sweet Crude Oil |url=http://www.nymex.com/lsco_fut_descri.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080314074204/http://www.nymex.com/lsco_fut_descri.aspx |archive-date=March 14, 2008 |access-date=April 21, 2008 |website=About the Exchange |publisher=New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX)}}</ref>

Once extracted, oil is refined and separated, most easily by [[Continuous distillation#Continuous distillation of crude oil|distillation]], into numerous products for direct use or use in manufacturing, such as gasoline (petrol), [[diesel fuel|diesel]] and [[kerosene]] to [[Bitumen|asphalt]] and chemical [[reagent]]s ([[ethylene]], [[propylene]], [[butene]], [[acrylic acid]],  [[para-xylene]]<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Li |first1=Guixian |last2=Wu |first2=Chao |last3=Ji |first3=Dong |last4=Dong |first4=Peng |last5=Zhang |first5=Yongfu |last6=Yang |first6=Yong |date=April 1, 2020 |title=Acidity and catalyst performance of two shape-selective HZSM-5 catalysts for alkylation of toluene with methanol |journal=Reaction Kinetics, Mechanisms and Catalysis |language=en |volume=129 |issue=2 |pages=963–974 |doi=10.1007/s11144-020-01732-9 |issn=1878-5204 |s2cid=213601465}}</ref>) used to make plastics, [[pesticide]]s and [[pharmaceuticals]].<ref name="Dixie State College">{{Cite web |title=Organic Hydrocarbons: Compounds made from carbon and hydrogen |url=http://cactus.dixie.edu/smblack/chem1010/lecture_notes/2B.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719184614/http://cactus.dixie.edu/smblack/chem1010/lecture_notes/2B.htm |archive-date=July 19, 2011}}</ref>

==Use==
In terms of volume, most petroleum is converted into fuels for combustion engines.  In terms of value, petroleum underpins the petrochemical industry, which includes many high value products such as pharmaceuticals and plastics.

===Fuels and lubricants===
Petroleum is used mostly, by volume, for refining into [[fuel oil]] and gasoline, both important ''[[primary energy]]'' sources. 84% by volume of the hydrocarbons present in petroleum is converted into fuels, including gasoline, diesel, jet, heating, and other fuel oils, and [[liquefied petroleum gas]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Crude oil is made into different fuels |url=http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/non-renewable/oil.html#Howused |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090823080443/http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/non-renewable/oil.html |archive-date=August 23, 2009 |access-date=August 29, 2010 |publisher=Eia.doe.gov}}</ref>

Due to its high [[energy density]], easy transportability and [[oil reserves|relative abundance]], oil has become the world's most important source of energy since the mid-1950s. Petroleum is also the raw material for many [[chemical]] products, including [[pharmaceutical]]s, [[solvent]]s, [[fertilizer]]s, [[pesticide]]s, and plastics; the 16 percent not used for energy production is converted into these other materials. Petroleum is found in [[porous]] [[rock formations]] in the upper [[strata]] of some areas of the [[Earth's crust]]. There is also petroleum in [[tar sands|oil sands (tar sands)]]. Known [[oil reserves]] are typically estimated at 190&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup> (1.2 [[1000000000000 (number)|trillion]] [[long and short scales|(short scale)]] [[barrel (unit)|barrels]]) without oil sands,<ref>{{Cite web |title=EIA reserves estimates |url=http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/reserves.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100830033649/http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/reserves.html |archive-date=August 30, 2010 |access-date=August 29, 2010 |publisher=Eia.doe.gov}}</ref> or 595&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup> (3.74&nbsp;trillion barrels) with oil sands.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 14, 2006 |title=CERA report on total world oil |url=http://www.cera.com/aspx/cda/public1/news/pressReleases/pressReleaseDetails.aspx?CID=8444 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125004643/http://www.cera.com/aspx/cda/public1/news/pressReleases/pressReleaseDetails.aspx?CID=8444 |archive-date=November 25, 2010 |access-date=August 29, 2010 |publisher=Cera.com}}</ref> Consumption is currently around {{convert|84|Moilbbl}} per day, or 4.9&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup> per year, yielding a remaining oil supply of only about 120 years, if current demand remains static.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Peak oil: Does it really matter? |url=https://www.oilandgasmiddleeast.com/article-8400-peak-oil-does-it-really-matter |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406204626/https://www.oilandgasmiddleeast.com/article-8400-peak-oil-does-it-really-matter |archive-date=April 6, 2020 |access-date=April 6, 2020 |website=Oil & Gas Middle East |date=February 3, 2011 |language=en}}</ref> More recent studies, however, put the number at around 50 years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Energy Alternatives and the Future of Oil and Gas in the Gulf |url=http://studies.aljazeera.net/en/dossiers/2015/03/201533183514675179.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406204625/https://studies.aljazeera.net/en/dossiers/2015/03/201533183514675179.html |archive-date=April 6, 2020 |access-date=April 6, 2020 |website=Al Jazeera Center for Studies |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=July 14, 2014 |title=How long will world's oil reserves last? 53 years, says BP |work=Christian Science Monitor |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2014/0714/How-long-will-world-s-oil-reserves-last-53-years-says-BP |url-status=live |access-date=April 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406204616/https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2014/0714/How-long-will-world-s-oil-reserves-last-53-years-says-BP |archive-date=April 6, 2020 |issn=0882-7729}}</ref>

Closely related to fuels for combustion engines are [[Lubricant]]s, [[Grease (lubricant)|greases]], and [[viscosity]] stabilizers.  All are derived from petroleum.

===Chemicals===
{{Further|Petroleum product| Petrochemical}}
[[File:Alkene General Formula V.1.svg|thumb|General structure of an [[alkene]]]]
Many [[pharmaceutical]]s are derived from petroleum, albeit via multistep processes.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} Modern medicine depends on petroleum as a source of building blocks, [[reagent]]s, and [[solvent]]s.<ref>{{cite journal |pmid=21778473 |date=2011 |last1=Hess |first1=J. |last2=Bednarz |first2=D. |last3=Bae |first3=J. |last4=Pierce |first4=J. |title=Petroleum and health care: Evaluating and managing health care's vulnerability to petroleum supply shifts |journal=American Journal of Public Health |volume=101 |issue=9 |pages=1568–1579 |doi=10.2105/AJPH.2011.300233 |pmc=3154246 }}</ref> Similarly, virtually all pesticides - [[insecticide]]s, herbicides, etc. - are derived from petroleum.  Pesticides have profoundly affected life expectancies by controlling disease vectors and by increasing yields of crops.  Like pharmaceuticals, pesticides are in essence petrochemicals. Almost all plastics and synthetic polymers are derived from petroleum, which is the source of monomers. [[Alkenes]] (olefins) are one important class of these precursor molecules.

===Other derivatives===
[[File:Bitumen.jpg|thumb|Natural [[bitumen]], commonly referred to as Asphalt]]
*[[Wax]], used in the packaging of [[frozen food]]s, among others, [[Paraffin wax]], derived from petroleum oil.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ferris |first1=S. W. |last2=Cowles |first2=H. C. |last3=Henderson |first3=L. M. |date=November 1, 1929 |title=Composition of Paraffin Wax |url=https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ie50239a029 |journal=Industrial & Engineering Chemistry |language=en |volume=21 |issue=11 |pages=1090–1092 |doi=10.1021/ie50239a029 |issn=0019-7866|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
* [[Sulfur]] and its derivative [[sulfuric acid]]. Hydrogen sulfide is a product of [[Hydrodesulfurization|sulfur removal]] from petroleum fraction.  It is oxidized to elemental sulfur and then to sulfuric acid.
* Bulk [[tar]] and [[Bitumen|Asphalt]]
* [[Petroleum coke]], used in speciality carbon products or as solid fuel

== Industry ==
{{Excerpt|oil industry}}

=== Transport ===
{{excerpt|Petroleum transport}}
In the 1950s, shipping costs made up 33 percent of the price of oil transported from the [[Persian Gulf]] to the United States,<ref name="economist.com">{{Cite news |date=July 14, 2012 |title=A liquid market: Thanks to LNG, spare gas can now be sold the world over |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/special-report/2012/07/12/a-liquid-market |url-status=live |access-date=January 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140614054033/http://www.economist.com/node/21558456 |archive-date=June 14, 2014}}</ref> but due to the development of [[supertankers]] in the 1970s, the cost of shipping dropped to only 5 percent of the price of Persian oil in the US.<ref name="economist.com" /> Due to the increase in the value of crude oil during the last 30 years, the share of the shipping cost on the final cost of the delivered commodity was less than 3% in 2010.

