Some interesting oil industry statistics - petroleum basics

©1997-2009 Gibson Consulting

Perspective US Gov't
Index US imports - from where? US imports - volume US exports Largest exporters Largest importers Iraq By company
Costs Largest refiners US Capacity Capacity by state Product imports Market share Transportation
Leading countries US Production Leading US States Largest world oil fields Largest US oil fields Largest world gas fields US Production Peak Production Peak Number of wells US - Wells drilled/producing US - shut-in wells
How many gallons? How much gasoline? How much plastic? Production costs Finding costs US Gov't profits Uses of oil
US - oil US - gasoline World Changes By sector US vs China
World US US - Bakken US - shut-in wells Peak Oil Drill Baby Drill Largest world oil fields Largest US oil fields Largest world gas fields
Largest that don't use imported oil Profits Seven Sisters
Who sets the price? Price history Factors Why so high? Gasoline price breakdown Historic change in pricing basis
How much in a barrel? Retailer Profits No. of stations US Price breakdown Sales per station No Middle East oil Price in other countries
Producers Importers Companies Oil Fields Gas Fields Reserves Profits
Exports to Japan ANWR
Drill Baby Drill Salvation in Canada? US - Bakken Essay
Made of dinosaurs? Why so much in the Mid East? Who owns it? Abiotic oil
Miscellaneous Myths Alternatives
Finding costs Hot areas Bakken Time to bring onstream
How many gallons in a barrel? How much gasoline from a barrel? Where to buy gas not from Mid East? Who sets the price of oil? Why does Alaska export oil to Japan?
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Q: 2nd question Is petroleum organic or a mineral? Some Russians say its a mineral formed without need of living organisms and that that changes the geology of looking for new fields. What do you think?

A: Petroleum in not "a mineral." A mineral is a naturally occurring chemical compound with a regular crystalline structure. Petroleum is not crystalline when it solidifies. The phrase "mineral oil" is a misleading name, indicating simply that it occurs from the earth as opposed to, say, whale oil or soy bean oil.

The question of the source for petroleum -- organic matter vs. non-organic ("abiogenic") -- has been debated for years. There are few scientists who would argue that there is NO oil produced that has non-organic origins, but most would say that the amount is very small. By far most of the oil and natural gas in the world is generated by heat and pressure applied to accumulations of organic material (mostly plants). It is possible that there might be small commercial accumulations of abiogenic (= not organic) gas, but they will be small.

Compiled by Dick Gibson, Gibson Consulting, 301 N. Crystal St., Butte, MT 59701

Want to know more?
Gibson Consulting recommends: Read The Prize, by Daniel Yergin.


©1997-2009 Gibson Consulting
Background image of drilling well in Utah in 1981 © 2000 by Dick Gibson