Oil and natural gas

Beneath the seafloor

Organic matter buried in sedimentary basins can generate oil and natural gas over geological time. Hydrocarbons migrate into pores in reservoir rock and accumulate beneath a low-permeability seal. A conventional trap may contain gas above oil, with formation water below. Deposits occur locally where source, reservoir, seal and burial history coincide.

html,body{position:static!important;height:auto!important;overflow:auto!important}body{color:#e8f1ff}body>:not(noscript){display:none!important}#static-seo-content img{display:block;max-width:100%;height:auto}#static-seo-content{max-width:800px;margin:40px auto;padding:24px;font:16px/1.7 Arial,sans-serif}#static-seo-content a{color:#a8d5ef}#static-seo-content nav{display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:12px} Folded sedimentary rock beneath the seafloor, with labels for natural gas, oil, formation water, seal rock and source rock.

Folded sedimentary rock beneath the seafloor, with labels for natural gas, oil, formation water, seal rock and source rock.

Oil and natural gas

Organic matter buried in sedimentary basins can generate oil and natural gas over geological time. Hydrocarbons migrate into pores in reservoir rock and accumulate beneath a low-permeability seal. A conventional trap may contain gas above oil, with formation water below. Deposits occur locally where source, reservoir, seal and burial history coincide.

Ocean trench Earth’s interior Oil and natural gas · Wikipedia