=== Price ===
{{Excerpt|oil prices}}

=== Trade ===
[[File:Crude oil prices since 1861.png|thumb|Nominal and inflation-adjusted U.S. dollar price of crude oil between 1861 and 2015]]
Crude oil is traded as a future on both the [[NYMEX]] and [[Intercontinental Exchange|ICE]] exchanges.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brent Crude Futures |url=https://www.ice.com/products/219/Brent-Crude-Futures |access-date=2024-02-22 |website=www.ice.com}}</ref> Futures contracts are agreements in which buyers and sellers agree to purchase and deliver specific amounts of physical crude oil on a given date in the future. A contract covers any multiple of 1000 barrels and can be purchased up to nine years into the future.<ref name="PortaraCQG">{{Cite web |title=Historical Crude Oil Intraday Data (CLA) |url=https://portaracqg.com/futures/int/cla |access-date=August 30, 2022 |website=PortaraCQG |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Use by country ==
<!-- this was a left over from a previous incarnation of the section. It is no longer a useful link. I looked around for a better link but didn't find one. Feel free to create an article on consumption/production etc. by country {{Main|Petroleum Industry}} -->

=== Consumption statistics ===
<gallery widths="160" heights="140">
File:Global Carbon Emissions.svg|Global fossil carbon emissions, an indicator of consumption, from 1800. {{legend-line|black solid 3px|Total}}{{legend-line|blue solid 3px|Oil}}
File:World energy consumption.svg|Rate of world energy usage per year from 1970.<ref name="BP-Report-2012">BP: [http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle800.do?categoryId=9037130&contentId=7068669 Statistical Review of World Energy] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516003736/http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle800.do?categoryId=9037130&contentId=7068669 |date=May 16, 2013 }}, Workbook (xlsx), London, 2012</ref>
File:Oil consumption per day by region from 1980 to 2006.svg|Daily oil consumption from 1980 to 2006.
File:Oil consumption per day by region from 1980 to 2006 solid3.svg|Oil consumption by percentage of total per region from 1980 to 2006: {{legend|red|US}}{{legend|blue|Europe}}{{legend|#D1D117|Asia and Oceania}}.
File:World oil consumption 1980 to 2007 by region.svg|Oil consumption 1980 to 2007 by region.
</gallery>

=== Consumption ===
According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimate for 2021, the world consumes 97.26&nbsp;million barrels of oil each day.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Oil and petroleum products explained |url=https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/oil-and-petroleum-products/use-of-oil.php#:~:text=In%202019%2C%20U.S.%20petroleum%20consumption,million%20b%2Fd%20of%20biofuels.&text=The%20transportation%20sector%20accounts%20for%20the%20largest%20share%20of%20U.S.%20petroleum%20consumption. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225153357/https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/oil-and-petroleum-products/use-of-oil.php |archive-date=December 25, 2024 |access-date=December 27, 2024 |publisher=U.S. Energy Information Administration}}</ref>
[[File:OilConsumptionpercapita.png|thumb|upright=3.4|Oil consumption per capita (darker colors represent more consumption, gray represents no data) ''(source: see file description)''.
{| style="width: 100%; font-size: 1em;"
|-
| valign=top |
{{legend2|#5e0000| > 0.07}}<br />
{{legend2|#b10000|0.07–0.05}}<br />
{{legend2|#e00100|0.05–0.035}}<br />
{{legend2|#ff413c|0.035–0.025}}<br />
{{legend2|#fe7373|0.025–0.02}}
| valign=top |
{{legend2|#ffc3c2|0.02–0.015}}<br />
{{legend2|#ffebda|0.015–0.01}}<br />
{{legend2|#ffebcf|0.01–0.005}}<br />
{{legend2|#fff8dc|0.005–0.0015}}<br />
{{legend2|#e2d0fe| < 0.0015}}
|}
]]

This table orders the amount of petroleum consumed in 2011 in thousand [[Barrel (unit)|barrels]] (1,000 bbl) per day and in thousand cubic metres (1,000&nbsp;m<sup>3</sup>) per day:<ref>U.S. Energy Information Administration. [http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/RecentPetroleumConsumptionBarrelsperDay.xls Excel file] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006235221/http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/RecentPetroleumConsumptionBarrelsperDay.xls |date=October 6, 2008 }} from [http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_pri_wco_k_w.htm this] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081110134954/http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_pri_wco_k_w.htm |date=November 10, 2008 }} web page. Table Posted: March 1, 2010</ref><ref>From DSW-Datareport 2008 ("[[Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevölkerung]]")</ref>
{| style="text-align:right;" class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Consuming nation 2011
!(1,000 bbl/<br />day)
!(1,000&nbsp;m<sup>3</sup>/<br />day)
!Population<br />in millions
!bbl/year<br />per capita
!m<sup>3</sup>/year<br />per capita
!National production/<br />consumption
|-
|{{rh}}|United States <sup>1</sup> || {{convert|18835.5|oilbbl|m3|1|disp=table}} || 314
|{{convert|{{#expr:(365*18835.5/314658)round1}}|oilbbl|m3|disp=table}} || 0.51
|-
|{{rh}}|China || {{convert|9790.0|oilbbl|m3|1|disp=table}} || 1345
|{{convert|{{#expr:(365*9790.0/1345750)round1}}|oilbbl|m3|disp=table}} || 0.41
|-
|{{rh}}|Japan <sup>2</sup> || {{convert|4464.1|oilbbl|m3|1|disp=table}} || 127
|{{convert|{{#expr:(365*4464.1/127156)round1}}|oilbbl|m3|disp=table}} || 0.03
|-
|{{rh}}|India <sup>2</sup> || {{convert|3292.2|oilbbl|m3|1|disp=table}} || 1198
|{{convert|{{#expr:(365*3292.2/1198003)round1}}|oilbbl|m3|disp=table}} || 0.26
|-
|{{rh}}|Russia <sup>1</sup> || {{convert|3145.1|oilbbl|m3|1|disp=table}} || 140
|{{convert|{{#expr:(365*3145.1/140873)round1}}|oilbbl|m3|disp=table}} || 3.35
|-
|{{rh}}|Saudi Arabia ([[OPEC]]) || {{convert|2817.5|oilbbl|m3|1|disp=table}} || 27
|{{convert|{{#expr:(365*2817.5/25720)round1}}|oilbbl|m3|disp=table}} || 3.64
|-
|{{rh}}|Brazil || {{convert|2594.2|oilbbl|m3|1|disp=table}} || 193
|{{convert|{{#expr:(365*2594.2/193733)round1}}|oilbbl|m3|disp=table}} || 0.99
|-
|{{rh}}|Germany <sup>2</sup> || {{convert|2400.1|oilbbl|m3|1|disp=table}} || 82
|{{convert|{{#expr:(365*2400.1/82166)round1}}|oilbbl|m3|disp=table}} || 0.06
|-
|{{rh}}|Canada || {{convert|2259.1|oilbbl|m3|1|disp=table}} || 33
|{{convert|{{#expr:(365*2259.1/33573)round1}}|oilbbl|m3|disp=table}} || 1.54
|-
|{{rh}}|South Korea <sup>2</sup> || {{convert|2230.2|oilbbl|m3|1|disp=table}} || 48
|{{convert|{{#expr:(365*2230.2/48332)round1}}|oilbbl|m3|disp=table}} || 0.02
|-
|{{rh}}|Mexico <sup>1</sup> || {{convert|2132.7|oilbbl|m3|1|disp=table}} || 109
|{{convert|{{#expr:(365*2132.7/109610)round1}}|oilbbl|m3|disp=table}} || 1.39
|-
|{{rh}}|France <sup>2</sup>|| {{convert|1791.5|oilbbl|m3|1|disp=table}} || 62
|{{convert|{{#expr:(365*1791.5/62342)round1}}|oilbbl|m3|disp=table}} || 0.03
|-
|{{rh}}|Iran ([[OPEC]])|| {{convert|1694.4|oilbbl|m3|1|disp=table}} || 74
|{{convert|{{#expr:(365*1694.4/74195)round1}}|oilbbl|m3|disp=table}} || 2.54
|-
|{{rh}}|United Kingdom <sup>1</sup> || {{convert|1607.9|oilbbl|m3|1|disp=table}} || 61
|{{convert|{{#expr:(365*1607.9/61565)round1}}|oilbbl|m3|disp=table}} || 0.93
|-
|{{rh}}|Italy <sup>2</sup>|| {{convert|1453.6|oilbbl|m3|1|disp=table}} || 60
|{{convert|{{#expr:(365*1453.6/59870)round1}}|oilbbl|m3|disp=table}} || 0.10
|}
Source: US Energy Information Administration<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eia.gov/cfapps/ipdbproject/IEDIndex3.cfm?tid=5&pid=5&aid=2 |title=Data |publisher=U.S. Energy Information Administration |access-date=January 13, 2025}}</ref>

