Petroleum has a great impact on our world as a whole, but with that comes many responsibilities. Are we going to cause a shortage in the areas we get our petroleum from? How dependant do we really want to be on the Middle East? Are we keeping the pollution to a minimum? All of these are excellent examples of issues we must deal with day in and out concerning petroleum.
Petroleum essentially came from bacteria and plankton. When the cells died and fell to the bottom of their marine environment, they were buried and compacted by shale over thousands of years. The shale then provided an impermeable shield from oxygen and water for the decaying organic matter. Under these conditions of high pressure and temperature, petroleum was produced and then migrated as oil and gas into the sandstone above it. Still trapped by the shale, petroleum separates into gas, oil and water under the force of gravity. .
As Americans, we are very resourceful with petroleum. It's possible to use it in so many ways. Sixty three percent of our petroleum is used on transportation alone. Almost half of our transportation petroleum is being consumed by cars. Also there is twenty five percent which is involved in the industrial scene throughout our world. That leaves eight percent to residential and commercial use, and four percent used for electric utilities. .
Petroleum can be contributed to making so many things. Artificial limbs, balloons, band aids, candles, computers, calculators, eye glasses, garden hoses, umbrella, shampoo, the possibilities are virtually endless. The United States gets petroleum from all over the globe. Petroleum resources are not spread very evenly throughout the world, clumping ever so often here and there. As of right now Saudi Arabia, Canada, Mexico, Nigeria, and Iraq are the top five suppliers of our nation's petroleum. The top fifteen suppliers are all basically located in the Middle East.