Take a Closer Look at Take a Closer Look at Oil by JoAnn Early Macken RED CHAIR PRESS TM
1 How Did We Get to This Point Visitors to the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles CA can see a replica of a mammoth stuck in a tar pit 4
Oil collects underground Oil collects underground Millions of years ago tiny animals and plants lived in Earth’s oceans They died there too Their bodies sank into mud Over time sand and silt piled up on them Those heavy layers created heat and pressure which turned the remains into crude oil or petroleum Oil coal and natural gas all form from ancient creatures They are called fossil fuels Oil collects underground Some of it leaks up through cracks called seeps The oil is mixed with tar natural gas and water Long ago people dug up seeps to fi nd oil Native Americans used oil from seeps as paint They used tar to glue tools They waterproofed baskets and canoes Later settlers used oil in lamps to grease machinery and to pave roads Warm tar or asphalt is sticky Animals can be trapped in it The La Brea Tar Pits near Los Angeles CA is a famous seep Visitors can see fossils from extinct animals 5