Population Data:<ref>{{Cite web |title=IBGE |url=http://www.ibge.gov.br/paisesat/main.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100904063203/http://www.ibge.gov.br/paisesat/main.php |archive-date=September 4, 2010 |access-date=August 29, 2010}}</ref>

<small><sup>1</sup> [[Peak oil|peak production of oil]] already passed in this state</small>

<small><sup>2</sup> This country is not a major oil producer</small>

=== Production ===
{{For|oil production by country|List of countries by oil production}}
{{For|oil reserves by country|List of countries by proven oil reserves}}

{{Chart|definition=Crude Oil Production.chart|data=Crude Oil Production.tab|width=600px|align=center|thumb|caption=Top oil-producing countries<ref name="EIA2">{{Cite web |title=Crude oil including lease condensate production (Mb/d) |url=https://www.eia.gov/international/data/world/petroleum-and-other-liquids/annual-petroleum-and-other-liquids-production?pd=5&p=00000000000000000000000000000000002&u=0&f=A&v=mapbubble&a=-&i=none&vo=value&t=C&g=00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001&l=249-ruvvvvvfvtvnvv1vrvvvvfvvvvvvfvvvou20evvvvvvvvvvvvvvs&s=63072000000&e=1514764800000&ev=false& |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200514060445/https://www.eia.gov/international/data/world/petroleum-and-other-liquids/annual-petroleum-and-other-liquids-production?pd=5&p=00000000000000000000000000000000002&u=0&f=A&v=mapbubble&a=-&i=none&vo=value&t=C&g=00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001&l=249-ruvvvvvfvtvnvv1vrvvvvfvvvvvvfvvvou20evvvvvvvvvvvvvvs&s=63072000000&e=1514764800000&ev=false& |archive-date=May 14, 2020 |access-date=April 14, 2020 |publisher=U.S. Energy Information Administration}}</ref>}}

[[File:Oil producing countries map.png|thumb|center|upright=3.4|{{center|World map with [[List of countries by oil production|countries by oil production]] from 2006 to 2012}}]]

In petroleum industry parlance, ''production'' refers to the quantity of crude extracted from reserves, not the literal creation of the product.
<!-- table excerpted from [[List of countries by oil production]] -->
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right"
!
! Country
! Oil Production<br /><small>([[Barrel (unit)|bbl]]/day, 2016)</small><ref name="EIA">{{Cite web |title=Production of Crude Oil including Lease Condensate 2016 |url=https://www.eia.gov/beta/international/data/browser/#/?pa=00000000000000000000000000000000002&c=ruvvvvvfvtvnvv1vrvvvvfvvvvvvfvvvou20evvvvvvvvvvvvuvo&ct=0&tl_id=5-A&vs=INTL.57-1-AFG-TBPD.A&vo=0&v=H&start=2014&end=2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150522001611/http://www.eia.gov/beta/international/data/browser/#/?pa=00000000000000000000000000000000002&c=ruvvvvvfvtvnvv1vrvvvvfvvvvvvfvvvou20evvvvvvvvvvvvuvo&ct=0&tl_id=5-A&vs=INTL.57-1-AFG-TBPD.A&vo=0&v=H&start=2014&end=2016 |archive-date=May 22, 2015 |access-date=May 30, 2017 |publisher=U.S. Energy Information Administration |format=CVS download}}</ref>
|-
| 1|| style="text-align:left;"|{{flagu|Russia}}|| 10,551,497
|- style="background:#c0d9d9;"
| 2|| style="text-align:left;" |{{flagu|Saudi Arabia}} ([[OPEC]])|| 10,460,710
|-
| 3|| style="text-align:left;"|{{flagu|United States}}|| 8,875,817
|- style="background:#c0d9d9;"
| 4|| style="text-align:left;"|{{flagu|Iraq}} ([[OPEC]])|| 4,451,516
|- style="background:#c0d9d9;"
| 5|| style="text-align:left;"|{{flagu|Iran}} ([[OPEC]])|| 3,990,956
|-
| 6|| style="text-align:left;"|{{flagu|China||name=China, People's Republic of}}|| 3,980,650
|-
| 7|| style="text-align:left;"|{{flagu|Canada}}|| 3,662,694
|- style="background:#c0d9d9;"
| 8|| style="text-align:left;"|{{flagu|United Arab Emirates}} ([[OPEC]])|| 3,106,077
|- style="background:#c0d9d9;"
| 9|| style="text-align:left;"|{{flagu|Kuwait}} ([[OPEC]])|| 2,923,825
|-
| 10|| style="text-align:left;"|{{flagu|Brazil}}|| 2,515,459
|- style="background:#c0d9d9;"
| 11|| style="text-align:left;"|{{flagu|Venezuela}} ([[OPEC]])|| 2,276,967
|-
| 12|| style="text-align:left;"|{{flagu|Mexico}}|| 2,186,877
|- style="background:#c0d9d9;"
| 13|| style="text-align:left;"|{{flagu|Nigeria}} ([[OPEC]])|| 1,999,885
|- style="background:#c0d9d9;"
| 14|| style="text-align:left;"|{{flagu|Angola}} ([[OPEC]])|| 1,769,615
|-
| 15|| style="text-align:left;"|{{flagu|Norway}}|| 1,647,975
|-
| 16|| style="text-align:left;"|{{flagu|Kazakhstan}}|| 1,595,199
|- style="background:#c0d9d9;"
| 17|| style="text-align:left;"|{{flagu|Qatar}} ([[OPEC]])|| 1,522,902
|- style="background:#c0d9d9;"
| 18|| style="text-align:left;"|{{flagu|Algeria}} ([[OPEC]])|| 1,348,361
|-
| 19|| style="text-align:left;"|{{flagu|Oman}}|| 1,006,841
|-
| 20|| style="text-align:left;"|{{flagu|United Kingdom}}|| 939,760
|}

