Coalbed methane can be extracted from coal deposits before or during coal mining, and it can be added to natural gas pipelines without any special treatment. Most of the natural gas consumed in the United States is produced in the United States. Some natural gas is imported from Canada and Mexico in pipelines.
A small amount of natural gas is also imported as liquefied natural gas. Natural gas explained. What is energy? Units and calculators. Use of energy. Energy and the environment. Also in What is energy? Forms of energy Sources of energy Laws of energy. Also in Units and calculators explained Units and calculators Energy conversion calculators British thermal units Btu Degree days. Also in U. Also in Use of energy explained Use of energy Energy use in industry Energy use for transportation Energy use in homes Energy use in commercial buildings Energy efficiency and conservation.
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Hydrocarbon Gas Liquids. Natural gas. Also in Hydrocarbon gas liquids explained Hydrocarbon gas liquids Where do hydrocarbon gas liquids come from? Transporting and storing Uses of hydrocarbon gas liquids Imports and exports Prices. Also in Natural gas explained Natural gas Delivery and storage Natural gas pipelines Liquefied natural gas Where our natural gas comes from Imports and exports How much gas is left Use of natural gas Prices Factors affecting natural gas prices Natural gas and the environment Customer choice programs.
Also in Coal explained Coal Mining and transportation Where our coal comes from Imports and exports How much coal is left Use of coal Prices and outlook Coal and the environment. Here's how natural gas gets to your house: Natural gas companies drill thousands of feet into the earth and use big wells and pumps to bring it to the surface.
Then they send the gas to your town through gas mains buried underground. Utility companies bring it to your house in smaller pipes.
Those pipes connect to the meter outside your house, which measures how much natural gas your family uses. More pipes connect the meter to the gas appliances you use at home, like the furnace, water heater, clothes dryer or stove. The increasing amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are linked to global warming and could have disastrous environmental consequences. Although burning natural gas still emits greenhouse gases, it emits almost 30 percent less CO2 than oil, and 45 percent less CO2 than coal.
Safety As with any extractive activity, drilling for natural gas can lead to leaks. If the drill hits an unexpected high-pressure pocket of natural gas, or the well is damaged or ruptures, the leak can be immediately hazardous. Because natural gas dissapates so quickly into the air, it does not always cause an explosion or burn. However, the leaks are an environmental hazard that also leak mud and oil into the surrounding areas. If hydraulic fracturing was used to expand a well, the chemicals from that process can contaminate local aquatic habitats and drinking water with highly radioactive materials.
The uncontained methane released in the air can also force people to temporary evacuate the area. Leaks can also occur slowly over time.
Until the s, cast iron was a popular choice for distribution pipelines, but it allows a high amount of natural gas to escape. The cast iron pipes become leaky after years of freeze-thaw cycles, heavy overhead traffic, and strains from the naturally shifting soil. Methane leaks from these distribution pipelines make up more than 30 percent of the methane emmissions in the U. Today, pipelines are made out of a variety of metals and plastics to reduce leakage.
Piping Up The United states has , kilometers , miles of interstate and intrastate pipelines to deliver natural gas all over the country.
Oracular Seeps Natural gas seeps, where the gas flows naturally to the surface, were revered as supernatural or spiritual sites by many ancient civilizations.
One of the most famous of these seeps sits atop Mount Parnassus, near the town of Delphi, Greece. Around BCE, religious and spiritual leaders established a temple with a priestess who could tell the future. Millions of people, from ordinary citizens to political and military leaders, consulted the "Oracle of Delphi" for hundreds of years. Natural Gas Consumers In , the latest date for which the U.
Energy Information Administration supplies information , these nations consumed the most natural gas. United States 2. Russia 3. Iran 4. China 5. Proven Reserves According to the U. Energy Information Administration, in , these nations had the biggest proven reserves of natural gas in the world. Data from some nations, including the United States, was not calculated.
Russia 2. Iran 3. Qatar 4. Saudi Arabia 5. What's That Smell? Raw natural gas is odorless. Companies that supply natural gas add an artificial smell to it, so people will know if there is a potentially dangerous leak. Most people recognize this as the "rotten egg" smell that comes from a gas stove or oven. It can be toxic to humans. Also called hydraulic fracturing.
Also called fracking. Also known as petroleum or crude oil. United States Geological Survey primary source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment.
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You cannot download interactives. However, over time, there has been a shift in demand for cheaper and cleaner fuel options, such as the nonrenewable energy source of natural gas, and renewable options like solar power and wind energy. Each energy resource has its advantages and disadvantages. Explore nonrenewable and renewable options with this collection on energy resources.
Different regions have access to different renewable or nonrenewable natural resources such as freshwater, fossil fuels, fertile soil, or timber based on their geographic location and past geologic processes.
For example, the Great Plains region of the United States is known for its abundance of fertile soil. As a result, its main industry is agriculture. Corn, soybeans, and wheat are globally exported from this region and serve as the main economy. On the other side of the spectrum, the desert southwestern region of the United States depends on the Central Arizona Project canals to transport water from the Colorado River in order to support agriculture and urban areas.
Use these materials to explore the interconnected nature of resources and their distribution. Students use an interactive computational model and real-world data to evaluate the environmental impact of extracting natural gas to generate electricity. Students explore some of the relative benefits of natural gas and some of the potential environmental costs of extracting natural gas. From "Cowtown" to a natural gas boom amid a water shortage: sustainability can happen in unexpected places.
Students discover how geologists use the composition and location of rocks to find deposits of oil and natural gas. They use an interactive computational model to explore how hydraulic fracturing releases natural gas from deep shale formations. Join our community of educators and receive the latest information on National Geographic's resources for you and your students.
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