Question
Petroleum is a naturally occurring liquid found in geological formations beneath the Earth’s surface, which is commonly refined into various types of fuels. Petroleum, a fossil fuel, is formed when large quantities of dead organisms, usually zooplankton and algae, are buried underneath sedimentary rock and subjected to both intense heat and pressure. Petroleum can take between tens of millions and hundreds of millions of years to form naturally.

What evidence best supports the claim that petroleum is a non-renewable resource? Select the two best answers.
A.
Petroleum is constantly being formed from intense heat and pressure from below Earth’s surface.
B.
Petroleum is formed by a geologic process rather than created in a laboratory.
C.
Petroleum is made through geologic processes that take far longer than a human’s life-span.
D.
Petroleum extraction is much faster than the geologic processes that create petroleum.
E.
Louisiana has over 700 million barrels of petroleum stored in two of the four sites of the US Strategic Petroleum Stockpile.
F.
Petroleum is continuously being formed because zooplankton and algae continue to die and be formed into petroleum.

What evidence best supports the claim that petroleum is a non-renewable resource? Select the two best answers.
A.
Petroleum is constantly being formed from intense heat and pressure from below Earth’s surface.
B.
Petroleum is formed by a geologic process rather than created in a laboratory.
C.
Petroleum is made through geologic processes that take far longer than a human’s life-span.
D.
Petroleum extraction is much faster than the geologic processes that create petroleum.
E.
Louisiana has over 700 million barrels of petroleum stored in two of the four sites of the US Strategic Petroleum Stockpile.
F.
Petroleum is continuously being formed because zooplankton and algae continue to die and be formed into petroleum.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The two best answers that support the claim that petroleum is a non-renewable resource are:
C. Petroleum is made through geologic processes that take far longer than a human’s life-span.
D. Petroleum extraction is much faster than the geologic processes that create petroleum.
These answers emphasize the fact that the formation of petroleum takes millions of years, while extraction occurs much more rapidly, indicating that once depleted, it cannot be readily replaced within a human timeframe.
C. Petroleum is made through geologic processes that take far longer than a human’s life-span.
D. Petroleum extraction is much faster than the geologic processes that create petroleum.
These answers emphasize the fact that the formation of petroleum takes millions of years, while extraction occurs much more rapidly, indicating that once depleted, it cannot be readily replaced within a human timeframe.