=== Exportation ===
{{See also|Fossil fuel exporters|OPEC}}
[[File:2014 Petroleum Countries Export Treemap.png|thumb|center|upright=3.4|{{center|Petroleum Exports by Country (2014) from Harvard Atlas of Economic Complexity}}]]
In order of net exports in 2011, 2009 and 2006 in thousand [[Barrel (unit)|bbl]]/[[Day|d]] and thousand m<sup>3</sup>/d:
{| style="text-align:right;" class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!#
!Exporting nation
!10<sup>3</sup>bbl/d (2011)
!10<sup>3</sup>m<sup>3</sup>/d (2011)
!10<sup>3</sup>bbl/d (2009)
!10<sup>3</sup>m<sup>3</sup>/d (2009)
!10<sup>3</sup>bbl/d (2006)
!10<sup>3</sup>m<sup>3</sup>/d (2006)
|-
|1
|{{rh}}|Saudi Arabia (OPEC)
|8,336
|1,325
|7,322
|1,164
|8,651
|1,376
|-
|2
|{{rh}}|Russia <sup>1</sup>
|7,083
|1,126
|7,194
|1,144
|6,565
|1,044
|-
|3
|{{rh}}|Iran (OPEC)
|2,540
|403
|2,486
|395
|2,519
|401
|-
|4
|{{rh}}|United Arab Emirates (OPEC)
|2,524
|401
|2,303
|366
|2,515
|400
|-
|5
|{{rh}}|Kuwait (OPEC)
|2,343
|373
|2,124
|338
|2,150
|342
|-
|6
|{{rh}}|Nigeria (OPEC)
|2,257
|359
|1,939
|308
|2,146
|341
|-
|7
|{{rh}}|Iraq (OPEC)
|1,915
|304
|1,764
|280
|1,438
|229
|-
|8
|{{rh}}|Angola (OPEC)
|1,760
|280
|1,878
|299
|1,363
|217
|-
|9
|{{rh}}|Norway <sup>1</sup>
|1,752
|279
|2,132
|339
|2,542
|404
|-
|10
|{{rh}}|Venezuela (OPEC) <sup>1</sup>
|1,715
|273
|1,748
|278
|2,203
|350
|-
|11
|{{rh}}|Algeria (OPEC) <sup>1</sup>
|1,568
|249
|1,767
|281
|1,847
|297
|-
|12
|{{rh}}|Qatar (OPEC)
|1,468
|233
|1,066
|169
| –
| –
|-
|13
|{{rh}}|Canada <sup>2</sup>
|1,405
|223
|1,168
|187
|1,071
|170
|-
|14
|{{rh}}|Kazakhstan
|1,396
|222
|1,299
|207
|1,114
|177
|-
|15
|{{rh}}|Azerbaijan <sup>1</sup>
|836
|133
|912
|145
|532
|85
|-
|16
|{{rh}}|Trinidad and Tobago <sup>1</sup>
|177
|112
|167
|160
|155
|199
|}
Source: US Energy Information Administration<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eia.gov/countries/index.cfm?topL=exp |title=International |publisher=US Energy Information Administration |access-date=14 January 2025}}</ref>

<small><sup>1</sup> [[Peak oil|peak production]] already passed in this state</small>

<small><sup>2</sup> Canadian statistics are complicated by the fact it is both an importer and exporter of crude oil, and refines large amounts of oil for the U.S. market. It is the leading source of U.S. imports of oil and products, averaging {{convert|2500000|oilbbl/d|abbr=on}} in August 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Imports by Country of Origin |url=https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_move_impcus_a2_nus_ep00_im0_mbblpd_m.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103234600/https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_move_impcus_a2_nus_ep00_im0_mbblpd_m.htm |archive-date=January 3, 2018 |access-date=February 21, 2018 |publisher=U.S. Energy Information Administration}}</ref></small>

Total world production/consumption (as of 2005) is approximately {{convert|84|Moilbbl/d|m3/d}}.

=== Importation ===
In order of net imports in 2011, 2009 and 2006 in thousand [[Barrel (unit)|bbl]]/[[Day|d]] and thousand m<sup>3</sup>/d:
{| style="text-align:right;" class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!#
!Importing nation
!10<sup>3</sup>bbl/day (2011)
!10<sup>3</sup>m<sup>3</sup>/day (2011)
!10<sup>3</sup>bbl/day (2009)
!10<sup>3</sup>m<sup>3</sup>/day (2009)
!10<sup>3</sup>bbl/day (2006)
!10<sup>3</sup>m<sup>3</sup>/day (2006)
|-
|1
|{{rh}}|United States <sup>1</sup>
|8,728
|1,388
|9,631
|1,531
|12,220
|1,943
|-
|2
|{{rh}}|China
|5,487
|872
|4,328
|688
|3,438
|547
|-
|3
|{{rh}}|Japan
|4,329
|688
|4,235
|673
|5,097
|810
|-
|4
|{{rh}}|India
|2,349
|373
|2,233
|355
|1,687
|268
|-
|5
|{{rh}}|Germany
|2,235
|355
|2,323
|369
|2,483
|395
|-
|6
|{{rh}}|South Korea
|2,170
|345
|2,139
|340
|2,150
|342
|-
|7
|{{rh}}|France
|1,697
|270
|1,749
|278
|1,893
|301
|-
|8
|{{rh}}|Spain
|1,346
|214
|1,439
|229
|1,555
|247
|-
|9
|{{rh}}|Italy
|1,292
|205
|1,381
|220
|1,558
|248
|-
|10
|{{rh}}|Singapore
|1,172
|186
|916
|146
|787
|125
|-
|11
|{{rh}}|Republic of China (Taiwan)
|1,009
|160
|944
|150
|942
|150
|-
|12
|{{rh}}|Netherlands
|948
|151
|973
|155
|936
|149
|-
|13
|{{rh}}|Turkey
|650
|103
|650
|103
|576
|92
|-
|14
|{{rh}}|Belgium
|634
|101
|597
|95
|546
|87
|-
|15
|{{rh}}|Thailand
|592
|94
|538
|86
|606
|96
|}
Source: US Energy Information Administration<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eia.gov/countries/index.cfm?topL=imp |title=International |publisher=U.S. Energy Information Administration |access-date=22 January 2025}}</ref>

{{smalldiv|1=
<sup>1</sup> [[Peak oil|peak production of oil]] expected in 2020<ref name="eia2014er">"[http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/er/early_production.cfm AEO2014 Early Release Overview] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220215802/http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/er/early_production.cfm |date=December 20, 2013 }}" [http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/er/pdf/0383er(2014).pdf Early report] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220211420/http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/er/pdf/0383er(2014).pdf |date=December 20, 2013 }} ''[[US Energy Information Administration]]'', December 2013. Accessed: December 2013. Quote:"Domestic production of crude oil .. increases sharply .. is expected to level off and then slowly decline after 2020"</ref>
}}

=== Non-producing consumers ===
Countries whose oil production is 10% or less of their consumption.

{| style="text-align:right;" class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!#
!Consuming nation
!(bbl/day)
!(m<sup>3</sup>/day)
|-
|1
|{{rh}}|Japan
|5,578,000
|886,831
|-
|2
|{{rh}}|Germany
|2,677,000
|425,609
|-
|3
|{{rh}}|South Korea
|2,061,000
|327,673
|-
|4
|{{rh}}|France
|2,060,000
|327,514
|-
|5
|{{rh}}|Italy
|1,874,000
|297,942
|-
|6
|{{rh}}|Spain
|1,537,000
|244,363
|-
|7
|{{rh}}|Netherlands
|946,700
|150,513
|-
|8
|{{rh}}|Turkey
|575,011
|91,663
|}
Source: CIA World Factbook{{Failed verification|date=July 2010|reason=maybe factbook changed? suggest clarify this table by using a factbook snapshot of a specific year}}

== Environmental effects ==
{{Main|Environmental impact of the petroleum industry}}

