Why doesn't Oil removal make the earth fall in?

Question

Oil is sucked out of a small hole, so doesn't the earth around it, where the oil that was once below it, fall in?

Let me clarify, since the oil is sucked out of a hole, the land around it has nothing beneath it so why doesn't it crumble inward?

Answer 1

Typically steam or liquid water is pumped into the cavity to push out the oil.

Answer 2

Here's what a geologist told me: they typically drill through rock, often shale, to get to the oil below. It is almost never in a below ground pool, like an aquafer; it slowly seeps out of the surrounding rock into the hole they've dug. But heres the bad part: the function of oil is to cushion the inner earth from the shock of earthquakes. Once the oil is pumped out theres nothing to ease the grinding of the tectonic plates when they move. Once the oil is all gone an earthquake can wreak some real havoc. Now THAT might cause the earth to collapse inward in big chunks (like SanAndreas).

Answer 3

Sometimes it does. This has happened along the US Gulf Coast in East Texas and Lousianna. It especially occurs when oil is near the surface and is especially noticable on the flat terrain near shore because small amounts of subsidence can result in submersion or flooding.

As pointed out, oil occurs in rock matrices that support the surface from crumbling, but when the oil is removed, the pressure is decreased and the matrix is compressed. The subsidence usually isn't noticable when the deposits are deep.

Answer 4

The oil in the ground is contained in the millions of tiny spaces between the sand grains in a rock
.
Oil is NOT contained in underground lakes.

The sand grains are touching, so when the oil is pumped out the touching sand grains still support the rock.

Water will then fill the spaces after the oil is taken out anyway.

Answer 5

ok get a chocolate with liquid caremel in it.. drill a tiny hole in it and suck out all the liquid, does this crumble ? xD

well similar to drilling for oil they drill at certain angle and suck it out no problems... since the earth's crust is compacted after million of years these oil spots are not big enough to cause a crumle in the earth.. just think why the caves don;t crumble and its hollowed and underground too :)