How to search for oil on land

In earlier times, oil was usually extracted where it was available in the form of natural sources, coming to the surface through cracks and faults in rocks. However, by the middle of the 19th century, the question arose for industrialists: how to look for oil that is located outside the places of direct access to the surface?

In search of oil fields

Initially, land was the space for prospecting and exploring oil fields. It turned out that hydrocarbon raw materials are found where sedimentary rocks have accumulated for a long time. Therefore, powerful layers of sedimentary cover began to be considered the most important sign when searching for oil. However, these places are rich in oil only where they are formed in the form of folds and torn apart by the movements of the earth's crust. The most favorable for the search for oil turned out to be dome-shaped and swell-like faults and bends of the formations.

Researchers subsequently found that oil prefers porous, porous rocks.

Search stage

"Hunting" for underground oil fields can be a very expensive pleasure. To reduce the cost of search work, they are carried out in two stages.

The first stage involves the direct search for oil. To begin with, experts are looking for so-called "traps", that is, they determine the most promising areas. To do this, when searching from the surface of the earth, special devices are used, they listen to the thickness of the planet's layers with seismic waves. This stage includes geological and geophysical studies, during which wells are drilled - reference, exploratory and parametric.

Based on the data obtained, maps are drawn and sections of the earth's crust are drawn. In these diagrams, formation bends are manifested. When, as a result of the preliminary analysis, something similar to a hydrocarbon "trap" appears, specialists proceed to the next stage - exploration of potential deposits.