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examBoard: Cambridge
examType: IGCSE
lessonTitle: Global Distribution of Fossil Fuels
Fossil fuels are non-renewable energy sources formed from the remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago. Through heat, pressure and time, these organic materials transformed into the carbon-rich fuels we rely on today.
Key Definitions:
Coal forms from plant matter that accumulated in swampy environments 300-400 million years ago. As plants died, they sank to the bottom of swamps, forming layers of peat. Over time, as more sediment built up on top, the peat was subjected to high pressure and heat, gradually transforming into different types of coal:
Each stage represents increasing carbon content and energy value.
Oil and natural gas form from the remains of tiny marine organisms that died and sank to the bottom of ancient seas. These remains were covered by sediment and subjected to heat and pressure over millions of years.
The organic material first converted to a waxy substance called kerogen, which then transformed into liquid hydrocarbons (oil) and gaseous hydrocarbons (natural gas) depending on temperature and pressure conditions.
Fossil fuels are not evenly distributed around the world. Their presence depends on specific geological conditions that existed millions of years ago. Understanding this distribution helps explain global energy politics and economic relationships.
Coal is the most abundant and widely distributed fossil fuel. Major coal reserves are found across all continents, but the largest deposits are concentrated in a few countries.
1. United States (22% of world reserves)
2. Russia (15%)
3. Australia (14%)
4. China (13%)
5. India (10%)
North America: Appalachian Basin, Powder River Basin
Europe: Donbas (Ukraine), Silesia (Poland)
Asia: Shanxi (China), Jharkhand (India)
Australia: Bowen Basin, Sydney Basin
Coal deposits are found where ancient swamps and forests existed during the Carboniferous period. The quality and quantity of coal depend on:
Oil reserves are more concentrated geographically than coal, with the Middle East holding approximately 48% of proven global reserves. Oil forms in sedimentary basins where marine organisms were abundant and conditions were right for preservation.
Middle East: The Persian Gulf region contains the world's largest concentration of oil fields, including the Ghawar Field in Saudi Arabia (the world's largest).
North America: Gulf of Mexico, Alberta Oil Sands (Canada), Permian Basin (USA)
South America: Orinoco Belt (Venezuela), offshore Brazil
Russia: Western Siberia, Volga-Urals region
Africa: Niger Delta (Nigeria), North Africa (Libya, Algeria)
For oil to form and accumulate, four geological elements must be present:
Natural gas often occurs alongside oil deposits, but there are also independent gas fields. The distribution of natural gas is somewhat more balanced globally than oil.
1. Russia (24% of world reserves)
2. Iran (17%)
3. Qatar (13%)
4. Turkmenistan (10%)
5. United States (6%)
Together, these five countries hold approximately 70% of the world's proven natural gas reserves.
Shale gas: Unconventional gas trapped in shale formations has transformed the energy landscape, particularly in the United States (Marcellus, Barnett and Eagle Ford shales).
East Mediterranean: Recent discoveries in the Levant Basin have revealed significant gas reserves off the coasts of Israel, Egypt and Cyprus.
East Africa: Major gas discoveries in Mozambique and Tanzania are developing into important production regions.
The Middle East contains approximately 48% of the world's proven oil reserves despite covering only about 3% of the Earth's surface. This concentration is due to perfect geological conditions:
The Saudi Arabian Ghawar Field alone contains more oil than all but seven countries' total reserves. This concentration of resources has shaped global politics, economics and conflicts for decades, making the Middle East strategically important to energy-dependent nations worldwide.
The uneven distribution of fossil fuels across the globe is not random but the result of specific geological processes and historical conditions:
Plate tectonics: The movement of Earth's crustal plates creates sedimentary basins where fossil fuels can form.
Ancient environments: Coal forms in swampy forests, while oil and gas form in marine environments. The distribution of these ancient ecosystems determines where fossil fuels are found today.
Preservation conditions: Organic material must be protected from decay by being quickly buried under sediment.
Thermal history: The right amount of heat is needed to convert organic material into fossil fuels – too little and they won't form, too much and they'll be destroyed.
The uneven distribution of fossil fuels has major implications:
While the location of conventional fossil fuel deposits is well established, new technologies are changing our understanding of global distribution:
The uneven distribution of fossil fuels has led to some interesting facts:
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