===Climate===
[[File:Dieselrainbow.jpg|thumb|A diesel fuel spill on a road]]
[[File:Carbonate system of seawater.svg|thumb|Seawater acidification]]
{{As of|2018}}, about a quarter of annual global [[greenhouse gas emissions]] is the carbon dioxide from burning petroleum (plus [[methane leaks]] from the industry).<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ritchie |first1=Hannah |last2=Roser |first2=Max |last3=Rosado |first3=Pablo |date=May 11, 2020 |title={{CO2}} emissions by fuel |url=https://ourworldindata.org/emissions-by-fuel |url-status=live |journal=Our World in Data |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103122924/https://ourworldindata.org/emissions-by-fuel |archive-date=November 3, 2020 |access-date=January 22, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Methane Tracker 2020 – Analysis |url=https://www.iea.org/reports/methane-tracker-2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119102518/https://www.iea.org/reports/methane-tracker-2020 |archive-date=January 19, 2021 |access-date=January 22, 2021 |website=IEA |date=March 30, 2020 |language=en-GB}}</ref>{{efn|12.4 gigatonnes petroleum (and about 1 Gt CO<sub>2</sub> eq from methane)/50 gigatonnes total.}} Along with the burning of coal, petroleum combustion is the largest contributor to the increase in atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub>.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Marland |first1=Gregg |last2=Houghton |first2=R. A. |last3=Gillett |first3=Nathan P. |last4=Conway |first4=Thomas J. |last5=Ciais |first5=Philippe |last6=Buitenhuis |first6=Erik T. |last7=Field |first7=Christopher B. |last8=Raupach |first8=Michael R. |last9=Quéré |first9=Corinne Le |date=November 20, 2007 |title=Contributions to accelerating atmospheric {{CO2}} growth from economic activity, carbon intensity, and efficiency of natural sinks |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=104 |issue=47 |pages=18866–18870 |bibcode=2007PNAS..10418866C |doi=10.1073/pnas.0702737104 |issn=0027-8424 |pmc=2141868 |pmid=17962418 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zheng |first1=Bo |last2=Zaehle |first2=Sönke |last3=Wright |first3=Rebecca |last4=Wiltshire |first4=Andrew J. |last5=Walker |first5=Anthony P. |last6=Viovy |first6=Nicolas |last7=Werf |first7=Guido R. van der |last8=Laan-Luijkx |first8=Ingrid T. van der |last9=Tubiello |first9=Francesco N. |date=December 5, 2018 |title=Global Carbon Budget 2018 |journal=Earth System Science Data |language=en |volume=10 |issue=4 |pages=2141–2194 |bibcode=2018ESSD...10.2141L |doi=10.5194/essd-10-2141-2018 |issn=1866-3508 |doi-access=free|hdl=21.11116/0000-0002-518C-5 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>  Atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> has risen over the last 150 years to current levels of over 415&nbsp;[[ppmv]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=US Department of Commerce |first=NOAA |title=Global Monitoring Laboratory – Carbon Cycle Greenhouse Gases |url=https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070316011636/https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/ |archive-date=March 16, 2007 |access-date=May 24, 2020 |website=www.esrl.noaa.gov |language=EN-US}}</ref> from the [[Carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere#Concentrations in the geologic past|180–300&nbsp;ppmv of the prior 800 thousand years]].<ref>[http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/historical-trends-in-carbon-dioxide-concentrations-and-temperature-on-a-geological-and-recent-time-scale Historical trends in carbon dioxide concentrations and temperature, on a geological and recent time scale] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724175732/http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/historical-trends-in-carbon-dioxide-concentrations-and-temperature-on-a-geological-and-recent-time-scale |date=July 24, 2011 }}. (June 2007). In UNEP/GRID-Arendal Maps and Graphics Library. Retrieved 19:14, February 19, 2011.</ref><ref>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5314592.stm Deep ice tells long climate story] . Retrieved 19:14, February 19, 2011.</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mitchell, John F.B. |year=1989 |title=The "Greenhouse" Effect and Climate Change |url=http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/envs501/downloads/Mitchell |journal=Reviews of Geophysics |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages=115–139 |bibcode=1989RvGeo..27..115M |citeseerx=10.1.1.459.471 |doi=10.1029/RG027i001p00115 |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20080904222649/http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/envs501/downloads/Mitchell |archive-date=September 4, 2008}}</ref> The rise in Arctic temperature has reduced the minimum [[Arctic ice pack]] to {{convert|4320000|km2|abbr=on|}}, a loss of almost half since satellite measurements started in 1979.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Change |first=NASA Global Climate |title=Arctic Sea Ice Minimum |url=https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/arctic-sea-ice |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200524202942/https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/arctic-sea-ice/ |archive-date=May 24, 2020 |access-date=May 24, 2020 |website=Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet}}</ref>

[[Ocean acidification]] is the increase in the acidity of the Earth's oceans caused by the uptake of [[carbon dioxide]] ({{CO2}}) from the [[Earth's atmosphere|atmosphere]].The saturation state of calcium carbonate decreases with the uptake of carbon dioxide in the ocean.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sommer |first1=Ulrich |last2=Paul |first2=Carolin |last3=Moustaka-Gouni |first3=Maria |date=May 20, 2015 |title=Warming and Ocean Acidification Effects on Phytoplankton—From Species Shifts to Size Shifts within Species in a Mesocosm Experiment |journal=PLOS ONE |language=en |volume=10 |issue=5 |article-number=e0125239 |bibcode=2015PLoSO..1025239S |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0125239 |issn=1932-6203 |pmc=4439082 |pmid=25993440 |doi-access=free}}</ref> This increase in acidity inhibits all marine life—having a greater effect on smaller organisms as well as shelled organisms (see [[scallops]]).<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 26, 2014 |title=Acidic ocean deadly for Vancouver Island scallop industry |work=cbc.ca |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/acidic-ocean-deadly-for-vancouver-island-scallop-industry-1.2551662 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427195837/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/acidic-ocean-deadly-for-vancouver-island-scallop-industry-1.2551662 |archive-date=April 27, 2014}}</ref>

=== Extraction ===
Oil extraction is simply the removal of oil from the reservoir (oil pool). There are many methods on extracting the oil from the reservoirs for example; mechanical shaking,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Schwab |first1=A. P. |last2=Su |first2=J. |last3=Wetzel |first3=S. |last4=Pekarek |first4=S. |last5=Banks |first5=M. K. |date=June 1, 1999 |title=Extraction of Petroleum Hydrocarbons from Soil by Mechanical Shaking |url=https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/es9809758 |journal=Environmental Science & Technology |language=en |volume=33 |issue=11 |pages=1940–1945 |bibcode=1999EnST...33.1940S |doi=10.1021/es9809758 |issn=0013-936X|url-access=subscription }}</ref> water-in-oil emulsion, and [[specialty chemicals]] called [[demulsifiers]] that separate the oil from water. Oil extraction is costly and often environmentally damaging. Offshore exploration and extraction of oil disturb the surrounding marine environment.<ref>[http://www.offshore-environment.com/discharges.html Waste discharges during the offshore oil and gas activity] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090926140659/http://www.offshore-environment.com/discharges.html |date=September 26, 2009 }} by Stanislave Patin, tr. Elena Cascio</ref>

=== Oil spills ===
{{Further|Oil spill|List of oil spills}}
{{multiple image
| align = right
| direction = vertical
| width = 230
| image1 = Oil-spill.jpg
| caption1 = Kelp after an oil spill.
| image2 = Oil Slick in the Timor Sea September-2009.jpg
| caption2 = Oil slick from the [[Montara oil spill]] in the Timor Sea, September 2009.
| image3 = PrestigeVolunteersInGaliciaCoast.jpg
| caption3 = Volunteers cleaning up the aftermath of the [[Prestige oil spill]].
}}

Crude oil and refined fuel [[Oil spill|spills]] from [[tanker ship]] accidents have damaged natural [[ecosystem]]s and human livelihoods in [[Alaska]], the [[Gulf of Mexico]], the [[Galápagos Islands]], France and many [[List of oil spills|other places]].

The quantity of oil spilled during accidents has ranged from a few hundred tons to several hundred thousand tons (e.g., [[Deepwater Horizon oil spill]], [[SS Atlantic Empress]], [[Amoco Cadiz]]). Smaller spills have already proven to have a great impact on ecosystems, such as the [[Exxon Valdez oil spill|''Exxon Valdez'' oil spill]].

Oil spills at sea are generally much more damaging than those on land, since they can spread for hundreds of nautical miles in a thin [[oil slick]] which can cover beaches with a thin coating of oil. This can kill sea birds, mammals, shellfish, and other organisms it coats. Oil spills on land are more readily containable if a makeshift earth dam can be rapidly [[bulldozed]] around the spill site before most of the oil escapes, and land animals can avoid the oil more easily.

