You may be wondering what in the world is this
"oil" that had everyone excited in 1901. Well, oil is actually petroleum. The word petroleum
comes from two Latin words, petra meaning rock and oleum meaning oil.
Oil that comes straight from the earth is referred to as crude oil. Pools
of oil are located deep within the earth. Sometimes, small amounts of
oil come bubbling to the surface through layers of rock and sand. Man first discovered
oil that had bubbled up to the surface. The oil would collect in low places in the earth's crust
or float on top of the water in lakes or streams.
Before about 1900, people interested in finding oil, could do little more than look
for oil seepages. A lot of luck was also involved. As the interest in finding oil increased,
so did the scientific methods for locating it. Scientists have learned that oil collects
in rock reservoirs or traps below the earth's surface. They have also identified the most
common types of traps. One is a salt dome. In a salt dome, salt pushes up causing the
rocks to arch and break. Oil may accumulate above or along the sides of such a formation.
Spindletop Hill is a salt dome formation. That's why oil has been found there.
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