If water is heavier than oil why doesnt it come to the surface when it rains in oil producing countries?

Answer 1

Oil does come out in oil seeps at surface, the first oil well in the united states was at titusville in PA (I've been there :) ) the oil was only 69 feet down. it was discovered because the oil was seeping out into a local creek named by incredible coincidence "oil creek".

I'm typing this over satellite from a drilling project in Mozambique the oil here is at roughly 1000M (can't tell you exactly for legal reasons :)

As oil comes near to surface it is exposed to fresh or "meteoric" water. The water contains bacteria and algae which feed off the oil and turn it into a tarry residue, most shallow oil ends up like this and there is nothing that can be done with it.

Oil further down, in large concentrations is exposed to salty "connate" water (water in the rocks as it was laid down) and there are usually no surviving bacteria in these conditions. The oil that does not escape to surface and get digested/washed away by surface water slowly builds up in traps (volumes where the rock above does not allow the oil to pass).

You can see oil at surface in a lot of places but it seems insignificant in relation to the huge volumes trapped beneath the surface, the difference is time. it's like looking at a trickling tap versus the swimming pool full of water we can't relate to the fact that the tap will eventually fill the pool.

Good question!

Answer 2

Water is more dense then oil and therefor would not raise to the surface when it rains. Such as when it rains on the pavement and you see oil raising, it is because water is more dense then oil.

Answer 3

umm wow.
oil lives far underground.