Control of oil spills is difficult, requires ad hoc methods, and often a large amount of manpower. The dropping of bombs and incendiary devices from aircraft on the {{SS|Torrey Canyon}} wreck produced poor results;<ref>[[Torrey Canyon oil spill|Torrey Canyon bombing by the Navy and RAF]]</ref> modern techniques would include pumping the oil from the wreck, like in the [[Prestige oil spill|''Prestige'' oil spill]] or the [[MV Erika|''Erika'']] oil spill.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pumping of the Erika cargo |url=http://www.total.com/en/group/news/special_report_erika/erika_measures_total/erika_pumping_cargo_11379.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081119225756/http://www.total.com/en/group/news/special_report_erika/erika_measures_total/erika_pumping_cargo_11379.htm |archive-date=November 19, 2008 |access-date=August 29, 2010 |publisher=Total.com}}</ref>

Though crude oil is predominantly composed of various hydrocarbons, certain nitrogen heterocyclic compounds, such as [[pyridine]], [[picoline]], and [[quinoline]] are reported as contaminants associated with crude oil, as well as facilities processing oil shale or coal, and have also been found at legacy [[creosote|wood treatment]] sites. These compounds have a very high water solubility, and thus tend to dissolve and move with water. Certain naturally occurring bacteria, such as ''[[Micrococcus]]'', ''[[Arthrobacter]]'', and ''[[Rhodococcus]]'' have been shown to degrade these contaminants.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sims |first1=Gerald K. |last2=O'Loughlin |first2=Edward J. |last3=Crawford |first3=Ronald L. |year=1989 |title=Degradation of pyridines in the environment |journal=Critical Reviews in Environmental Control |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=309–340 |doi=10.1080/10643388909388372|bibcode=1989CRvEC..19..309S }}</ref>

Because petroleum is a naturally occurring substance, its presence in the environment does not need to be the result of human causes such as accidents and routine activities ([[seismic]] exploration, [[Boring (earth)|drilling]], extraction, refining and combustion). Phenomena such as [[seeps]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Seeps Home Page |url=https://seeps.wr.usgs.gov/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820012319/http://seeps.wr.usgs.gov/ |archive-date=August 20, 2008 |access-date=May 17, 2010}} Natural Oil and Gas Seeps in California</ref> and [[tar pit]]s are examples of areas that petroleum affects without human involvement.

=== Tarballs ===
{{Main|Tarball (oil)}}

A tarball is a blob of crude oil (not to be confused with [[tar]], which is a human-made product derived from pine trees or refined from petroleum) which has been weathered after floating in the ocean. Tarballs are an aquatic [[pollutant]] in most environments, although they can occur naturally, for example in the Santa Barbara Channel of California<ref name="itah">{{Cite journal |last1=Itah A.Y. |last2=Essien J.P. |date=Oct 2005 |title=Growth Profile and Hydrocarbonoclastic Potential of Microorganisms Isolated from Tarballs in the Bight of Bonny, Nigeria |journal=World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology |volume=21 |issue=6–7 |pages=1317–1322 |doi=10.1007/s11274-004-6694-z |s2cid=84888286}}</ref><ref name="hostettler">{{Cite journal |last1=Hostettler |first1=Frances D. |last2=Rosenbauer |first2=Robert J. |last3=Lorenson |first3=Thomas D. |last4=Dougherty |first4=Jennifer |year=2004 |title=Geochemical characterization of tarballs on beaches along the California coast. Part I – Shallow seepage impacting the Santa Barbara Channel Islands, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and San Miguel |journal=Organic Geochemistry |volume=35 |issue=6 |pages=725–746 |bibcode=2004OrGeo..35..725H |doi=10.1016/j.orggeochem.2004.01.022}}</ref> or in the Gulf of Mexico off Texas.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Drew Jubera |date=August 1987 |title=Texas Primer: The Tar Ball |url=http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/texas-primer-tar-ball |url-status=live |magazine=Texas Monthly |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707102758/http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/texas-primer-tar-ball |archive-date=July 7, 2015 |access-date=October 20, 2014}}</ref> Their concentration and features have been used to assess the extent of [[oil spills]]. Their composition can be used to identify their sources of origin,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Knap Anthony H |last2=Burns Kathryn A |last3=Dawson Rodger |last4=Ehrhardt Manfred |last5=Palmork Karsten H |date=December 1984 |title=Dissolved/dispersed hydrocarbons, tarballs and the surface microlayer: Experiences from an IOC/UNEP Workshop in Bermuda |journal=Marine Pollution Bulletin |volume=17 |issue=7 |pages=313–319 |doi=10.1016/0025-326X(86)90217-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Zhendi |last2=Fingas |first2=Merv |last3=Landriault |first3=Michael |last4=Sigouin |first4=Lise |last5=Castle |first5=Bill |last6=Hostetter |first6=David |last7=Zhang |first7=Dachung |last8=Spencer |first8=Brad |date=July 1998 |title=Identification and Linkage of Tarballs from the Coasts of Vancouver Island and Northern California Using GC/MS and Isotopic Techniques |journal=Journal of High Resolution Chromatography |volume=21 |issue=7 |pages=383–395 |doi=10.1002/(SICI)1521-4168(19980701)21:7<383::AID-JHRC383>3.0.CO;2-3}}</ref> and tarballs themselves may be dispersed over long distances by deep sea currents.<ref name="hostettler" /> They are slowly decomposed by bacteria, including ''[[Chromobacterium violaceum]]'', ''[[Cladosporium resinae]]'', ''[[Bacillus submarinus]]'', ''[[Micrococcus varians]]'', ''[[Pseudomonas aeruginosa]]'', ''[[Candida marina]]'' and ''[[Saccharomyces estuari]]''.<ref name="itah" />

=== Whales ===
[[File:Natural whale oil bottle.jpg|thumb|A bottle of unrefined [[whale oil]]]]
James S. Robbins has argued that the advent of petroleum-refined kerosene saved some species of great whales from [[extinction]] by providing an inexpensive substitute for [[whale oil]], thus eliminating the economic imperative for open-boat [[whaling]],<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120315153109/http://newscotland1398.ca/99/gesner-whales.html How Capitalism Saved the Whales]}} by James S. Robbins, ''The Freeman'', August 1992.</ref> but others say that fossil fuels increased whaling with most whales being killed in the 20th century.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=York |first=Richard |date=January 1, 2017 |title=Why Petroleum Did Not Save the Whales |journal=Socius |language=en |volume=3 |article-number=2378023117739217 |doi=10.1177/2378023117739217 |issn=2378-0231 |s2cid=115153877 |quote=Ironically, even though fossil fuels provided substitutes for the main uses of whale oil, the rise of fossil fuel use in the nineteenth century served to increase the intensity of whaling. |doi-access=free}}</ref>

== Alternatives ==
In 2018 road transport used 49% of petroleum, aviation 8%, and uses other than energy 17%.<ref>{{Cite web |title=World oil final consumption by sector, 2018 – Charts – Data & Statistics |url=https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/world-oil-final-consumption-by-sector-2018 |access-date=April 3, 2022 |website=IEA |language=en-GB}}</ref> [[Electric vehicle]]s are the main alternative for road transport and [[biojet]] for aviation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Reaching Zero with Renewables: Biojet Fuels |url=https://www.irena.org/publications/2021/Jul/Reaching-Zero-with-Renewables-Biojet-Fuels |access-date=April 3, 2022 |website=/publications/2021/Jul/Reaching-Zero-with-Renewables-Biojet-Fuels |date=July 22, 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ReFuelEU Aviation initiative: Sustainable aviation fuels and the fit for 55 package {{!}} Think Tank {{!}} European Parliament |url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document/EPRS_BRI(2022)698900 |access-date=April 3, 2022 |website=www.europarl.europa.eu |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=October 11, 2021 |title=Aviation emissions: 'We can't wait for hydrogen or electric' |url=https://www.energymonitor.ai/sectors/transport/aviation-emissions-we-cant-wait-for-hydrogen-or-electric |access-date=April 3, 2022 |website=Energy Monitor |language=en-US}}</ref> Single-use plastics have a high carbon footprint and may pollute the sea, but as of 2022 the best alternatives are unclear.<ref>{{Cite web |title=This is how to ensure sustainable alternatives to plastic |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/03/are-we-replacing-plastic-with-more-energy-intensive-alternatives/ |access-date=April 3, 2022 |website=World Economic Forum |language=en}}</ref>

== International relations ==
{{See also|2022 boycott of Russia and Belarus}}
Control of petroleum production has been a significant driver of international relations during much of the 20th and 21st centuries.<ref name="The Economist-2020">{{Cite news |date=September 17, 2020 |title=Is it the end of the oil age? |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/09/17/is-it-the-end-of-the-oil-age |url-status=live |access-date=December 31, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201231201354/https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/09/17/is-it-the-end-of-the-oil-age |archive-date=December 31, 2020 |issn=0013-0613}}</ref> Organizations like OPEC have played an outsized role in international politics. Some historians and commentators have called this the "[[Age of Oil]]"<ref name="The Economist-2020" /> With the rise of [[renewable energy]] and addressing [[climate change]] some commentators expect a realignment of international power away from [[petrostate]]s.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

