Natural gas

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/natural-gas

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the formation mechanism?Thermogenic or biogenic decomposition of organic matter under geological heat and pressure
2. What is the major extraction methods?Conventional drilling and unconventional methods like hydraulic fracturing (fracking)
3. What is natural gas and where does it come from?Natural gas is a mix of gases, mostly methane, that forms when old plants and animals break down deep underground over millions of years. It is created by heat and pressure turning organic material in rocks into gas.
4. How do we get natural gas from the ground?We drill wells into rock layers that hold the gas, and sometimes use a technique called fracking to make the rock easier to pull the gas out. The gas is then cleaned at processing plants.

Thermogenic Gas: Natural gas formed by the thermal breakdown of organic matter deep within the Earth's crust.
Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking): A process used to extract natural gas from low-permeability rocks by injecting fluid at high pressure.
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG): Natural gas that has been cooled to a liquid state for easier transportation and storage.
Synthesis Gas (Syngas): A mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, produced from natural gas, used as a chemical feedstock.