Create your Indiana Geology Discussion Assignment

Create your Indiana Geology Discussion - Assignment Example To be sure, there is the occasional oil spout that just happens, but usually the discovery of oil is the result of painstaking labor on the part of geologists to determine not only where oil lies, but rather or not it exists in a given place in large enough quantities to warrant massive digging and the land destructions that occurs as a result. Most of the oil in Indiana is located in the Southwestern part of the state, and into parts of Illinois and Kentucky. These oil reserves are embedded in sandstone reservoirs that average between 1,000 to 3,000 feet deep. That is some serious digging to be sure. Before digging of that scale can commence, geologists needed to be sure that it would be worth the expense and effort. This is why there was really about 50 years between the discovery of crude oil and the time that Indiana companies began to dig in 1938-1940 (Indiana Government, par. 4). The discovery in Indiana amounted to a total of 900 individual reservoirs located in approximately 500 different fields throughout southwestern Indiana. As mentioned, oil drilling began on a grand scale in 1938 and then began to expand rapidly after that into the Griffin Pool along the Wabash River. These geological features are found in Gibson County. Indiana is ranked 23rd in the United States in terms of crude oil production. While not earth shattering, this amounts to a respectable 1.73 million barrels a year. To protect the geological landscape of the state, and to ensure that environmental safety standards are met and exceeded, Indiana created the Division of Oil and Gas in 1947. They are responsible for making sure laws are followed and they regulate any future oil exploration. The division does employ three petroleum geologists, so the public can rest assured that these people have the states best interests at heart. The chart below, represented by the Indiana Government, is a representation of the oil