Nature and Origin of Occurrences of Oil, Gas, and Bitumen in Igneous and Metamorphic Rocks

Abstract

ABSTRACT Oil, gas, and residues of petroleum ranging from asphalt to graphite are found in igneous and metamorphic rocks. More than 15,000,000 barrels of oil have been produced from igneous and metamorphic rocks; one gas field produces from a basalt flow, and millions of tons of asphalt, representing the residue of more than 200,000,000 barrels of oil, are known in serpentine in one area—northern and northwestern Cuba. Seepages of oil connected with igneous intrusions led to the discovery of some of the largest oil fields in the world—in Mexico. Seepages and traces of oil, gas, and bitumen in igneous rocks point to the possibility of commercial production in many parts of the world where oil has not yet been found.