Natural Gas, Coal, and Oil all form pretty much the same way. I mean, if you think about it,it was all once living. Then it died and sunk down into the ground. Later it was buried by sediment. Heated, pressurized, and was stuck there for millions of years. They are all very similar
Natural gas is found deep within the crust of the earth. Millions of years ago animal and plant remains got buried under layers and layers of soil. As time passed the soil matter on top of them got converted into hard rock. All of the matter that was trapped was organic which means that it was as such once alive. The pressure and heat acting on this trapped organic matter gradually changed it into coal, oil and natural gas. The major proportion of what constitutes natural gas is methane. The worlds largest reserves of natural gases are now located in present day Russia and Iran.
Natural gas is in great demand in the west. It is used in the heating of homes and in generating electricity. It is predicted that natural gas will be to the world what petroleum is today.
Natural gas is generally considered a nonrenewable fossil fuel. Natural gas is considered a fossil fuel because most scientists beleive natural gas was formed from the remains of tiny sea animals and plants that died 200-400 million years ago.
How Was Natural Gas Formed? Millions of years ago, the remains of plants and animals decayed and built up in thick layers. This decayed matter from plants and animals is called organic material -- it was once alive. Over time, the mud and soil changed to rock, covered the organic material and trapped it beneath the rock. Pressure and heat changed some of this organic material into coal, some into oil (petroleum), and some into natural gas -- tiny bubbles of odorless gas. The main ingredient in natural gas is methane, a gas (or compound) composed of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms.
In some places, gas escapes from small gaps in the rocks into the air; then, if there is enough activation energy from lightning or a fire, it burns. When people first saw the flames, they experimented with them and learned they could use them for heat and light.