=== Corruption ===
"Oil rents" have been described as connected with corruption in political literature.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Oil, gas, and mining |url=https://www.u4.no/topics/oil-gas-and-mining/basics |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre}}</ref> A 2011 study suggested that increases in oil rents increased corruption in countries with heavy government involvement in the production of oil. The study found that increases in oil rents "significantly deteriorates political rights". The investigators say that oil exploitation gave politicians "an incentive to extend civil liberties but reduce political rights in the presence of oil windfalls to evade redistribution and conflict".<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Arezki |first1=Rabah |last2=Brückner |first2=Markus |date=October 1, 2011 |title=Oil rents, corruption, and state stability: Evidence from panel data regressions |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014292111000316 |journal=European Economic Review |language=en |volume=55 |issue=7 |pages=955–963 |doi=10.1016/j.euroecorev.2011.03.004 |issn=0014-2921|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

=== Conflict ===
{{Main|oil war|Petro-aggression}}
Petroleum production has been linked with conflict for many years, leading to thousands of deaths.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lujala |first=Päivi |date=2009 |title=Deadly Combat over Natural Resources: Gems, Petroleum, Drugs, and the Severity of Armed Civil Conflict |journal=The Journal of Conflict Resolution |volume=53 |issue=1 |pages=50–71 |doi=10.1177/0022002708327644 |issn=0022-0027 |jstor=27638653 |s2cid=155043015}}</ref> Petroleum deposits are in hardly any countries around the world; mainly in Russia and some parts of the middle east.<ref>{{Cite web |title=International – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) |url=https://www.eia.gov/international/data/world#/?pa=00000000000000000000000000000000002&c=ruvvvvvfvtvnvv1vrvvvvfvvvvvvfvvvou20evvvvvvvvvvvvuvo&ct=0&tl_id=5-A&vs=INTL.57-1-AFG-TBPD.A&vo=0&v=H&start=2014&end=2016 |access-date=February 16, 2023 |website=www.eia.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Alnasrawi |first=Abbas |title=The economy of Iraq: oil, wars, destruction of development and prospects, 1950–2010 |date=1994 |publisher=Greenwood Press |isbn=0-313-29186-1 |location=Westport, Conn. |oclc=28965749}}</ref> Conflicts may start when countries refuse to cut oil production in which other countries respond to such actions by increasing their production causing a trade war as experienced during the [[2020 Russia–Saudi Arabia oil price war]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ma |first1=Richie Ruchuan |last2=Xiong |first2=Tao |last3=Bao |first3=Yukun |date=October 1, 2021 |title=The Russia-Saudi Arabia oil price war during the COVID-19 pandemic |journal=Energy Economics |language=en |volume=102 |article-number=105517 |doi=10.1016/j.eneco.2021.105517 |issn=0140-9883 |pmc=8652835 |pmid=34898736|bibcode=2021EneEc.10205517M }}</ref> Other conflicts start due to countries wanting petroleum resources or other reasons on oil resource territory experienced in the [[Iran–Iraq War]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Iran-Iraq War {{!}} Causes, Summary, Casualties, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Iran-Iraq-War |access-date=February 16, 2023 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

=== OPEC ===
{{Excerpt|OPEC}}

== Future production ==
{{Update section|date=February 2021}}
[[File:World oil production.webp|thumb|World oil production by average barrels per day between 2011 and 2022]]
[[Consumption function|Consumption]] in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries has been abundantly pushed by automobile sector growth. The [[1980s oil glut|1985–2003 oil glut]] even fueled the sales of low fuel economy vehicles in [[OECD]] countries. The 2008 economic crisis seems to have had some impact on the sales of such vehicles; still, in 2008 oil consumption showed a small increase.

In 2016 Goldman Sachs predicted lower demand for oil due to emerging economies concerns, especially China.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hume |first=Neil |date=March 8, 2016 |title=Goldman Sachs says commodity rally is unlikely to last |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/e178653e-e517-11e5-bc31-138df2ae9ee6 |url-status=live |access-date=March 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180429093259/https://www.ft.com/content/e178653e-e517-11e5-bc31-138df2ae9ee6 |archive-date=April 29, 2018 |issn=0307-1766}}</ref> The [[BRICS]] (Brasil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) countries might also kick in, as China briefly had the largest automobile market in December 2009.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chris Hogg |date=February 10, 2009 |title=China's car industry overtakes US |work=BBC News |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7879372.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111019234900/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7879372.stm |archive-date=October 19, 2011}}</ref> In the long term, uncertainties linger; the [[OPEC]] believes that the OECD countries will push low consumption policies at some point in the future; when that happens, it will definitely curb oil sales, and both OPEC and the [[Energy Information Administration]] (EIA) kept lowering their 2020 consumption estimates during the past five years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=OPEC Secretariat |year=2008 |title=World Oil Outlook 2008 |url=http://www.opec.org/library/World%20Oil%20Outlook/pdf/WOO2008.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090407091227/http://www.opec.org/library/World%20Oil%20Outlook/pdf/WOO2008.pdf |archive-date=April 7, 2009}}</ref> A detailed review of [[International Energy Agency]] oil projections have revealed that revisions of world oil production, price and investments have been motivated by a combination of demand and supply factors.<ref name="Wachtmeister2018">{{Cite journal |last1=Wachtmeister |first1=Henrik |last2=Henke |first2=Petter |last3=Höök |first3=Mikael |date=2018 |title=Oil projections in retrospect: Revisions, accuracy and current uncertainty |journal=Applied Energy |volume=220 |pages=138–153 |doi=10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.03.013 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2018ApEn..220..138W }}</ref> All together, Non-OPEC conventional projections have been fairly stable the last 15 years, while downward revisions were mainly allocated to OPEC. Upward revisions are primarily a result of US [[tight oil]].

Production will also face an increasingly complex situation; while OPEC countries still have large reserves at low production prices, newly found reservoirs often lead to higher prices; offshore giants such as [[Tupi oil field|Tupi]], Guara and [[Tiber oilfield|Tiber]] demand high investments and ever-increasing technological abilities. Subsalt reservoirs such as Tupi were unknown in the twentieth century, mainly because the industry was unable to probe them. [[Enhanced Oil Recovery]] (EOR) techniques (example: [[Daqing Field|DaQing]], China<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ni Weiling |date=October 16, 2006 |title=Daqing Oilfield rejuvenated by virtue of technology |url=http://en.ce.cn/Insight/200610/16/t20061016_8980162.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111212081616/http://en.ce.cn/Insight/200610/16/t20061016_8980162.shtml |archive-date=December 12, 2011 |website=[[Economic Daily]]}}</ref>) will continue to play a major role in increasing the world's recoverable oil.

The expected availability of petroleum resources has always been around 35 years or even less since the start of the modern exploration. The [[oil constant]], an insider pun in the German industry, refers to that effect.<ref>Samuel Schubert, Peter Slominski UTB, 2010: Die Energiepolitik der EU Johannes Pollak, 235 Seiten, p. 20</ref>

A growing number of divestment campaigns from major funds pushed by newer generations who question the sustainability of petroleum may hinder the financing of future oil prospection and production.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 27, 2021 |title=Rating agency S&P warns 13 oil and gas companies they risk downgrades as renewables pick up steam |url=http://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jan/27/rating-agency-sp-warns-13-oil-and-gas-companies-they-risk-downgrades-as-renewables-pick-up-steam |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127175822/https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jan/27/rating-agency-sp-warns-13-oil-and-gas-companies-they-risk-downgrades-as-renewables-pick-up-steam |archive-date=January 27, 2021 |access-date=January 27, 2021 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref>

=== Peak oil ===
{{Main|Peak oil}}
[[Peak oil]] is a term applied to the projection that future petroleum production, whether for individual oil wells, entire oil fields, whole countries, or worldwide production, will eventually peak and then decline at a similar rate to the rate of increase before the peak as these reserves are exhausted.{{Citation needed|date=May 2022}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Islam |first=M. R. |chapter=New Methods of Petroleum Sludge Disposal and Use |date=1995 |title=Asphaltenes |pages=219–235 |location=Boston |publisher=Springer US |doi=10.1007/978-1-4757-9293-5_8 |isbn=978-1-4757-9295-9}}</ref> The peak of oil discoveries was in 1965, and oil production per year has surpassed oil discoveries every year since 1980.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Campbell CJ |date=December 2000 |title=Peak Oil Presentation at the Technical University of Clausthal |url=http://energycrisis.org/de/lecture.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070705152332/http://energycrisis.org/de/lecture.html |archive-date=July 5, 2007}}</ref>

