Question

Explain the process of formation of petroleum.​

Answer 1

The word ‘petroleum’ comes from the Latin roots of petra, meaning “rock” and oleum meaning “oil. Petroleum was formed from organisms living in the sea. As these organisms died, their bodies settled at the bottom of the sea and got covered with layers of sand and clay. Over millions of years, the absence of air, high temperature, and high pressure transformed the dead organisms into petroleum.​

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