Oil is a fossil fuel. Millions of years ago,
tiny sea creatures and plants died and fell to the bottom of the ocean floor.
Layer on
top of layer of this organic material collected and decomposed.
Year after year,
sand and rocks covered the layers until pressure built up.
The high temperature of the rotting
material, along with the pressure from the layers of rock and sand that covered it, caused
a chemical reaction. Eventually, petroleum was created. Then the ancient seas dried up and oil
remained trapped under tons of earth.
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