LAKE OF OIL UNDER MY LAND?

K-12 teachers, many lacking training in the subject, are responsible for teaching earth science to primary and secondary school students. It falls to professional geologists in and outside of academia to translate petroleum geology into plain English without oversimplifying. Clear communication of geological concepts to the public is important in view of the importance of geology to, for example, ground-water availability or energy policy. Graduating high-school seniors should understand that gasoline is available at the pump because source, reservoir, seal, and trap come together to produce hydrocarbon accumulations. Accurate public understanding of petroleum geology fosters wise energy policy. A common misconception is that oil occurs in underground black lakes. This leads to the unwarranted belief that oil production is a simple matter of poking a straw in the right place.

At a minimum, teachers and students should understand that (1) oil is generated from organic material with the application of heat over time; (2) most oil reservoirs consist of solid rock containing networks of microscopic holes called pores; (3) these pores are filled with water, oil, and a variety of gases; (4) oil, which is lighter than water, is trapped in porous rocks by nonporous rocks called seals; (5) oil reservoirs require traps related to anticlines or lateral changes of rock type, and (6) oil is expensive to find, retrieve, and refine. These concepts are most readily imparted by use of physical systems that are analogous to but not misleading about what lies underground. For example, a beaker full of water is not analogous to an oil reservoir; a water-soaked sponge or a beaker full of marbles + water is a better approximation. This is an image that people can understand and relate to. A layer of plasticene can function as a seal. Employing a seal illustrates the need for multiple factors to create a reservoir – it's not good enough to just have the place to store the oil, but it is also necessary for something to keep the oil in place.

Finding the balance between simplicity and factuality can be an art, and may seem daunting. The rewards, however, are far-reaching, and the balance becomes easier with practice.