Crude oil has been known to humanity since ancient times. In the past, it was mainly used for lamps and torches. In the United States, particularly around the Allegheny Mountains, oil deposits were located so close to the surface that they emerged naturally.
Earlier, oil was also used for medical purposes. Over time, its importance and demand became increasingly evident.
At one point, no one had considered drilling into the ground to extract oil. This method was first introduced by New York industrialist George Bissell. After having oil analyzed, he discovered many of its useful properties.
In 1857, Bissell entrusted all oil-related operations to Edwin L. Drake. However, the wells that were drilled kept filling with soil. To solve this problem, Drake proposed inserting iron pipes into the wells.
Thanks to this innovation, drilling became feasible, and this method remains in use to this day.
The origin of oil is associated with the remains of ancient living organisms. Millions of years ago, much of the Earth’s surface was covered by water. Marine organisms absorbed solar energy within their bodies; after dying, they sank to the seabed and were covered by layers of clay. Over time, chemical processes and bacteria transformed these remains into oil.
In fact, the exact mechanism by which oil and gas are formed from the remains of marine organisms is not fully understood. However, it is well established that oil forms on the seabed. As a result of tectonic movements, areas that were once seas eventually dried up, leaving some oil deposits on land, while a large portion remains beneath the seabed.
Today, the richest oil reserves are located beneath the seas. Most oil fields found on land are situated in sandy deserts that were once seabeds. This serves as further evidence that oil originates on the ocean floor.
In 1848, an oil gusher from a well drilled at the Bibiheybat field in Baku laid the foundation for industrial oil production in Azerbaijan. By 1899, Azerbaijan had become the world’s leading country in oil extraction and refining, accounting for half of global oil production.
AzEns.org.az/ Jalya Orujeva