It is difficult to predict the oil peak in any given region, due to the lack of knowledge and/or transparency in the accounting of global oil reserves.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 31, 2004 |title=New study raises doubts about Saudi oil reserves |url=http://www.iags.org/n0331043.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100529211546/http://www.iags.org/n0331043.htm |archive-date=May 29, 2010 |access-date=August 29, 2010 |publisher=Iags.org}}</ref> Based on available production data, proponents have previously predicted the peak for the world to be in the years 1989, 1995, or 1995–2000. Some of these predictions date from before the recession of the early 1980s, and the consequent lowering in global consumption, the effect of which was to delay the date of any peak by several years. Just as the 1971 U.S. peak in oil production was only clearly recognized after the fact, a peak in world production will be difficult to discern until production clearly drops off.<ref>[http://www.oildecline.com/ Peak Oil Info and Strategies] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617184210/http://www.oildecline.com/ |date=June 17, 2012 }} "The only uncertainty about peak oil is the time scale, which is difficult to predict accurately."</ref>

In 2020, according to [[BP#Climate policy|BP's Energy Outlook 2020]], peak oil had been reached, due to the changing energy landscape coupled with the [[Financial market impact of the COVID-19 pandemic#Oil prices|economic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic]].

While there has been much focus historically on peak oil supply, the focus is increasingly shifting to peak demand as more countries seek to transition to renewable energy. The GeGaLo index of geopolitical gains and losses assesses how the geopolitical position of 156 countries may change if the world fully transitions to renewable energy resources. Former oil exporters are expected to lose power, while the positions of former oil importers and countries rich in renewable energy resources is expected to strengthen.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Overland|first1=Indra|last2=Bazilian|first2=Morgan|last3=Ilimbek Uulu|first3=Talgat|last4=Vakulchuk|first4=Roman|last5=Westphal|first5=Kirsten|date=2019|title=The GeGaLo index: Geopolitical gains and losses after energy transition|journal=Energy Strategy Reviews|language=en|volume=26|article-number=100406|doi=10.1016/j.esr.2019.100406|doi-access=free|bibcode=2019EneSR..2600406O |hdl=11250/2634876|hdl-access=free}}</ref>

=== Unconventional oil ===
{{Update section|date=May 2022}}

[[Unconventional oil]] is petroleum produced or extracted using techniques other than the conventional methods. The calculus for peak oil has changed with the introduction of [[Unconventional (oil & gas) reservoir|unconventional]] production methods. In particular, the combination of [[horizontal drilling]] and [[hydraulic fracturing]] has resulted in a significant increase in production from previously uneconomic plays.<ref>{{Citation | date = May 28, 2015 | title = U.S. Crude Oil Production Forecast – Analysis of Crude Types | publisher = U.S. Energy Information Administration | place = Washington, DC | url = http://www.eia.gov/analysis/petroleum/crudetypes/pdf/crudetypes.pdf | access-date = September 13, 2018 | quote = U.S. oil production has grown rapidly in recent years. U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data, which reflect combined production of crude oil and lease condensate, show a rise from 5.6 million barrels per day (bbl/d) in 2011 to 7.5 million bbl/d in 2013, and a record 1.2 million bbl/d increase to 8.7 million bbl/d in 2014. Increasing production of light crude oil in low-permeability or tight resource formations in regions like the Bakken, Permian Basin, and Eagle Ford (often referred to as light tight oil) account for nearly all the net growth in U.S. crude oil production.<br />EIA's latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, issued in May 2015, reflects continued production growth in 2015 and 2016, albeit at a slower pace than in 2013 and 2014, with U.S. crude oil production in 2016 forecast to reach 9.2 million bbl/d. Beyond 2016, the Annual Energy Outlook 2015 (AEO2015) projects further production growth, although its pace and duration remains highly uncertain. | archive-date = November 22, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191122192224/https://www.eia.gov/analysis/petroleum/crudetypes/pdf/crudetypes.pdf | url-status = live }}</ref> Certain rock [[strata]] contain hydrocarbons but have low permeability and are not thick from a vertical perspective. Conventional vertical wells would be unable to economically retrieve these hydrocarbons. Horizontal drilling, extending horizontally through the strata, permits the well to access a much greater volume of the strata. Hydraulic fracturing creates greater permeability and increases hydrocarbon flow to the wellbore.

== Hydrocarbons on other worlds ==
On [[Saturn's]] largest moon, [[Titan (moon)|Titan]], lakes of liquid hydrocarbons comprising methane, ethane, propane and other constituents, occur naturally. Data collected by the space probe ''[[Cassini–Huygens]]'' yield an estimate that the visible lakes and seas of Titan contain about 300 times the volume of Earth's proven oil reserves.<ref name=oil>{{cite web|url=http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/080213-titan-oil.html |title=Titan Has More Oil Than Earth |date=February 13, 2008 |website=Space.com |access-date=February 13, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24754-astrophile-titan-lake-has-more-liquid-fuel-than-earth/ |title=Astrophile: Titan lake has more liquid fuel than Earth |date=December 13, 2013 |work=New Scientist |first=Katia |last=Moskvitch |access-date=December 14, 2013}}</ref> Drilled samples from the surface of [[Mars]] taken in 2015 by the [[Curiosity Rover|''Curiosity'' rover's]] [[Mars Science Laboratory]] have found organic molecules of [[benzene]] and [[propane]] in 3-billion-year-old rock samples in [[Gale Crater]].<ref name=nyt20180607>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/07/science/mars-nasa-life.html |title=Life on Mars? Rover's Latest Discovery Puts It 'On the Table' |first=Kenneth |last=Chang |date= June 7, 2018 |work=[[The New York Times]] |quote=The identification of organic molecules in rocks on the red planet does not necessarily point to life there, past or present, but does indicate that some of the building blocks were present. }}</ref>

== In fiction ==
{{Excerpt|Petrofiction}}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Energy}}
{{div col|colwidth=14em}}
* [[Barrel of oil equivalent]]
* [[Filling station]]
* [[Gas/oil ratio]]
* [[Heavy metals]]
* [[International Safety Guide for Oil Tankers and Terminals]]
* [[Lead poisoning]]
* [[List of oil exploration and production companies]]
* [[List of oil fields]]
* [[Manure-derived synthetic crude oil]]
* [[Oil burden]]
* [[Oil reserves in France]]
* [[Petroleum geology]]
* [[Petroleum politics]]
* [[Petrocurrency]]
* [[Thermal depolymerization]]
* [[Total petroleum hydrocarbon]]
* [[Waste oil]]
* [[Unconventional (oil & gas) reservoir]]
{{div col end}}

== Explanatory footnotes ==
{{Notelist}}

== Citations ==
{{Reflist}}
{{sfn whitelist |CITEREFColgan2021}}

== External links ==
{{Commons|Petroleum}}
{{NIE Poster|Petroleum}}
* [http://ggon.org/fossil-tracker/ Global Fossil Infrastructure Tracker]
* [http://www.api.org/ API – the trade association of the US oil industry.] ([[American Petroleum Institute]])
* [http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/petroleum/info_glance/petroleum.html U.S. Energy Information Administration]
** [http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/contents.html U.S. Department of Energy EIA – World supply and consumption]
* [https://www.jodidata.org/ Joint Organisations Data Initiative | Oil and Gas Data Transparency]
* [https://www.nlm.nih.gov/toxnet/index.html U.S. National Library of Medicine: Hazardous Substances Databank – Crude Oil]
* {{Cite AmCyc|wstitle=Petroleum|short=x}}
* "[https://books.google.com/books?id=p4o9AQAAIAAJ A Short History of Petroleum]", [[Scientific American]], August 10, 1878, p.&nbsp;85

{{Petroleum industry}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Petroleum| ]]
[[Category:Causes of war]]
[[Category:Chemical mixtures]]
[[Category:Fossil fuels]]
[[Category:Glassforming liquids and melts]]