Density is an important property in the formation of an oil and gas reservoir. Most reservoir rocks are porous and saturated with groundwater before oil or gas enters the rock.
Because groundwater is more dense, oil and gas is able
to rise upward through the rock. The oil and gas continues to rise until trapped against an impermeable rock, or rock
with spaces too small to move through, which creates a reservoir.
These reservoirs are then discovered by geologists
and petroleum engineers and researched for production of the energy source.
This activity explores the property of density in a variety of liquids and solids. Discuss with students other liquids or objects they could test.
