How is remote sensing used for oil exploration?
Many types of remote sensing are used to identify areas of the Earth that are mostly likely to contain oil and gas. Many oil and gas reservoirs naturally leak tiny amounts of hydrocarbons at the Earths surface. These are mostly light gases such as Methane and Ethane. Common biological processes can make Methane, but Ethane is only made in underground oil and gas reservoirs. A very sensitive infrared laser sensor has been developed that can detect tiny amounts of Ethane. This has been used to locate gas leaking from underground, which can indicate commercial oil and/or gas reservoirs. Most oil or gas is in sedimentary rocks. These are less dense and contain less magnetic minerals than igneous rocks. Unpredictable variations (anomalies) in gravity and magnetism measured from boats or airplanes can indicate the depth of sedimentary rock layers that might be worth further investigation. Seismic imaging from the Earths surface provides detailed pictures of underground rock structures and ca
