Isn't there a reason for oil being in the ground?

Question

Seems that removing all this oil from the earth would have devastating effects like earthquakes, surely there is a reason for it being there.

Answer 1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil

Answer 2

There can be localized problems of subsidence.  However, the amount of ground with oil beneath it is relatively small, and the reserves tend to build up in hollows surrounded by stable rock.

<<Seems that removing all this oil from the earth would have devastating effects like earthquakes...>>

Trying to find out how many earthquakes have been triggered by oil extraction may be a useful exercize.  As far as I'm aware, although I may be wrong, the answer will be very close to zero.  How things may seem can be deceptive.

Answer 3

Neil h has it. The oil is captured in inter rock spaces, not a lake. It is replaced by the mud and water, introduced under pressure, to force it out. In gushers it is the natural gas which initially forces the oil out. Therefore there are no great voids to be filled.

Answer 4

dead organic material accumulates on the bottom of oceans, riverbeds or swamps, mixing with mud and sand. Over time, more sediment piles on top and the resulting heat and pressure transforms the organic layer into a dark and waxy substance known as kerogen.

Left alone, the kerogen molecules eventually crack, breaking up into shorter and lighter molecules composed almost solely of carbon and hydrogen atoms. Depending on how liquid or gaseous this mixture is, it will turn into either petroleum or natural gas.

Believe it or not, drilling for oil can be a definite source of waste that can harm the environment. The most common problem comes in the drilling fluids that are used. In the past, oil drilling sites have used oil-based-muds, OBMs, as drilling fluid to keep cuttings from the drill cleared away. The problem is that in the mud there is both diesel fluid and mineral oil. Both of these are harmful to the environment. While water-based-muds are available and provide a much more environmentally safe solution, they simply do not work as well for the drillers. Companies are working on creating more environmentally friendly drilling fluids. As of the 1990’s, companies began making SBMs, or synthetic-based-muds. These have the desired affect of OBMs with a much lower threat to the environment. Still, the perfect drilling solution beneficial to both man and planet has yet to be found.

Answer 5

The oil occurs in very small spaces between sand grains, not in oil lakes underground.  

Answer 6

i think oil is there because it was released by dead prehistoric organisms