The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1866-11-14
HOW PETROLEUM IS FORMED.

the formation OF petroleum. says: We
may set It down as an axiom that natur E
is not only capable VI producing now all
articles that she has ever produced, but
that she is and will continue to produce
them until she substitutes something better.
Perhaps our meaning will better under.
stood by applying It 10 single article.
Suppose, for instance. we take the. one in
which we all have deep inierest--petro-
leum. This is known to be hydrocarbon,
composed OF two gases. These gases are
primary elements. indestructble and ex-
haustless in quantity. Doe OF them (hy.
drogen) is a constituent of water, and, of
course, is as inexhaustble as the ocean.
The other is a constituent Of all vegetable
forms. and in many of our rocks. One
hundred pounds Of Limestone. when burn
ed, will weigh but sixty pounds. The part
driven Of by burning. is csrbonic acid.
Underlying the lime rock" IS a stratum
Of limestone Of unknown thickness, but
known to be upwards of one thousand feet
in depth. The water falling on the surface
and percolating through the .pnrous bne-
stohe that underlies the oil rock, becomes
charged with sali. potash. saltpetre, and
other chemical ingredients. and finally
reaches the limestone rock AMI dscomposes
it--lhe carbon in the rock and the hydro
gen OF the water uniting to form oil, while
the oxygen is set free to ascend to the at
mosphere or unite with minerals aud form
oxides. The reverse Of this process is seen
in burning the oil in a lsmp--lhe oxygen
in the atmosphere uniting with the carbon
in the oil. forming carbonic acid. and with
the hydrogen forming water, thus complet-
ing the circle. The question is frequently
asked. When will the oil become exhaust
Iedi We may answer, When the ocean
is, and not before.
The N. Y. Observer says; The name
Petroleum means Rock Oil. This indicates
lis place in the earth. True. il flows from
the earth, sometimes floats on ponds or
lakes, comes out in springs. IS found IN
sumo rocks, and is dlslilled from bitumip-
Gus coal. Il used to be collected on Senecs
Lake, and was called Seneca oil. The
writer has some which was taken from that
lake more than fifty years ago, and is pre-
cisely like that from the oil regions OF vir-
glnia, Pennsy ylvania. and other States. Yet
Il is not new thing. for twas known and
used on The Eastern Continent before the
christian era. Ii has excited new interest
from its abundance and from its new aud
extensive uses. Its expectation from our
country is prod'gous, real era 10 the
trade.
Petroleum is real chemical compound,
formed OF carbon and hydrogen, or q true
hydrocarbon. Several compounds oi these
two elements exist together in IT. Its con-
version BY heat into ,iIumlaating gas IS well
known. This Is ga.e,us hydrocarbon !;
petroleum I, 4 Iqlid nydrocarbon, as -
naphtna ai,U; aud bilumen IS a solid hy-
drocarban. Such vast quantities How from
the uI we'll, t,d. people canuot but inquire,
How is it produced? Though chemists
aud geolpgisis # high character Tor knosl.
e ige, believe this oil results from chemical
aciipn upon either vegetable or animal mat
ter buried in the earth. or upon both. they
have not shown IFS production, or what Is
the matter acted on, and how the action is
carried on. All agree that u seems TO br
connected with coal.felds. where were I'm.
beaded immehse quantities Of vegetable
Substances.
A late paper contains a prOiessed answer.
and gives, as il supposcs, the ,cSnplete
chemical process in the formation Of The
oil. 0mit;ing the great mistakes 10 the
chemistry, let Us look at the process. The
paper states that limestone, carbonate oi
lime, lies below, aud sandstone above. the
oil rock thar water filters from the surface
through the sandstone into the limestone.
and that there the hydrogen OF the water
combines with The carbon 10 The Limestone
TO form the oil. while the other elements
pass on; and hence the production OF oil
must be unlimitsd, as the substances. water
and carbon, in the rocks, are without limit