What are Oil Seeps?

Put simply, oil seeps are naturally occurring oil and natural gas “springs” which rise from oil reservoirs within the earth and emerge at the surface. Seeps usually contain some mixture of natural gas, crude oil, water and asphaltum, which is a thick substance commonly known as tar. Similar to the manner in which freshwater springs on the earth’s surface originate from collected water underground, oil seeps originate from underground collections of oil that have accumulated within porous rock and have been contained by impermeable rock.



Oil seeps occur both on shore and under water, and provide valuable insight about the location of oil reservoirs deep within the earth. Since we have yet to develop a one hundred percent accurate way of determining the location of underground oil reservoirs, the presence of oil seeps provides valuable clues that can reduce the risk of wasted capital for oil drilling endeavors by companies such as Western Pipeline Corporation. The first project believed to have been dedicated to drilling for oil, led by Edwin Drake, took place in Titusville, Pennsylvania, in an area that was chosen in part because of the known oil seeps.



Oil seeps provide a natural resource which has been used by humans for various purposes throughout history, long before the advent of commercial drilling as we know it today. Native Americans are believed to have used resources collected from oil seeps for such purposes as lantern fuel, lubricant for wagon wheels and adhesive for weapons and canoes centuries ago. Asphaltum from seeps is also believed to have been used by such civilizations as face paint and for decorative additions to bowls and jewelry.



Oil seeps on land, though they may only release small amounts of oil and be difficult to see, provide scientists with important clues about the underground environment and the potential of an oil reservoir being located beneath. Likewise, oil seeps in the ocean are evidence of possible oil reservoirs below the sea floor, which modern oil drilling technology is now capable of extracting. Oil and natural gas released through vents in the ocean floor float and collect on the surface of the water, often forming oil covered natural gas bubbles and eventually a film of oil on the surface, making them easy to locate. Over time, large amounts of oil collect on the surface that eventually become visible from satellite images. Combined with information from other technologies, satellite analysis of oil seeps can provide scientists important data about the type of oil that is present as well as the potential for successful excavation.


The presence of oil seeps leading to further exploration has resulted in the discoveries of numerous productive oil reservoirs in the past. Without the natural clues about subsurface activity provided by oil seeps, we may have never discovered oil and its many commercial uses that are so common today.  (ArticlesBase SC #173478)

BP has begun an operation

BP has begun an operation to fit a tighter cap over its blown-out oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. An underwater robot has taken off the existing dome to make room for the new sealing cap.

But the operation may last between four and seven days - meaning oil will flow unimpeded into the sea.

Another system is also being linked up and may start collecting crude on Sunday, BP says. It is drilling two wells to intercept and block the leak.

BBC reports that BP estimates the first of these wells will be finished in the first half of August, enabling the company to intercept the damaged well "and kill operations performed".

The explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig in April killed 11 people. President Barack Obama has called the leak the biggest environmental disaster in US history.

BP's submersible robots are preparing to remove the current containment cap from the ocean floor.

The new sealing cap - similar to a smaller version of the damaged blow-out preventer - has three devices that are designed to shut the flow, the closing rams, and multiple ports for connecting pipes to collect crude.

According to BP, the new cap "creates the potential to increase oil and gas containment capacity to greater than 50,000 barrels per day and should improve containment efficiency during hurricane season by allowing shorter disconnect and reconnect times".

The company said that "there can be no assurance that the sealing cap will be successfully installed or installed within the anticipated timeframe", given it has never been attempted at this depth before.

It added that contingency caps like the existing one are at the ready on the seabed, should the replacement operation fail.

The company also said that favourable weather conditions had made it possible to begin another operation in tandem - connecting a new ship to the blow-out preventer.

Known as the Helix Producer, it will begin collecting oil and sending it to a third ship being used for the purpose.

BP says this could begin "ramping up containment operations as early as Sunday".

The containment dome currently collects about half the amount of oil gushing out of the damaged well.

On Friday, the Coast Guard commander overseeing the response, Adm Thad Allen, said the flow of leaking oil could be shut off by Monday. But in that time hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil could flow unabated into the ocean.

"We have a significant chance to dramatically reduce the oil that's being released into the environment and maybe shut the well in altogether in the next week," he said.

"I use the word 'contained'," said Adm Allen. "'Stop' is when we put the plug in down below."

At the moment it is believed that BP is siphoning off only around half the leaking oil.

Current US government estimates of the spill range from between 35,000 to 60,000 barrels a day.

On Thursday BP said its operation to drill a new relief well to stop the Deepwater Horizon leak was ahead of schedule.

BP's bill so far has been more than $3.1bn - and it has agreed to set up a $20 billion fund to deal with compensation claims and clean-up costs.     (ArticlesBase SC #2818374)

Causes of Oil Spills

When an oil spill occurs, it results in huge environmental disasters and monetary loss. Oil spills can be caused by many things. Carelessness or deliberate dumping by humans and natural causes such as floods, hurricanes, and storms are a few of them.

Most of the oil spills occur when oil is transported across the ocean. Accidents involving tankers, barges, or refineries result in oil spills. These accidents may occur due to several reasons such as explosions, running aground, hull failure, and collisions. Cracks that develop in the underground pipelines that transport oil can also result in oil seepage into the environment. Oil spills also occur during lightering, the process of transferring oil from one vessel to another.

Not just during transportation; oil spills also occur during different phases of production. For instance, they may occur during extraction process in oil wells or conversion process in refineries. Drilling also causes natural seepage of oil.

The majority of the accidents occur due to human error or carelessness, which fall under controlled factors. In a study conducted by Nuka Research and Planning Group of Homer, Alaska, it was found that 80 percent of oil spills and marine accidents were caused by human error. According to the study, though improvement in technology can help reduce the severity of the spill, it cannot altogether prevent one from happening.

Human mistakes are not the only reason for such accidents. They may also occur due to breakdown of machinery or intentional spills due to vandalism or wars. Illegal dumping of oil is also an important factor that needs to be mentioned.

Apart from these controlled factors, there are several uncontrolled factors such as hurricanes and other stormy weather conditions that cause oil spills. Another natural cause is the shifting of tectonic plates. When this happens, oil from the reserves below the ocean floor are released into the environment.

Though nothing can be done about the uncontrolled factors, steps must be taken to make sure that oil spills don’t occur due to mistakes on our part.    (ArticlesBase SC #1286132)