That's Crude!

What is crude oil? Well, it isn't oil that is rude, it is simply oil that is fresh from the ground that hasn't been cleaned up yet. After the oil is pumped out of the ground it is sent to an oil refinery where it is cleaned and heated until the crude oil separates into different substances. These substances are more commonly called gasoline, asphalt, OIL,.etc.

Crude oil comes in different colors and thickness, depending upon where and how it was formed. Sometimes crude oil is the color of honey and is very thin (like, well like oil). Other times the crude oil is a darker brown or black and sometimes it is very thick (like peanut butter). In some areas, like California, the crude oil is black and smells awful, like rotten eggs. Sulfur causes this smell and there is a lot of it in the oil in California because it was formed in marine sediments, soils from the ocean.